Spring is here! In no year has it been more welcome than this one, after a long, quarantined winter. If you’re a caregiver for someone with dementia, you might have felt even more isolated than most. This warmer weather brings opportunities to get a change of scenery, and depending on your comfort level, see friends at distance outdoors.
What role does Vitamin D, and specifically Vitamin D deficiency, play in cognitive disease? In this blog post, we’ll do a deep dive on what, if any connections, can be found in modern science between Vitamin D deficiency and memory loss.
Spring is coming; a time of possibility and growth. It offers us a moment to reflect and make changes in our lives for the coming year. We all fall into roles and ruts without noticing, but we don’t have to stay there. Now is a good time to look at your relationship roles and assess how you feel about them.
In memory of our friend, Ruth
About four years ago, my friend Ruth, one of True Care's True Bridge clients, started a knitting circle with three of her friends and their caregivers once a week in her apartment in Battery Park. Over the years, Ruth hosted the knitting circle and served snacks and drinks as the ladies knit for about 45 minutes. It was good company, with good music. The knitting circle became a social time for the ladies and a way for Ruth to showcase her strengths and share them with her friends. Ruth lived with Alzheimer’s Disease for about six years, and even though her cognitive memory was fading, her muscle and motor memory continued to flourish.
The holidays will feel different this year as everyone adjusts their expectations to the reality of 2020. But those who are living with someone with dementia have an extra issue to consider. With all the stress of the year behind us, is it less complicated to not celebrate at all?
For National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, I’d like to reframe our view of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s one of the most feared diseases and the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. There’s a huge focus on the tragedy of the disease: what’s lost during the disease progression, what can no longer be done, and what can no longer be remembered. It’s true, it is a life-altering diagnosis. There’s a lot of grief, loss, and changing of roles throughout the progress of the disease. Alzheimer’s is not easy to navigate.
