Category: Blog Posts

The Love of Ivy

Ivy WALKER
Icle (Ivy) May Walker – 15/10/1932 – 16/02/2017

Weep Not For Me

(By an Unknown Author)

Weep not for me though I have gone
Into that gentle night
Grieve if you will, but not for long
Upon my soul’s sweet fight

I am at peace, my soul’s at rest
There is no need for tears
For with your love I was so blessed
For all those many years

There is no pain, I suffer not
The fear is now all gone
Put now these things out of your thoughts
In your memory I live on

Remember not my fight for breath
Remember not the strife
Please do not dwell upon my death
But celebrate my life

Coat Of Many Colors – Dolly Parton

 

Commodores – Three Times A Lady

Eulogy

Maya Angelou once said:

                                            ” My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with passion, some compassion, some humour”

Icle, Ivy, mom encapsulated all three.  Passions, Compassion, Humour by the truck load.

Since she was barely a teenager, she had a passion to provide for her family in the best way possible

Whether it was giving a large doll to her young brother Valentine, a doll so large that he thought it was a person, or, being the top agent in the country for two different catalogues for years, providing the income to furnish the house.  This was an amazing achievement considering the competition and the number of agents involved in Littlewoods and Great Universal, at the time.

The skill sets needed to be number one – admin, marketing, sales, customer relations etc, clearly showed that if the opportunity had been presented Mom would have been a successful CEO of a major multinational company.

Moms’ compassion was immense, If you needed help you could not wish for a better ally. 

Speaking to her friends recently they have told me stories of Mom helping out people in various ways. From persuading a friend that her daughter was suffering from post natal depression when such diagnosis was still unfashionable and not recognised, to protecting a fellow worker from being bullied.

Mom’s mantra was an old Jamaican saying. ”…Do good it will follow you, do bad it will follow you…”.

And of course there was her humour. Her sense of fun and all round gregarious attitude which would light up a room.

Moms welcoming nature meant that visiting Mom meant you went home well fed and watered. As you can tell by her children, very rarely did we go hungry.

To make Mom smile all she needed was to hear children laughing and enjoying life. Friends of Mom told me that going to Ivy’s house meant that they could make as much noise as they wanted.

Another bit of laughter I remember was when we were watching the news and a article came on about the ‘Black Country’. Mom got agitated about the racist news, until I explained to her that they meant Wolverhampton, Walsall and surrounding areas, which had a large heavy industry that created a lot of black smoke hence the phrase ‘Black Country’. We could not stop laughing for hours after.

 In the end to have known Mom was to know a force of nature. Again, Maya Angelou sums our mom, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend best:

                                          ”I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

Careful with the Holiday Food

It’s easy to indulge during holiday season – that’s kind of what the season is for, to celebrate (and with food). Nothing wrong with enjoying your holiday favourites, but exercise some self-control lest you want to pay the price next year. Over-indulgence never helped anybody, and it certainly won’t help you. Some common culprits:

Sweets – Cakes, biscuits, eggnog, hot cocoa… all very tasty but can aggravate any ongoing conditions that skate dangerously on diabetes or blood disorders. Digestion can also be affected; sweet before savoury can curb appetite, which means proper nutrition isn’t being followed.

Alcohol – If a glass of red wine helps, holiday parties always go overboard with beer before liquor. Alcohol acts the same way as sugar spikes in the bloodstream; pancreas are overworked and insulin production is overloaded. Liver functions are affected, and kidneys may also suffer because alcohol, though a liquid, can dehydrate the body.

Fats – Healthful fats are needed by the brain, but in the absence of healthful fats, the brain will cling to any fat, even if it’s unhealthful. If you’re “running” from task to task, event to event, person to person – you’re probably not actually running… and getting enough exercise. But you might be eating a lot of food, and if you’re staying away from sweets, there might be more fats in your diet than you realize.

There’s no sense to restrict yourself from enjoying the holiday season, but there’s no reason to let it destroy your brain either.

Music for the Holidays

Holiday season is full of activities for the brain: socializing with friends, thinking about all the social events, and special season-only music that won’t come around for another year.

Ever admire someone who knows all the lyrics to Christmas carols or New Year party songs? What’s stopping you from being that person everyone else admires?

Start with just one or two songs, then continue on with your favourite songs. Learn the second or third verses that are rarely sung, or learn the same song in a different language. If it’s a popular song around the world, it should be easy to find lyrics on the Internet. Alternatively, learn a slightly unfamiliar song and be the only one in the room who recognizes it if it happens to come up.

Tone deaf or don’t have confidence in your singing abilities? Every song has a reason why it was written, and not many people know the background situation that inspired it. Dig for information on the composer or lyricist, read their biographies, and be surprised by some of the stories behind your favourite songs. Remember the trivia and start conversations when you’re in those awkward-silence situations at parties.

 

Here’s How Champagne Prevents Dementia & Alzheimer’s – Morning Ledger


Morning Ledger
Here's How Champagne Prevents Dementia & Alzheimer's
Morning Ledger
They claim that champagne prevents dementia. They discovered that consuming three glasses of champagne every day could help prevent the occurrence of dementia and Alzheimer's. There is a compound found in the black grapes–Pinot Noir and Pinot ...
£7million bid to find Alzheimer's cure will try to detect early signs of dementiaMirror.co.uk
UK scientists in £7m hunt for early Alzheimer's testDaily Mail
New £6.9 million trial to identify patients with early Alzheimer's begins in UKNews & Star
ChronicleLive -Yorkshire Post -WPEC
all 16 news articles »

Alzheimer’s and gaming

There is a relationship between Alzheimer’s and gaming but before discussing this relationship let us first explore what is Alzheimer then we discuss in later sections, what are the effects of gaming on Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s is related to the cognitive disorder. It is a serious mental health problem. It is caused due to abnormal deposits of portions, imbalances in a chemical called acetylcholine and neurofibrillary tangles. It is a progressive form of dementia. Dementia is a vast category of brain diseases affect men’s ability to think. Most patients with dementia suffer from Alzheimer’s . Alzheimer’s is very serious problems of many countries including the USA. It is affecting USA economy by $200 billion per year. Many drugs are present in the market to cure this disease one of which is LMTX. This disease is divided into 4 stages

game (2)

1. Pre-Dementia

Pre-dementia symptoms include forgetting things occasionally, misplacing items, sometimes no remembering the exact details of something and a minor short-term memory loss

2. Early stage

The earliest stage of Alzheimer’s including some confusion in situations, forgetting names of family and friends and episodes of forgetfulness.

3. Middle stage

People in the middle stage of Alzheimer’s face problems with sleep, find trouble in knowing where they are and also find it difficult to remember recently learned information.

4. Final or late stage

In the final stage, the patient becomes abusive anxious and paranoid. He uses to repeat same conversations, the ability to think also affected badly and he faces serious problems with speaking.

Alzheimer’s and Gaming

The risk of Alzheimer’s can be reduced by keeping the brain active same as someone exercises in order to keep their body fit. Activities such as playing musical instruments, games, reading, and solving puzzles can decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s. So, one can play games to exercise his brain.

Playing video games is a very popular pastime. We will discuss the effect of video games on Alzheimer’s in this section. Many tests have revealed that certain types of games can improve brain memory, reaction time and ability to multitask. Some researchers have also revealed that certain type of video games can improve the cognitive ability of aged persons. As discussed earlier Alzheimer’s something about the cognitive disorder so, video games can be proved to be helpful in preventing Alzheimer’s.

So, Gaming is good for the brain! Many experts say that certain types of games are a good fit for seniors. Games like War Thunder, WoW , and Neuroracer are the games that have been confirmed to recover several cognitive functions in aged people. Other than gaming consoles there are many downloadable games available for PC, smartphones and tablets devices prove very helpful in reducing the danger of Alzheimer’s and strengthen cognitive skills.

Conclusion
There is no doubt gaming ha positive effects on brain and cognitive skills. Although results are encouraging from the aforementioned studies, but the researchers are still finding concrete evidence that gaming can actually be proved helpful in slowing down the aging of the brain and strengthen cognitive skills eventually decreasing the risk of Alzheimer’s. Only further research will reveal if gaming is really helpful to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and other age-related brain diseases.

LMTX

Alzheimer’s is a chronic disease which starts slowly but turns swear gradually. Usually, it

is common in the patients with Dementia. Dementia is a broad category of brain disease

cause decrease in ability to think, while Huntington’s disease is inherited a progressive

form of dementia.

 

Usually, 60% to 70% of Dementia cases face Alzheimer’s. The most common early

symptom is short term memory loss i.e. facing difficulty in remembering recent events

others are forgetting names of friends or family and confusion in situations. With the

passage of time symptoms varies which includes disorientation, problems with language,

loss of motivation, mood swings, not managing self­care and behavioral issues. Persons

facing this disease often withdraw from family as well as society. Eventually, bodily

functions are lost, ultimately results in the death of the patient. It is a very severe problem

of many countries.

 

LMTX is TauRx’s second generation TAI (tau aggregation inhibitor). LMTX has a

chemical structure similar to a dye called methylene blue used as stain and medication.

Being similar to stain LMTX colors Patient’s urine bluish green. LMTX is used as medicine

for Alzheimer patients.

 

The researchers recruited 850+ patients from almost 16 countries. These patients were

split into three groups .The first group received a lower dose, the second group received a

higher dose and the third group was given LMTX in a very small amount so that color of

their urine couldn’t change and they wouldn’t suspect that they were part of the research.

Unfortunately, the drug failed. Almost 85% of patients who took LMTX showed no

improvement in symptoms. But according to TauRx rest of the 15% patients who took this

drug showed no decrease in cognitive skills. This means for these patients Alzheimer

stopped progressing during the trial period.

 

Claude Wischik, a founder and the chief executive of TauRx, spoke from Toronto at the

Alzheimer’s Association International Conference that, there were highly significant

effects in patients taking the drug alone, and no effect in patients taking it as an add­on.

Although this drug only slows down the Alzheimer symptoms but its results are

unprecedented compared as compared with anyone else said by CEO.

 

Many biochemical tests have been developed to diagnose condition before

symptoms begin. These tests prove beneficial in preventing this disease. Moreover,

intellectual activities such as playing chess can reduce the risk of AD although no casual

or practical relationship can be found. Although LMTX fails to cure this disease but still it

can stop the symptoms of Alzheimer by 80 per cent. Whether LMTX works or not, It is

clear that pharmaceutical companies and scientists will keep trying. TauRx has completed

2 Phase 3 clinical trials of LMTX in Alzheimer’s. An abstract from the 1st of its two phase

3 trials was presented at Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in

Toronto, on 27th July 2016.Results are predictable to be available in August.

By recent survey, it is revealed that Alzheimer is affecting US economy by $200 billion

annually. An effective treatment can save many lives and money

Explaining Dementia And Alzheimer’s Disease

Dеmеntіа іѕ a lоѕѕ оf brаіn funсtіоn аffесtіng thе mеmоrу, thіnkіng, lаnguаgе, judgmеnt, аnd bеhаvіоr. It іѕ dеѕсrіbеd аѕ a соllесtіоn оf ѕуmрtоmѕ іndісаtіng thаt thіnkіng рrосеѕѕеѕ аrе dеtеrіоrаtіng, аffесtіng thе реrѕоn’ѕ аbіlіtу tо саrrу оut dаіlу асtіvіtіеѕ. Sіgnѕ оf dеmеntіа mау іnсludе: оrіеntаtіоn рrоblеmѕ, lаnguаgе рrоblеmѕ, fоrgеtfulnеѕѕ, dіffісultу wіth соmmоn асtіоnѕ lіkе mаkіng a рhоnе саll, ѕееіng ѕоmеоnе, thіnkіng аhеаd, аnd сhаngеѕ іn thе реrѕоn’ѕ сhаrасtеr аmоng оthеrѕ.

Dеmеntіа саn ѕtеm frоm a vаrіеtу оf саuѕеѕ. Whіlе thе mоѕt соmmоn саuѕе оf dеmеntіа іѕ Alzhеіmеr’ѕ Dіѕеаѕе, thеrе аrе оthеr lеѕѕ соmmоn rеаѕоnѕ whісh саn bе оvеrlооkеd іf саrеful ѕсrееnіng іѕn’t dоnе. Sоmе оf thеѕе саuѕеѕ іnсludе Vаѕсulаr Dеmеntіа (і.е. ѕtrоkе оr brаіn lеѕіоnѕ), Pаrkіnѕоn’ѕ Dіѕеаѕе, Huntіngtоn’ѕ Dіѕеаѕе аnd Pісk’ѕ Dіѕеаѕе. Dеmеntіа-lіkе ѕуmрtоmѕ саn аlѕо dеvеlор аѕ a rеѕult оf a соmрlеtеlу ѕераrаtе mеdісаl соndіtіоn, іnсludіng but nоt lіmіtеd tо аlсоhоl оr ѕubѕtаnсе аbuѕе, vіtаmіn dеfісіеnсу, mеdісаtіоn іѕѕuеѕ оr сеrtаіn іnfесtіоuѕ dіѕеаѕеѕ.

Alzhеіmеr’ѕ Dіѕеаѕе іѕ thе mоѕt соmmоn саuѕе fоr dеmеntіа аnd ассоuntѕ fоr nеаrlу 60 реrсеnt оf аll Dеmеntіа саѕеѕ. Alzhеіmеr’ѕ аffесtѕ thе раrtѕ оf thе brаіn thаt соntrоl thоught, mеmоrу аnd lаnguаgе. It іѕ a рrоgrеѕѕіvе dіѕеаѕе, аnd ѕуmрtоmѕ wіll lеаd tо іnсrеаѕіng соnсеrnѕ fоr frіеndѕ аnd fаmіlу. Thе реrѕоn mау fаіl tо rесоgnіzе fаmіlіаr реорlе аnd рlасеѕ, аnd wіll hаvе рrоblеmѕ ѕреаkіng, undеrѕtаndіng, rеаdіng, wrіtіng, аnd реrfоrmіng dаіlу асtіvіtіеѕ. Durіng thе lаtеr ѕtаgеѕ оf thе dіѕеаѕе, hе оr ѕhе mау bесоmе аnxіоuѕ аnd/оr аggrеѕѕіvе аnd саn hаvе a tеndеnсу tо wаndеr. Evеntuаllу, thе реrѕоn wіll nееd tоtаl саrе.

Thе bіg dіffеrеnсе bеtwееn Alzhеіmеr аnd Dеmеntіа іѕ thе fасt thаt Alzhеіmеr іѕ a dіѕеаѕе. Thіѕ dіѕеаѕе саuѕеѕ dаmаgе tо thе brаіn whісh wіll lеаd tо a vаrіаtіоn оf funсtіоn lоѕѕ іn thе brаіn. Alzhеіmеr іtѕеlf іѕ nоt Dеmеntіа. Thе rеѕult оf thе brаіn dаmаgе іѕ. Dеmеntіа іѕ a ѕуndrоmе, a соllесtіоn оf ѕуmрtоmѕ. Bесаuѕе оf thіѕ, thеrе аrе nо 2 реорlе іn thе wоrld wіth thе ѕаmе еxрrеѕѕіоn оf thе dіѕеаѕе. Yоu саnnоt ѕау thаt іt wіll ѕtаrt wіth mеmоrу lоѕѕ fоllоwеd bу lоѕѕ оf соnсерt іn tіmе. Evеrу реrѕоn еxреrіеnсеѕ thе dіѕеаѕе dіffеrеntlу.

Whеn someone has Alzheimer’s disease, the person’s brаіn іѕ no more сараblе tо сlеаn uр сеrtаіn сеllѕ іn thе brаіn. Thе rеѕult оf thіѕ іѕ thаt the cells wіll сluttеr, then produces plaques аnd tаnglеѕ. Thеѕе plaques аnd tаnglеѕ wіll іntеrfеrе wіth thе nоrmаl funсtіоnіng оf thе brаіn аnd thіѕ іѕ whаt саuѕеѕ funсtіоn lоѕѕ оf thе brаіn.

Indіvіduаlѕ wіth Alzhеіmеr’ѕ dіѕеаѕе саn bе trеаtеd wіth mеdісаtіоnѕ tо ѕlоw dоwn thе рrоgrеѕѕіоn оf thе dіѕеаѕе, but thеrе іѕ сurrеntlу nо сurе. Hоwеvеr, ѕоmе fоrmѕ оf dеmеntіа саn bе trеаtеd, ѕо іt іѕ іmреrаtіvе tо rесеіvе a рrореr dіаgnоѕіѕ frоm a рhуѕісіаn оr оthеr qualified рhуѕісіаn аѕ еаrlу аѕ роѕѕіblе.

ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA DISEASE; LATEST RESEARCH

Both Alzheimer’s and dementia are often confused for being the same names for the same disease. They remain a mystery in many ways but a lot of work has been done on these diseases.

The Center for Disease Control has reported that Alzheimer’s disease is a common cause of dementia, which means that dementia can be caused due to Alzheimer’s. it has caused about 50-70% dementia cases. Alzheimer’s can also be said to be a form of dementia.

However, they both have a major difference that Alzheimer’s basically a problem with memory, thinking and behavior that has no cure and cannot be reversed. But on the other hand, dementia has so many symptoms that can be healed with time and proper medication. Most importantly, consultation, love and care, communicating and engaging with the person suffering from the disease can help in recovery.

Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association has stated that 2200 adults have said that eating healthy food decreases the risks of suffering from dementia. One should eat healthy. Some of the foods, which are tested to be good for the brain, are:

 Leafy green vegetables

 Blueberries

 Nuts and seeds

 Fatty fish

 Olive oil

 Lentils

 Legumes

 Whole grains

In 2016 many researches have been conducted which aim at reducing the number of people being effected from dementia. A major finding published by The New England Journal of Medicine’ has studied the impact of education on decreasing dementia and Alzheimer’s diseases. If you have an improved lifestyle, then it is for sure that your brain also remains healthy.

Further, a recent study has showed that a similar trend among African-Americans in Indianapolis. A survey was conducted, to prove the affect of education on dementia.

The finding resulted that dementia patients had declined from 1992 to 2001. The 2001 participants had more education, and although they had more cardiovascular problems than the 1992 participants, those problems were receiving more medical treatment. This proves the fact that education helps in reduction of the disease.

Another factor of these diseases are that obesity and diabetes increases the patients risk to have Alzheimer’s and dementia. though way outs are given for decreasing the disease but in the future the patients of dementia will tend to increase. Dementia experts and advocate groups have long predicted that the numbers of Americans suffering with dementia are numbered around five million. But this number will not stop rather it is expected to triple by 2050. But a burst of new research in Europe, Canada and the United States has pointed to decreases in recent decades in more educated populations with better-controlled cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart and lung health. Thus, it is evident that these diseases are common in people due to unhealthy food addictions and a non-caring life with no focus on their physical and mental healththat gradually leads to be a patient of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Therefore, it is necessary to concentrate on what you do, what you eat and what you learn to prevent the disease from coming to you.
REFERENCES
Belluck, P. (2016, February 10). Education May Cut Dementia Risk, Study Finds .
Retrieved from The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/11/health/education-may-cut-dementia-riskstudy-
finds.html?hpw&rref=health&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=wellregion&
region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=2

Best foods to protect your aging brain. (2016, May 13). Retrieved from CBSNEWS:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/best-foods-for-your-aging-brain-to-preventalzheimers-
and-other-types-of-dementia/

Difference Between Alzheimer’s and Dementia. (n.d.). Retrieved from alzheimers.net:
http://www.alzheimers.net/difference-between-alzheimers-and-dementia/

New Year’s Resolutions for Preventing Dementia

It’s never too late to do something good for your brain. With a new year beginning and lots to cram in, you may experience a level of productivity you haven’t had the past year. So why quit just when you hit your stride? Continue the momentum and add some things on your list to start in just a few short weeks:

1. Take a class: You can renew an old interest or take up a new interest altogether. Many programs are available for all the people who are wanting to do new things in the new year – take advantage of what’s available and try your hand at something you’ve wanted to do for awhile. Or, just go on a whim and see what you like. Your brain will thank you for it.

2. Beat the winter blues: There isn’t a whole lot you can do to make the sun shine in the winter – unless you want to get a sun lamp and try to trick your body into believing it’s exposed to the “sun” (and spend extra money) – but you can achieve the same effect by exercising. Physical exercise can activate hormones that keep depression at bay, and a happy brain is a healthy brain.

3. Read more: Can’t go outside because it’s too cold? Can’t exercise also because it’s cold? Then stimulate your brain by actively engaging it. Reading will make the brain work harder to process information because of the imagination involved. Watching television programs just puts your brain in the passenger seat because all the images are there without the brain having to do anything. Try reading your favourite book to dig up fond memories or read something entirely different and new to create new pathways for your brain. If you fall asleep, then at least your brain had a good workout before sleeping, and the sleep will be rewarding in its own way.

 

Emotional Signs of Dementia Onset

Almost everyone associates forgetfulness and reverting to old memories as sure signs of dementia onset, but it is often possible the dementia is already “set in” by the time these symptoms appear. Much like heart attacks, there are signs beforehand that seem unrelated that could be very telling when dementia may be coming on.

As the brain begins to change, it affects more than just our memory – it can also change our moods and our ways of thinking and interpreting events. When someone who is usually easygoing starts to become uncharacteristically chronically irritated, something is sure to be happening in the brain. Alternatively, someone who has been cheerful throughout life seems to become increasingly depressed (especially with no obvious external source, such as grieving over recent losses), the brain is not acting “normally” in comparison with what has been historically natural for that person. It may not turn out to be dementia, but any major mood changes that seem to be inexplicable is cause for examining cerebral changes.

Perhaps it could be something as simple and easily correctable as a nutrient deficiency. But how long has the deficiency been going on and is there sufficient time and resources to compensate for that deficiency? Or perhaps it could be plaque or tumorous cells that don’t belong in the brain and could require surgery. Whatever the underlying cause may be, mood changes are easily detectible and should be taken seriously as symptoms of a possibly bigger problem.