Treading Dark Waters
— Ray Burow

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Defining it and its causes, however, is complicated. Researchers in Toronto at the University Health Network’s Krembil Brain Institute, for instance, suggest that Alzheimer’s is not primarily a brain disorder, but instead more of an autoimmune disease.

Caregivers, by definition, provide care, and part of that involves protecting patients or loved ones from physical harm and emotional stress. Troubling news crossed my desk this week in the form of a story out of Brevard County, Florida. Sadly, an elderly woman with dementia and living in a care…

At least 6.7 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is projected to climb to 13 million by 2050. On the other hand, the Alzheimer’s Association believes that the first person to be cured of Alzheimer’s is alive today. Oh,…

I sincerely hope I never mislead anyone reading this column into believing that the road through dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is a smooth and easy highway. After all, my columns are collectively titled “Treading Dark Waters.” Caring for my mother was an honor and a privilege, but I’d…

Spring is in the air, at least in my neck of the woods. The season prompts memories of my mother. A lover of nature, she was stricken with Alzheimer’s disease in the early 2000s. Before her diagnosis, and for a good while afterward, she kept up with the…

People in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease can exhibit unusual behavior, although altered behaviors can occur in the early stages, too. Caregivers might notice slight changes in personality that go unnoticed by someone less familiar with a person who has the disease. Cognitive impairment dampens thinking skills,…

Every three seconds, someone around the world develops dementia, and in the time it takes to count 65 Mississippis, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease. As the BrightFocus Foundation notes, approximately 6.5 million adults 65 and older are currently living with Alzheimer’s in the U.S.

Each morning arrives with a new set of choices. The average adult makes about 35,000 decisions a day, according to researchers at Cornell University, and more responsibility brings with it more decisions. I wonder how many decisions a caregiver faces each day. Pregnant women are often told…

You may not be aware that Bionews is a “leading online health, science, and research publication company” that, as described on its homepage, “exists to improve the lives of patients living with rare diseases.” Bionews columnists either have the disease they write about or they’re caregivers or family members.

I wish everyone a lovely Valentine’s Day, although for caregivers and their loved ones diagnosed with dementia, holidays look slightly different than they do for others. Caregiving takes up most of our time, and we inevitably fall into survival mode as yesterday blends into today, and…

Happy Black History Month! President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976 to celebrate the achievements and contributions of African Americans in the United States, though the observance had been developing for decades and in fact continues to develop. The month is a perfect…

On Jan. 26, my mother would have celebrated her 96th birthday. Oh, how I miss her. A woman of faith, my mother is in a far better place today — a city made without hands (Hebrews 11:10), sans Alzheimer’s disease. She “went home” in 2012, and I’ve thought…