Caregiver Village For the Caregivers of America

Health and Science for Sunday 100911.

Hey folks,

In today's Health and Science Segment, I want to talk about YOU. A VERY SPECIAL YOU. You are not alone. If you are a Caregiver, you are among some 50 MILLION others out there, experiencing life as you are today.

For the first 11 years of my life, I lived in a big house with my Mother, Aunt, and Grand Parents. My Dad leaving when I was 13 Months Old. I've talked about growing up in Salisbury Mills NY, many times. I have shared how it was the BEST times of my life. How my Grandmother instilled a lot of the Morals and Points of View I still have today. The fact that I do not even believe she had Locks on the Door. I have talked about how she basically raised me, my Mother Working at the time to help pay Bills. I've talked about my Best Friend Billy. All these things. But what I haven't really talked all that much about, is the fact that my Grandfather had Parkinson Disease. Oh, I've mentioned it. I talked about how he could do nothing for himself. How my Grandmother took care of his every need. But I have not REALLY shared that.

One fateful day, my Grandmother, sleeping in her Chair, heard my Grandfather calling. She got up, and dropped from a major Heart Attack. Doctors said she was dead before she hit the Floor. Her Heart just exploded. EVERY DAY for the whole 11 years of my life EVERY DAY, from morning to night, ALL night, 24-7, my Grandmother took care of my Grandfather. She also raised me, my Friend Billy, my Aunt, took care of my Mother, Cooked for the Family, and even for some less fortunate in Town. But NO ONE, knew what that REALLY meant until she was gone.

My mother, and Aunt, learned REALLY fast what it meant to take care of some one's every need, 24-7. They would admit to you to this very day, that they had NO IDEA! Then to do all the other things she did? She must have been a Super Woman. She WAS! But then, there are a LOT of Super People out there. They are all, for whatever reasons, doing the same. You are not alone.

I want to introduce you to Caregiver Village. Folks this truly is amazing. It's an online Community designed exclusively for those who provide Care for anyone with Special Needs. Caregiver Village Members connect with friends, participate in Book Clubs with Celebrity Authors, Journal, play Mystery Games, Solve Puzzles. I'm not kidding. There is a lot to do. But most important than all that? Other than meeting people going through the same things, and being able to support each other, you will also learn valuable information about Caregiving.

From their Website:

At Caregiver Village, we’re here to serve the needs and concerns of today’s caregivers. Its a place to connect with other people who face similar challenges, obtain valuable resources, share journal entries and read those of others about caregiving journeys. Visitors can meet well-known authors and participate in their book clubs and play our Village Chronicles game, for learning or just for fun.

The Village Chronicles is an entertaining on-line mystery adventure story that integrates caregiving situations into a game-like atmosphere. You can connect with your friends, find links to valuable resources within Caregiver Village, solve puzzles, achieve ranks, and earn badges. It’s a learning experience that is engaging and fun.

It really is. I'll admit something to you. I'm being honest here. I hope I do not offend anyone here, but the truth is, I get a lot of Emails asking me to plug this or that. Asking me to post links for support for this and or that. In very RARE occasions, I will take the time to go to the site and check it out. And in even MORE RARE situations, I post them here. Most I do not even click.

I went here. I went to this Site for TWO reasons. One, I lived it. I understand that those that fall into a Caregiver Role, for whatever reason, and they make the decision to take that role on, instead of looking for alternatives, Hospitals, Nursing Homes, that sort of thing, are VERY Special People. Some of these things, all have GREAT Purposes, and I understand and do appreciate what they do, they can also be Dumping Grounds.

Reason two, I understand the POWER of togetherness. The pure Strength that two people can draw from one enough that are going through the same or extremely similar things. In the Military, Soldiers find this bond to be stronger than Marriages, Family, ETC. Those that survive Disasters? Same thing. It's one of those things that you can not even imagine, unless you live it. Nothing is more traumatic than becoming a Caregiver. To give up one's life, to put their Hopes and Dreams on hold, to care for someone else's EVERY need, 24-7. In a lot of these cases, on top of just the daily grind, you have to throw in there, the fact that they are watching the one they love, slowly disappear before their very eyes. I'm starting to watch this take place again, this time with my Mother In-Law, taking the Role of Caregiver to my Father In-Law, who is showing signs of Alzheimer's. Also from their Website:

Facts

The societal problem:

Despite millions of government dollars and hundreds of dedicated websites, family caregivers are in trouble. With over 60 million family caregivers in the U.S. alone, many caregivers become sick (with nearly twice the rate of chronic illnesses as their non-caregiving peers); they’re depressed (40-70% report significant feelings of depression), they face a significantly increased risk of stroke, and they’re frustrated, unable to find resources or solutions they need to help with the enormous burden thrust upon them. They’re also costly to our economy accounting for an estimated $33.6 billion in lost productivity.
The caregiver’s problem:

Family caregivers are exhausted, stressed to the point of illness and frustrated by their isolation. Caregiver Village’s virtual village creates a close knit community where caregivers can discover a sense of deep personal satisfaction – and escape – from the hard, intense work of family caregiving; while simultaneously learning how to handle their stress and building online connections with people in exactly the same situation as them.

It’s time for a new solution. It’s time for Caregiver Village.

•An escape from worries; an innovative way to gain new skills.Games and episodic TV works because they provide escape. Caregiver Village engages caregivers for hours as they play an episodic game while they engage and learn. They return to play the next episode deepening their engagement and learning.

•Real support and connections. Caregivers need support. Caregiver Village creates an online ‘village’ environment where caregivers engage for hours as they interact with others while they and learn and escape. People connect based on common needs and interests in a place that becomes their own village of support and encouragement.

•The power of sharing. Caregivers need to share their story with others. Caregiver Village gives caregivers a means to share their story through the creation of an online journal, guided by supportive experts and well know real life authors. These authors host discussion groups and interact with village members. They help them share their own stories and they discuss topics of community interest.

•A treasure trove of resources. While Caregiver Village is an escape and outlet for stress, it is also packed full of valuable resources for caregivers. Over 1,000 resources, including courses, tip sheets, caregiving products and hundreds of links to disease specific resources are personalized to their needs.

•Advanced technology. Caregiver Village is not just a website. It is a technologically advanced product that uses the most modern technologies available - mobile technology, gamification, social networking, social media, web based course delivery and other advanced technologies - to solve one of the country’s most desperate problems.

I went there. I signed up. I am now a member of the Caretaker Village. And you can too. Just go here: Caregiver Village, and sign up. The first year is FREE. If you find it, which I'm sure you will, if you find it a most valuable resource and tool for you, it's only $49.99 a year. That's AFTER a First YEAR FREE!

Folks, trust me on this one. If you are a Caregiver, you NEED to take some time out to at least check them out. You are not alone, and you do not have to go through this alone. If you know someone who is a Caregiver, check it out FOR them. Then you can decide if they should add it to their daily help. My Grandmother had no one to lean on. No one to learn from. She did this all herself. You do not have to. Your Caregiver Friend or Family Member, doesn't have to. Caregiver Village is here for you. All you have to do is check them out, and like me, you can become a Member. A Friend. A Confidant. Perhaps even a SOURCE of information and Strength for someone else. I went there. Now I'm a firm believer. It's well worth the time.
Peter

Sources:
Caregiver Village

Hitting Close To Home

Hey folks,

Today is the day in Iowa. I let you know tomorrow what is happening there. But today, I want to explain why I posted the Health and Science edition this week, and share a response I received on the topic.

On Sunday, I posted Scaryence Again.

Here we go again with more Scaryence. My new way of describing “Scare Science.” Scaryence is the way some use Science to scare people into conformity, participation in this or that, and basically, just to further agendas. Global Warming is a perfect example of Scaryence.

But this week we are talking about you. Yes, you. Now we all know that things happen to us as we get older. We all know that we slow down a bit. We have aches and pains, here and there. We get tired quicker. ETC. All of a sudden, what seems to be over night, we can’t do the things we use to do.

So some in the scientific community have decided to use this fact, that we all know and feel, the older we get, to make more money. Yup. Money.

Basically, this article by Reuters - Most older adults have brain disease: study By Megan Rauscher Fri Dec 28, 3:34 PM ET bothered me quite a bit.

Most older persons with dementia (i.e., memory and other cognitive impairments) had more than one type of pathology in their brain causing the impairment, Schneider told Reuters Health.

"This most commonly was Alzheimer's disease pathology and cerebral infarcts (strokes), followed by Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body disease, a disease related to Parkinson's disease," she said.

The point of their article?

Based on this study, write two neurologists in an accompanying editorial, "we may wish to maximize medical management of vascular risk factors in the growing elderly population, regardless of whether cognition is still normal or there are signs of overt dementia."

So basically, they want to scare you into spending more money on treating the possibility of you getting what you may already have, even if you do not have it.

I have been questioned about my reason for posting this. It was a, "who cares?" type of question. Then I got this response in the Comment section.

"Hi Peter, thanks for the post. I think though that the revelation, or acceptance, that we all accumulate multiple brain pathologies as we age can actually mitigate against the over-medicalization of dementia. If we accept that all brains age over the continuum of one's life and accumulate vascular changes, inflammation, abnormal proteins (such as amyloid and tau, the hallmarks of Alzheimer's), oxidative stress, etc...it breaks down the notion that there are discreet categories of dementia (ie. "Alzheimer's disease", "Parkinson's")that we can cleanly diagnose and target. I think you might appreciate and enjoy a book that I've co-authored with Dr. Peter Whitehouse, a neurologist at Case Western Reserve University, called "The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told about Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis" (St Martin's Press), and is due for release on Jan.8th. You can check out our website if you have a chance www.themythofalzheimers.com . I'm presently trying to develop a blog and will make sure to "blog roll" you (if I have the vernacular right, hahah). anyhow, thanks for the post, and happy new year to you,
take care,"
Danny George

I would like to answer both here this morning.

First, why did I post this. The simple fact is it hits me pretty close to home. All my childhood, I knew my grandfather as a zombie. He had Parkinson's. Back in those days, they felt the best way to treat it was to actually FREEZE parts of the brain. This was an attempt to slow the progression and help stop the tremors. Didn't work that well. My Grandfather knew what was going on around him, but could not communicate all the well at all. Could not do anything for himself. I watched my Grandmother have a heart attack and die, after taking care of him 24-7 for the first 11 years of my life.

This effected me more than I could possibly know at the time. As I got older, I started wanting to know all about this disease. Then came other famous people that got it. Most notable as of late, Michael J Fox. We have come a long way in the treatment of Parkinson's. As long as Michael takes his meds, he can pretty much live a normal life. I see this as a most positive step forward.

Then I met Vera. Vera was a SHARP 91 year old little lady. We would talk pretty much daily about all kinds of things. She is the one that actually introduced me to my Wife. I loved spending time with her. Then in just a span of about two years, I watched her drift away. Some days were normal, others, she thought I was her son, Son in-law, sometimes her long dead Husband. I saw her once bright, loving , and wise , eyes, slowly glace over. She pasted on a completely different person that I met. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

These are horrible diseases. I know first hand. So when some decide to use them as scare tactics to make more money, I get upset.

To Danny, Thank you for your post. I mean that. You said. "I think though that the revelation, or acceptance, that we all accumulate multiple brain pathologies as we age can actually mitigate against the over-medicalization of dementia." I agree. I think over medication is prescribed in many cases. Treatment for many ailments.

"If we accept that all brains age over the continuum of one's life and accumulate vascular changes, inflammation, abnormal proteins (such as amyloid and tau, the hallmarks of Alzheimer's), oxidative stress, etc...it breaks down the notion that there are discreet categories of dementia (ie. "Alzheimer's disease", "Parkinson's")that we can cleanly diagnose and target."

Very interesting point.

"I think you might appreciate and enjoy a book that I've co-authored with Dr. Peter Whitehouse, a neurologist at Case Western Reserve University, called "The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told about Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis" (St Martin's Press), and is due for release on Jan.8th. You can check out our website if you have a chance www.themythofalzheimers.com ."

I did and I will definitely be looking forward to reading it. Thank you very much. I hope it goes fast. I hope many people will take the time to read it. The more educated we become, the less frightening these diseases and the threat of these become. I have to wonder, other than the obvious, money, if some Doctors now a days over medicate some, in stead of actually looking to treat them. The "easy way out."

Of course you "have the vernacular right." {Laughing} to Blog roll the OPNTalk. I thank you for joining us and hope you visit often. Please feel free to share any more information you wish. In this or any other areas, any time.

You see folks, I become passionate about this type of thing, having lived with it. I do not wish ANYONE to have to suffer from these things. I hope we can find cures in the future. This is why when I see someone practicing Scaryence, I get upset with it. I will alert you anytime I see it.

Thank you again Danny, and I hope this answered some questions others of you may have had. See you tomorrow with an update on Iowa.
Peter