There’s been virtually no progress in finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease since it was first diagnosed in 1906.
Samuel Cohen argues that promising new research could lead to a cure with proper funding and public pressure to do so.
Although Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease (1 out of every 5 medicare dollars is spent on patients with Alzheimer’s), it accounts for less than a tenth of funding.
What’s so haunting about this TED talk by Kevin Breel a young writer, comedian and activist is how he could be just about any kid I know.
I realize anyone can suffer from depression at any time but you don’t think of young, athletic, academic and funny kids when you think of depression. You think of the kid who OBVIOUSLY doesn’t fit in and that circumstance leading to depression.
The thing is, how do I know that any of the 4 kids under my roof aren’t suffering or struggling with depression if, as Kevin described, it’s possible to present two different personas?
Let’s say my kids are all relatively healthy, mentally and emotionally speaking, it sounds like there’s a great chance that one or more of their friends, who otherwise looks healthy and stable is suffering. How can you tell?
Mental health issues are so stigmatized unlike other organs and body parts that are broken that it’s nearly impossible for kids to reach out to the people most likely to be able to help them.
I would love to hear what Kevin has to say about his parents’ role in helping him understand his depression and his ability to advocate for mental health. According to his website, he traveled extensively as a teenager doing stand-up comedy, it sounds like they’re pretty supportive.
If you watch this talk, please let me know if you also can’t stop thinking about it.
Kevin has a new book out that I’m anxious to read.
This particular TED talk has personal implications for me.
As I mentioned in this post about my aunt’s improved health since she came to live with us, loneliness is as serious a health risk as smoking and obesity.
Helena Backlund Wasling, a leading researcher in the science and benefits of touch explains how soft touch activates parts of the brain that control emotion. It’s a key element in reducing stress, forming relationships and connecting with people.
…or WHY IS MY COMPUTER SHAPED LIKE A RHOMBUS?
I’ve known for a while (3 years) that I could benefit from some sort of corrective eye wear. Night time driving is sort of tricky and I try not to drive to unfamiliar places at night, especially if it’s rainy.
I’m a little young to be making conscious choices like that (kind of like when 80 year old drivers avoid making left turns) so, it was time to bite the bullet and get the eyes checked.
I figured I would need glasses for nighttime driving and for my convenience when I want to see things clearly far away. I read every night with no problem seeing the words on the page.
I didn’t expect the guy to tell me I needed glasses from the minute I wake up to the time I go to bed. Bifocals. What?!?
Once he showed me how clear the world can be, I was anxious to get them.
When I first put them on, I wanted to cry. The room was swirly like being in a funhouse with mirrors. The optician assured me that was normal. Huh? Although that sensation went away pretty quickly, I still felt like I was viewing the world through somebody else’s head.
When I walk, I feel 10 feet tall and as if I’m going to fall off the floor.
I’m not too impressed. I think they’re the right lenses. I don’t think they made a mistake. This business of having to tilt my head just so to see clearly is bizarre. Plus, when I look at my laptop or desktop, they are shaped like rhombuses. It’s true.
Everyone says I’ll get used to it but that’s nuts! It feels like there’s a spot about the size of my pupil through which I can see clearly at any given angle.
I’m thinking there hasn’t been much improvement in optics since Ben Franklin invented the bifocal.
How can Google invent glasses that lets you get on the internet but there aren’t glasses that allow me to see everything in my viewing area clearly without looking like a confused puppy?
That’s my rant.
Oh yeah, I have cataracts, too. Nothing like bifocals and cataracts to make you feel 70!
I’ve been caring for my 78-year-old aunt in my home since early May. Since she isn’t bed-ridden and gets out of bed once or twice through the night, I didn’t anticipate caring for open wounds so soon.
Although my aunt’s a diabetic and in spite of being unable to properly wash her feet for an extended period of time, she didn’t suffer from leg or foot sores before she came to live with me (that we know of) .
She developed dermatitis on her left leg shortly after she came here and an ulcer appeared on her left calf shortly after that. She may have picked up a staph infection at the nursing home where she stayed for three weeks before she came to live with me. Not sure. I treated the sore with polysporin and dressings at first, which I did for a week or so. It wasn’t getting better or worse.
When she ended up in the hospital for a stomach virus, they sent her home with wound care supplies, including a substance called “Medi Honey” to treat the wound.
I read some information and reviews about it and by all accounts, it comes highly recommended by wound care specialists. According to her doctor, it minimizes the risk of infection and keeps the wound moist, encouraging new skin growth.
The discharge nurse at the hospital suggested that the dressing should be changed every 3 days (woo-hoo!). Depending on the form of “medihoney”, though (paste, pads, gel), dressing changes will vary.
The stuff looks just like honey and largely consists of it. It’s FDA-approved for all stages of wound treatment.
I learned that I was probably putting the stuff on too large an area and it was likely breaking down the healthy skin around the wound. I adjusted my method and it definitely helped. I’m still waiting for the wound to disappear but it has steadily improved over the weeks.
I learned that it’s available without a prescription and is relatively affordable if you just want to try it, especially if you’ve been dealing with a persistent wound at home. I ordered a tube of the paste to see if it had different results than the strips that the hospital gave me. I found out that the dressings needed to be changed more frequently (daily) which is fine but I can’t tell whether there’s a difference in their effectiveness.
Compared to the terrifying leg ulcers I saw on the internet, my aunt’s sore is relatively manageable and small. I don’t have before/after photos because, well, they’re gross. I do wish I had taken photos for my own use but overall, the sore has improved. It’s more shallow, the new skin looks healthy and it hasn’t increased in diameter.
If you’ve been dealing with a persistent wound or ulcer and haven’t tried medihoney, you might have some success. If so, please let me know.