Treading Dark Waters
— Ray Burow

“In sickness and in health, till death do us part.” If you’ve attended many weddings, you recognize this phrase as the last sentence most brides and grooms say in their marriage vows. Immediately before my spouse, John, and I were pronounced husband and wife 35 years ago, we made that…

Take a minute to think about food intake and how it varies with age. Some young people can eat anything and anytime they want without the ill effect of weight gain. For many, an obsession with weight loss and gain arrives later in life. We become more intentional about…

Few caregivers have time to take naps, but I recently read study results in a June Sleep Health article that suggest short naps can benefit cognitive health. That could mean something as simple as a brief snooze could aid your fight against Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of…

Shouldering the weight of Alzheimer’s disease is difficult enough without the added burden of guilt. That burden is oppressive, and it’s too often present when navigating Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Caregivers may feel guilt, but so can patients just after diagnosis or in the early stages of…

Max had a reputation, and it wasn’t a good one, at least not wholly. But no one is perfect, especially not a beagle mix with a bent toward naughtiness and a penchant for leftovers. Over time, Max’s good outweighed his wrong, and my family became fiercely attached to the little…

I hope you’re enjoying all that the summer months have to offer. In my case and possibly in yours, caregiving days for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias continued even when the kids were out of school. But even though you’re still busy with laundry, meals, and all that accompanies…

Winter is lovely; without winter, there’d be no Christmas. But by February’s end, chilly folks start dreaming of long summer days, exchanging shivering for sweat, and trading snow shovels for mowers to cut the greener grass on the other side of winter. Then, suddenly, we awake in June. Caregivers…

I’m grateful to write a weekly column for Alzheimer’s News Today. It’s true what they say about writing: It’s cathartic. But I can’t lie. Writing about the events surrounding my mother’s Alzheimer’s disease and our family’s experience with it can be painful. At times, my writing takes me…

Note: This story was updated May 31, 2023, to correct the long-term cost for people living with dementia is expected to reach $345 billion this year, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, not $345 million. When I think about the vast number of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease, it can…

One early morning there was a knock at my sister’s door. My mother was on the other side. There Mom stood, not alone, but with a neighbor. An elderly woman like my mother walking for exercise wasn’t unusual in my sister’s neighborhood, but Mom, who split her time between her…

Think about your last doctor’s appointment. At any point during the visit, did you find yourself intimidated? Did the doctor order tests? Did you understand what they were and why they were ordered? Once the results were in and the doctor explained them, did you understand everything? Were you comfortable…

Most often, people diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease exhibit symptoms in their mid-to-late 60s. Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease can appear as early as 30, though thankfully, that’s rare. By the time someone reaches 60, they have many life experiences with family, friends, and acquaintances. They often…