One of our readers took part in a documentary about Alzheimer's Disease that is one of the best I have ever seen. Please go to the home page - www.thealzheimerspouse.com - and click on and watch - it is in today's blog.
Joan, it's hard to comment on this. I'm sitting here crying about what the future holds for all of us. Yes, this is the best documentary I've seen and the title "No Way Back" is so appropriate.
The video was very well done. Looking at Bob, though, makes me realize how much further down the line my DH is than Bob. If my DH had been in the video, he would not have been very interactive. He likely would have frozen when asked questions, and he cannot do very much. He has tons of tools in the garage and he is no longer interested in doing any of the things he once did, which, I must admit, is a relief because tools can be dangerous if not used properly.
I thought the video was great. I have lived in Henrico county most of my life, where this was made.
I tried to open it by pressing on the main page, but found that you had to go above it to access it. So fool around with it until you hit the right place.
The woman whose husband was aware of his disease, is this normal? Most of what I hear is that the spouse is in denial, as is mine. They were such a team, and it made me sad that I don't have that.
It's in the Latest and Greatest video format, broadband video, so you need a converter. If you download (free) Flip4Mac (from Flip4Mac.com), install it, and then restart, you should be able to make it work in Safari - make sure you have the latest v. of that too... It seems to take a long time to get going but then it's very good. It works in Firefox 3, but in a small format; you can hear it ok though.
It looks like we're in for another round of competing products; too many webmasters (not you, Joan, the station) get enamored of the latest format and forget that there are many people out there who can't see their videos)
briegull, when I used the video site itself to locate the "plug", it said that the Flip4Mac was only a demo version and would disappear after it was used. Do you know a place where a "permanent" version can be downloaded?
I followed a different link to flip4mac but then posted the direct one. Apparently Microsoft has bought functionality from them, and at THEIR site, http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/wmcomponents.mspx,
you can download the free version, not demo. Doesn't do the advanced features but you don't need it to. It will download a disk image which you then click on, then click on the "Package" to unpack it.
The video was beautiful. My husband does know that somethings wrong with him, and he will often tell people when we meet them, that he has trouble with his memory... he doesn't realize what else he has trouble with, but that's OK too. It's just too much for him to comprehend. I'm mulling around if I should let him see the video. The parts with the man who is still cogniscent, but maybe not the part with the wife who had to be placed. OHHHH that was tough.
briegull, thanks. Firefox didn't want to cooperate after I downloaded, but Safari did.
Hildann, I did have to make sure I had the updated Mac OS and also the updated version of QuickTime, and THEN downloaded the Microsoft software. And of course, the system had to restart after each download. And then, I did have to use Safari, which isn't my favorite browser. Sure does help to have people like briegull who know what's what.
Joan---thank you for sharing this with us. I join the others who have said this is one of the best and most sensitive treatment of the diagnosed and caregiver I have seen. On the one hand, I'm sad because unlike the just-diagnosed husband and his wife sitting on the couch, my DH and I never had the chance to have any such conversation. My DH is not in denial, he'll tell anyone who will listen that he has EOAD, but he has NEVER understood the ramifications of that to him or to our family. His ability to understand that concept apparently left him before we got the diagnosis.....On the other hand, the older man taking care of his wife for OVER 13 years first frightened me----I've been dealing with this diagnosis for almost 3 years, i cannot imagine another 10----but then I realized he has survived and that inspired me---because I hope to survive this also.
firefox was strange, sunshyne. it said it needed a new plugin to work, but then it went on and played it anyhow, in a 3" square box. I was uptodate on the OS and quicktime (have everything set to check for updates on Saturday mornings, then I just wander in and out restarting every now and again. )