Hello Alzheimer's spouses/caregivers/supporters. I am a new member who has just discovered Joan's blog. And after only 10 minutes of reading some of the articles, I signed up as a new member to the site. I am not the spouse but rather the eldest son. My 83 year old father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's just over a year ago although in retrospect, the symptoms began emerging earlier. My parents live on the west coast and I live on the east coast, so for the past year, my mother has been the primary caregiver. While me or my brother try to get out there to visit/help/support at least once a month, my mother has been more or less alone as caregiver for most of the time. (Yes, I am sharing the link to the blog with her).
I wanted to thank Joan (and all the members) for this important information. I also wanted to share the link to a fantastic new documentary by David Suzuki, regarding his personal experiences and research due to his mother's struggles with Alzheimer's. David Suzuki is one of Canada's most prominent scientist/public speakers. He began his career as a geneticist but has spent the last 40 years as a media personality teaching Canadians about all things "scientific". Alzheimer's runs in his family and after the struggles his mother went through, he wanted to produce a documentary sharing his personal experience as well as his own research into the disease. He is a fantastic, articulate, intelligent speaker and I highly recommend his documentary.
Unfortunately, I suspect that most of you are in the U.S. and may not be able to view it online. But if you are interested, you might be able to order a DVD copy. Alternatively, the CBC (who produced it) and your PBS often share content so keep an eye out for it on your local PBS affiliate.
Thanks again to Joan and all the members for everything you've shared.