More blood pressure worry: It's linked to dementia

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100126/ap_on_he_me/us_med_healthbeat_dementia_blood_pressure

This is an interesting article.

Ahead of the Curve

I was talking to one of my colleagues from NASA (Ed Erickson) this past week about how inaccurate some of the facts on Alzheimers are. Just take a look at my earlier post on the stages and you can see Dad doesn't exactly fit in any of the categories. There are still things he excels at, and of course things he absolutely cannot do. Ed explained to me that when doctor's study diseases the data is analyzed in a bell curve. Most of what we are reading is what falls right in the middle.
We know dad ate turmeric just about everyday, fish once a week, and ran all the time, but he still got Alzheimers. Those preventative measures against Alzheimers are for the average person, I guess. Dad's never really been average. If you've been to any of Dad's doctor's appointments with Dr. Ribaudo, you'd know he still aces the math portions, but he can't read a clock, he can write complete sentences and draw that diagram with shapes, but he can't remember those three words. According the data Stage 6-7 patients should start seeing physical health decline. Dad's been surviving on those Parle-G biscuits for over a year. His health seems to be doing okay, considering. Like usual Dad's falling ahead of the curve...

Guhoroy

I know I completley misspelled his name, but can either Jayant or Pankaj interview the dude and get his perspective on Dad! I mean, he must have some stories!!

Me as Dad

In sixth grade, most kids are in the mode where they rebel against their parents and want to be nothing like them. I could write a thousand words to describe how I went against the grain in this regard, or simply share this picture of my sixth grade graduation. There I was in 1992, the start of grunge era.

Ruby took one look at this picture and burst into laughter. She said to me, "You look like an engineer."

Indeed. I was wearing one of my father's shirts, had pleated pants on and even had a Parker pen, sans pocket protector, in my pocket. I wanted to be my dad.

Unrelated: i never got beat up in elementary school.

Dad and my nicknames

Dad always had a nick name for me.. It was always soo enduring to hear him call me by his created nick name... It start from when I was a little girl, he would call me Rani to when I was in my twenties, he would call me Cookie. Never understood why, just always accepted that, that was our relationship. Something I will always cherish.

Dad and Rekha 2007

Dad still remembers Rekha but he is slowly starting to forget her too.  The other day he asked if this girl was my daughter.  So I pulled this from the archives of when Rekha was just a few weeks old

Dad and Anju

I love this picture.  As you all know, Dad was not able to participate in Anju's wedding.   It was a tough decision to make to not take Dad to the wedding.  We decided it would be too stressful for him.  He gets extremely confused when he leaves the house.  Anju had only one wish the morning of her wedding, and that was to get a pic of her and Dad together.  We had to wake him up to do it.  And I could tell Dad knew something was going on, but he couldn't grasp it.

Blueberry Juice may boost Memory?

Here is a cool article from WebMD, on blueberry juice increasing memory!

http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20100121/blueberry-juice-may-boost-memory

Finding the rhyme and reason to it all

One thing I keep hearing Mom say is "What did I do to deserve this?  Why is this my fate".   Lately I have been fighting one of my core beliefs that "Everything happens for a good reason".  Because it is hard to find the good reason when something as devastating as this happens.   I am sure Mom thought she was going to live a long life with Dad and she dreamed of getting old with him and all the things that couples imagine themselves going through.  I know she fought the "Alzheimers" label for years.  Thinking this is just a temporary thing.  She even went through a phase where she thought the medicine was making him worse.  And of course there was the phase of the evil curse being put on my Dad.   And now finally she is in the phase of acceptance and its always in acceptance we have to ask "What did I do to deserve this?".  If  the universe worked in such amazing ways of "you get what you deserve" then what exactly did she do to deserve this.  Or better yet, if we expand our scope, what have the children of Haiti done to deserve the fate of losing their parents at such a young age?  Is the simple belief of faith that " everything happens for a good reason and you may not understand the ways of the universe right now, but you will in the long run" strong enough to get past it?

The Stages of Alzheimers

Folks: We've been discussing the stage Dad's in. Here's a list I got from alz.org. I personally feel dad's in stage 6, moving into stage 7.

Stage 1: No impairment (normal function)

Unimpaired individuals experience no memory problems and none are evident to a health care professional during a medical interview.


Stage 2: Very mild cognitive decline (may be normal age-related changes or earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease)

Individuals may feel as if they have memory loss and lapses, especially in forgetting familiar words or names or the location of keys, eyeglasses or other everyday objects. But these problems are not evident during a medical examination or apparent to friends, family or co-workers.

Stage 3:

1) Mild cognitive decline
2) Early-stage Alzheimer's can be diagnosed in some, but not all, individuals with these symptoms
3) Friends, family or co-workers begin to notice deficiencies. Problems with memory or concentration may be measurable in clinical testing or discernible during a detailed medical interview. Common difficulties include:

* Word- or name-finding problems noticeable to family or close associates
* Decreased ability to remember names when introduced to new people
* Performance issues in social or work settings noticeable to family, friends or co-workers
* Reading a passage and retaining little material
* Losing or misplacing a valuable object
* Decline in ability to plan or organize

Stage 4: Moderate cognitive decline (Mild or early-stage Alzheimer's disease)
At this stage, a careful medical interview detects clear-cut deficiencies in the following areas:

* Decreased knowledge of recent occasions or current events
* Impaired ability to perform challenging mental arithmetic-for example, to count backward from 75 by 7s
* Decreased capacity to perform complex tasks, such as planning dinner for guests, paying bills and managing finances
* Reduced memory of personal history
* The affected individual may seem subdued and withdrawn, especially in socially or mentally challenging situations

Stage 5: Moderately severe cognitive decline (Moderate or mid-stage Alzheimer's disease)

Major gaps in memory and deficits in cognitive function emerge. Some assistance with day-to-day activities becomes essential. At this stage, individuals may:

* Be unable during a medical interview to recall such important details as their current address, their telephone number or the name of the college or high school from which they graduated
* Become confused about where they are or about the date, day of the week or season
* Have trouble with less challenging mental arithmetic; for example, counting backward from 40 by 4s or from 20 by 2s
* Need help choosing proper clothing for the season or the occasion
* Usually retain substantial knowledge about themselves and know their own name and the names of their spouse or children
* Usually require no assistance with eating or using the toilet

Stage 6: Severe cognitive decline (Moderately severe or mid-stage Alzheimer's disease)

Memory difficulties continue to worsen, significant personality changes may emerge and affected individuals need extensive help with customary daily activities. At this stage, individuals may:

* Lose most awareness of recent experiences and events as well as of their surroundings
* Recollect their personal history imperfectly, although they generally recall their own name
* Occasionally forget the name of their spouse or primary caregiver but generally can distinguish familiar from unfamiliar faces
* Need help getting dressed properly; without supervision, may make such errors as putting pajamas over daytime clothes or shoes on wrong feet
* Experience disruption of their normal sleep/waking cycle
* Need help with handling details of toileting (flushing toilet, wiping and disposing of tissue properly)
* Have increasing episodes of urinary or fecal incontinence
* Experience significant personality changes and behavioral symptoms, including suspiciousness and delusions (for example, believing that their caregiver is an impostor); hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not really there); or compulsive, repetitive behaviors such as hand-wringing or tissue shredding
* Tend to wander and become lost

Stage 7: Very severe cognitive decline (Severe or late-stage Alzheimer's disease)

This is the final stage of the disease when individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment, the ability to speak and, ultimately, the ability to control movement.

* Frequently individuals lose their capacity for recognizable speech, although words or phrases may occasionally be uttered
* Individuals need help with eating and toileting and there is general incontinence of urine
* Individuals lose the ability to walk without assistance, then the ability to sit without support, the ability to smile, and the ability to hold their head up. Reflexes become abnormal and muscles grow rigid. Swallowing is impaired.

Om Shankara

Interesting link when I googlged "What does Om Shankara Mean?":

http://allsaivism.tripod.com/shankarameans.html

Shankara or Sankara can also mean sankata + hara, that is he who destroys or ends all difficulties. Sincere prayers to Shankara can be very effective. The Lord is easily pleased with pure devotion and responds immediately. Siva is known for his boon giving nature, which at times causes trouble because when he is pleased he can be very generous even to the evil characters.

Dad's Infamous Lines

Although Dad doesnt say much anymore, besides for Mom's name, and "Om Shankara"- (which we have got to figure out where he got that from), I hear his voice everyday. And everyday I feel like I am making up for his not being there by actually searching for his voice. Whether it's his random quotes, "Khanike rozi nahin, nahaye ka tharke"- which I still dont know means, to singing songs that definied him.

I thought we could keep Dad alive by remembering his most infamous quotes. So reply back with what you remember Dad saying over and over again.

"Dukharan le ayo?" HAHA. That was for Anju & Pankaj :)

Check out the Alz.org message boards

Renu found this wonderful resource to post your thoughts about Alz and read others:

http://www.alz.org/living_with_alzheimers_message_boards_lwa.asp

The prospect of getting Alzheimers

There really are very few things you can prepare for in life.  In most cases life happens so quickly we simply spend our lives reacting.  The truth about Alzheimers is if your parent had it, you have a 50% chance of getting it.  Now I don't know about you, but 50% is quite high.  Too high to shrug off.

When Dad was diagnosed years ago, I was actually quite happy it was not a brain tumor.  We knew something was wrong and were anxiously awaiting the results.  I remember thinking "Thank God, its not a tumor or cancer or something horrendous".  We didnt know much about Alzheimers and truthfully we all optimistically hoped medicine would solve the problem.  Fast forward to today where we have tried all medications and many different combos of medication and we have nurtured and cared for my Dad in hopes love can cure the way, only to be at a loss on what to do next.  The reality is, Dad died 2 years ago, right now we have a stranger living in our homes.  And sadly because this stranger is here, we really can not mourn his death.

I am starting to wonder, if the rate is 50%, will I get it?  And if so, how much time do I have?  20 more years? 30? 40?  Will I be coherent enough to know what is happening at Rekha's wedding?  My Mom says "Dont worry there will be a cure by the time you are old".  

Live life to the fullest eh?  Every day counts.

On Homes and Hearts

Every week Dad's Alzheimers introduces us to new parts of this devastating disease. In the past couple of months it has begun to dawn on us that maybe we can't always take care of him. Assisted living facilities are probably the next step for him and for us. Over the past couple of weeks, I've had conversations with each of my siblings about this. We all feel that day coming. It's a very emotional decision for all of us... especially Mom.

We all know that home is where your heart is. I wonder where dad's heart is. His memories have faded to unrecognizable moments that he'll randomly talk about. Most of his words are gibberish. His mind has reverted back to Kamalpur, India and so has his language. Sarita found Dad lost in the garage on Monday; he didn't remember how he got there, or how to leave... I don't know how long he was standing in there trying to find a way out. He can't distinguish any of his daughters from each other, and the other day I heard him call Sriram Pankaj. Of course there is the hourly search for Kunty :) He's mistook me for Kunty before. He's asked Sarita if she's Kunty. He asked me once if Sandhya is Kunty. So we know he loves Kunty, if only he could remember who Kunty was. By the way, anyone standing in the kitchen area will be mistaken for Kunty.... considered yourself warned.

I have no doubt that his heart is here at Boitano, and by placing him in a living facility we may break what little spirit he has left. The hopeful side of me believes that maybe he will do fine, he barely remembers any of us. The daughter part of me knows Dad would have never left me in a living facility if something was wrong with me. That being said he is becoming increasingly more difficult to care for: sun-downing, skin fungus, hygiene issues, losing control of his bowel/bladder. It's taking a toll on all of us, but mostly Mom. I can see it in her face, she's being weighed down by this emotionally and physically. It's such a tough decision. What's the right thing to do here?

There is also the obvious question: are we doing him a favor or are we doing ourselves a favor? I think it's more a favor for ourselves... Learning to deal with that may take us a lifetime. Such a tough decision...

Post from Mom

Mom asked me to write this one: I typed what she was saying....

Dad was born to Fulbasi Devi Prasad and Dahan Prasad in small village in Kamalpur, India.  He was born and brought up there, up till Highschool.  After highschool he ran away from home and went to Calcutta.  He stayed in the Ranchi railway station for 2 nights and then he went to Calcutta.  He actually had to conive his way onto the train because he could not afford a ticket.  Then he went to Calcutta.  He stayed with his friends... He had a hard time finding food and worked as a Coolie.  He was underweight so it was tough for him to get a job in manual labor.  One of his friends hooked him up with a Coolie job.  He worked a few days to afford food.  He worked there for a few months and then picked up a job as a boy helping carry vegetables from the rich people as they shopped at the markets.  He would carry a basket on his head and the ladies would place vegetables on the basket and he would follow them around the market and make a few rupees to survive.  A local merchant noticed he could read and asked him if he had any accounting skills.  He jumped at the offer and did the accounting for this merchant.  He really wanted to go to college, but he had no money.  Finally his friends saw potential in him so they all chipped in and paid for his admission ticket.  He quickly got admission at St Xaviers for one year and then he got into Jhadavpur University.   He had a hard time finding food during his college years so he tutored kids and he lived under street lamps on the street.  But he still aced each of his classes and was top in his class.  At this time he was able to send money to his parents and was very proud.  When he passed the college, he went to a happy hour (yes, mom said happy hour) and his friend Gauhara forced him to fill out an application to a position in US and he was accepted right away.  According to Gauhara, my Dad was very "lucky" to get accepted. 

Happy Birthday Dad!

Dad was never a fan of celebrating his birthday. In fact til this day, we have no idea when his birthday is. He believes he was born sometime in the summer (we used to celebrate it in the middle of July, July 25th to be exact). However today is his legal birthday, as stated on his license/passport/legal docs 1/15/1939. So just wanted to give quick shoutout to say Happy Legal Birthday Dad! We love you!

Summary of Dr. Oz Alz Show

Everyone in this world will either know someone who get it or get it themselves.
Over 5 Million folks have it today. (Dad included)
Definition of Alz- Memories, Thoughts, Feelings, Physcalites all lie in Neurons- in Alz Neurons die --> brain shrinks,affecting these functions- leads to death.
No cure yet.
Handful medications.
By age 65, 5% risk of Alz.
Alz brain smaller than healthier brain, bigger ventricles (responsible to memory).

Warning Signs:
Sooner you get help, sooner we can get better.
Genetics. Small % of people have genetic cause. Early onsetters family members have 50% of getting it.
Problem of words- Loss of words. Can be age related. When its more frequent or forget definition than its a warning sign.
Tough time finding stuff.

Prevention:
Excerise everyday
Work out your mind- Mental aerobics: jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles
Take care of your diet.
- Curry (India has less folks diagnosed w Alz
- B12
- Vitamin B6
- Fish Oil
- Folic Acid
Dancing!

Dr. Oz is doing a show on Alzheimers

Don't miss this show by Dr. Oz on Alzheimers tommorrow: Jan 14, 2010.  Here is the link: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/thursday-dr-oz

Team Balesh is participating in Memory Walk 2010

Team Balesh is participating in Memory Walk in San Francisco on Sept 11, 2010 at Mission Creek Park, Mission Bay.  The walk begins at 9:30 AM. 
We would like to raise $1000 as our team goal!  If you would like to donate to our team goal please use the link on the right hand side! 
Here is some information on the Memory Walk: Website

Memory Walk is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research. Since 1989, Memory Walk has raised more than $300 million for the cause.

All Memory Walk donations benefit the Alzheimer's Association, the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. The mission of the Alzheimer's Association is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.

The careless parent

We never had any rules growing up.  In fact, till this day the Prasad kids do what they want. My parents never yelled at us for leaving our clothes on the floor, or not cleaning up after ourselves.  We never had a bedtime, or chores or any rules to follow.  My parents would let us do what we wanted and when we wanted.  The only thing we had to do was get good grades in school.  It was a must for us to be #1 in our class.  We could wear makeup in gradeschool and not get in trouble, but if we brought home a B on our test we would be busted.  I always thought my parents were careless parents because they didnt micro-manage us growing up.  But the truth of the matter is they did manage us.  They managed us the correct way by instilling a sense of a team in us.  We moved around so much, it was hard to make friends and keep friends.  But we had each other.

I always remeber when my parents moved to the Mission Hills and yet again, I was about to be a new kid at a new school.  I was pretty upset.  This was my 6th new school during my Grade school years and I didn't want to go.  My Dad sat with me and while I cried and fussed he said some profound things to me.  "Sandhya, The people that make it big in life know how to adapt to these changes. This is your chance to do very well at a very good school.  No one is better than you and if you can make it at this school, you can make it anywhere"  Here is a man who left his country and lived on the streets adapting to change every second of his life.  He has no reason to understand my anguish.  I am about to go to the best school in Fremont and frankly, from his point of view, I should be thrilled.   It was this ego-boosting conversation that was instilled in me again and again.  And probably the one conversation I have in my head again and again everytime I feel like I am about to fail.

Right hand man

If my father was asked what he is most proud of in his life accomplishments, without hesitation, his chest would fill with pride and he'd proclaim, MY KIDS. Thats just the kind of guy he was, is and always will be. This is especially notable because my father did not leave a mediocre life. In fact, by all measures, his rise from extreme poverty in Bihar to a respectable lifestyle here in the Silicon Valley is the stuff of legends. I'm not sure he knew what the American dream even was when he came here in 1972 and took a job at a machine shop in Philadelphia, but needless to say his story is an inspiration.

His character and persona don't come out in broad strokes but rather in situational stories. I will try to convey some of these here.

Dad and I always had a special relationship. We were the two men in a family with 6 women. Even at a very young age, my father treated me like an adult. Before I went to school, I would routinely wake up at 5 AM with Dad, pretend to shave with him and put my winnie the pooh suit on to his match his 3 piece attire. I recall him bringing me to work on days that weren't bring your kid to work day. He kind of made his own rules. He would often have me tag along with him to job interviews and business meetings. Most of the time I would just wait in the car or a nearby Fry's Electronics, and be treated to a milkshake for coming along, but sometimes I would attend and he'd cut the tension in negotiations by asking what I thought. I often sat right next to him as he made real estate investments. Oblivious to the magnitude of his decisions and the course they would have on my own life, I think Dad always knew what he was doing.

Still Dad?

When dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's me and my siblings started doing our research on the disease. We read books, articles and watched TV programs to educate ourselves on the disease...

One book that has stayed with me is "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova. It is a fictional book, but has some great insight on this disease. I remember in the book, the character Alice was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but she still was a person under her inabilities to function in society, normally...

My siblings and I are around my parents house A LOT. We hang out there every Tuesday night as well as on Sundays. My dad will come down, sit next to his space heater, talk to us about anything in Hindi and then go back upstairs. He does this enough times in a day where we have started to realize he has a pattern.

The other day my husband, Sriram was at the house with us and he was sitting on the couch alone, while my Dad was sitting in his normal spot in front of the space heater.. What was amazing to me was when my dad turned to Sriram to talk to him, he realized he was not one of his kids, so instead of speaking to him in Hindi, he started to speak to Sriram in English...

I was in the kitchen listening to them.. That moment reminded me that Dad was Still Dad, inside...

Dad in Bihar

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall during Dad's India days.

Visiting Bihar for the first time in my adult life in May 2009 with Mom, I couldn't fathom how Dad left his village to not only live in Calcutta (a city not too far from his village) but come to America and adjust to American ways (at least somewhat :) )

It's been 30+ years since he left but his village still remembers him. As soon as you walk into his village there is the temple he built many years ago. It definitely does not look brand new, but it is still a place people can go to worship.

When Mom and I turned the corner to get to Dad's house in his village, there were two old men sitting on the floor of the alley and as soon as they saw us, they said "Engineer Ke Saabh ki pariwaar": The Engineer's family.

How did they know we were related to Dad? Because in all the 30+ years that has passed since my Dad left his village, no one else has made it out.

Alzheimer's = Age-Time

This is something I posted on my own blog awhile ago, I just thought I'd re-post and start the blogging!

Every Sunday my family meets up at my parent's house; three generations of Prasad's eating, laughing, and enjoying life. As I watch our family interact, I can't help but notice how similar my aging father acts to my nine month old niece. His condition is Alzheimer's, hers is youth. Anyone that has been around Alzheimer's knows about the degeneration of the inflicted's mind, and childlike behavior that ensues. I go for walks with my father, and I answer the same question 20 times during the 30 minute walk. "Anita when are you getting married?" Soon Dad. I babysit Rekha, and I tell her not to put the remote control in her mouth 20 times. The same amount of patience, attention, and love is required in both settings.

In my parent's home, I'm constantly reminded of time. In this world, time is the only constant, everything else is changing. Time continues to move forward into the infinite, there is no stopping or rewinding it. We all age in the same increments, one year at a time. Though I think age has the ability to come full circle. A 65 year old, can behave like a nine month old. I'm beginning to understand that the only place that time has the ability to fast forward into the future, or rewind into the past is in our heads. I'm watching my Father revert to his village Hindi, a language he hasn't spoken in over 50 years, and I can see that he has gone back in time, to live in a different point in his life. I have heard of cases in Alzheimer's where the patient thinks he/she is 18 again, and decides to behave in that manner. Maybe there such a thing as time travel.

Though scientifically there is no method of physically going back in time, or jumping into the future, I have learned that you can make time stand still. When you are living in the moment, time will stand still...

Baleshwar Prasad aka "Dad"

This is a blog dedicated to my Dad "Baleshwar Prasad" by his children: Pinki, Sandhya, Anita, Anju, Pankaj, Renu and Jayant.  My Dad is still alive and quite happy, but he has been suffering from Alzheimer's for many years now.  As this horrid disease eats away at his memory and cognitive skills we have been working hard to find the "humor" in it.  The truth of the matter is My Dad is quite happy and content in his "Alzheimer's state" its his kids and wife that are suffering around him.  


Our only hopes in creating this blog is to keep Baleshwar Prasad alive.  He was quite an interesting man and in his short lifespan did a lot.   


We have also done a ton of research and found so many great articles and studies done on Alz.  We will post all of our findings as we find them as we hope all of you out there that have loved ones suffering from Alz can benefit from our findings.