Posted 7/13/20
“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”- 2 Chron. 7:13-14
The older I get, the more I realize just how much getting the context is everything in understanding life. You need context to understand: my little blog, people, politics…about everything! So, before I jump into my series delving deeper into the warning signs of dementia, would it be okie dokie if I gave you some context as to why the topic matters?
(Hearing no objection)
Thank you. So, warning signs… Here they are as listed by the Alzheimer’s Assocation:
- Memory loss that disrupts daily life
- Challenges in planning or solving problems
- Difficulty completing familiar tasks
- Confusion with time or place
- Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
- New problems with words in speaking or writing
- Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
- Decreased or poor judgment
- Withdrawal from work or social activities
- Changes in mood and personality
Here is a little summary article I completed on the topic some time ago…
These are pretty straightforward symptoms, if you will. They are also things that happen TO ALL OF US SOMETIMES, ESPECIALLY AS WE AGE. I celebrated my nearly 50th birthday last week and fail in some of these areas here and there to be sure. However, by and large, I do great in these areas. Therefore, we have to consider context before we look at them individually.
Ask yourself or a close loved one these questions as you consider each:
- What was going on in my life? For example, was there trauma? Stress, more than what is typical?
- Any illness, especially things like a UTI?
- How well managed was your blood pressure? Other long-time conditions?
- How is your sleep doing? Do you sleep long and soundly enough?
- How is your diet? Exercise?
- Have you had any changes in your thinking or health since a recent surgery?
There are many things that can mimic dementia and I certainly don’t want to make you worry unnecessarily as you sit at the cornbread table with me these next couple weeks thinking through these warning signs. If the above questions give you pause, chat with your doctor about them. Soon.
As I have shared many times, my mom was diagnosed over a decade ago with “a mild type of dementia”. She had had reasonably traumatic previous few years with the loss of her parents, but, as far as I know, she didn’t show mimic signs. Then things leveled off and it just fell off the radar…until it got worse. Much worse. We missed the early signs and, in turn, the short window to have mom on a treatment that can prolong the early stages (the comparably easier part) although these medicines do not prolong life. This is the impetus of why I push these “ask the doctor” articles often. There are waaaaay more positives than negatives to finding out as soon as possible.
So, off we go, discussing the above warning signs in some detail, starting tomorrow. Are you ready for some mirror time?
#EndALZ
Update: No news on mom for the weekend. I will be eating breakfast with her Wednesday morning which will be very nice. It is starting to look like we are getting closer to having options for in-building visits. The guidance has hoops to jump through, so we shall see. At least the realization that social isolation is a real condition that should be considered along side of COVID-19 is gaining steam…
Diet update: Gained a pound this week and celebrated with joy that it was only 1 after eating quite a bit on my long holiday weekend with my bride. I must not have ate as much as I felt like I did. 🙂
Dad Joke of the Day:
“How does a penguin build its house? Igloos it together.”
Last Little Note: Our daily verse above screams context although it is seldom given by folks who just throw it around like a rag doll. (That wonderful verse is NOT about the US. It is about God and His relationship with believers in that time/covenant. That verse also shows us that God is faithful to keep His covenants and loves His people.)
OK…REALLY LAST NOTE:
A week from tomorrow evening is my next Zoom support group meeting at 6pm. If you would like an invite to it, please email me at mark.applegate@senioragemo.org or call and leave a message at 417-955-2513. I look forward to helping however I can. 🙂