A special time.

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Sometimes things happen in life which cause us to pause from the normal routine of things and reflect on the "bigger issues". My dear ole Dad died just over a week ago - yes he was a great age - but it still came as a shock. Although his mind was dimming, he was still physically pretty active for a nono-genarian and he still delighted in his greenhouse and garden.

When most of us fast forward to those last years of life we like to think that we'll "slip off the twig" in our sleep after the golden glow of a long and happy life, but for more and more people Dementia and strokes seem to blight those final years of life. So I thought I'd write down a few suggestions for how I like to be treated should I start to go Bonkers or, even worse, have a debilitating stroke or disease.

PLEASE DO NOT sit me in front of a TV from early morning! Over the years I have visited many nursing home and seen so many frail people planted in from of early morning TV with inane programs or cartoons! I would hate that even if I was mad! Find a window where I can see the world, or even better sit me in a garden where I can feel the breeze and let the flies tickle my face. If it rains, even better to feel the drops of water on my body: and does it really matter if I get a cold or pneumonia afterwards?

I've always loved trying different things so take me out to the beach, or lower me into a swimming pool: push my wheelchair to the edge of a cliff so that I can experience danger - even if it kills me! And don't worry about me being comfortable in a car - when you were kids we strapped you into seats and I'm sure you filled your nappy too on many a long trip.

Stick some ear phones on my head with music that you think I might like, pod-casts that may interest me, or just the sounds of nature on a cold and wet day. I may appear distant and dribble, but it's what happens deep inside that really counts now - and everything you do with love will be heard in the depths of my soul.

Let the little people near me - they have enormous, yet beautiful energy - and their vision often extends far beyond that of we myopic parents. If they tip me out of a chair or spill something on me - who cares - every blot will be a badge that I can marvel at, every bruise a vivid memory

Dare to believe that you can still connect with me because when I'm no longer here, I still want you to be able to maintain that connection - not for me, but for you because you will miss me just as I will be missing you.

The challenge of Dementia

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Dementia is not a pretty disease and there is still so much that the experts have to discover about it before we can ever contemplate talking about cures. So if there is anything simple and practical that we can do to prevent, or reduce the risk of developing dementia, then we should take it seriously.

But first, let me tell you a story: a story of hope. In 2001 a Dr Snowden convinced a congregation of Catholic Nuns to take part in an ongoing study into Alzheimers dementia, and he also convinced them to donate their brains …. after they died!

At the start of the study most of the Nuns were already elderly, between the ages of 75 and 94, 20 years later the researchers already have over 500 of the Community’s brains to study. For the scientists, this is a gold mine of information as in most studies there are so many “variables” that they have to take into consideration. Here, the Nuns didn’t smoke, rarely drank alcohol, followed the same diet and lived in the same environment. But the big plus was that they recorded their histories that were kept at the Convents from the time that they had signed up as postulants, and these were made accessible to the researchers.

So what have been the results? In a nutshell, those who had a positive spin on life lived, on average, 10 years longer than their gloomier confreres! Also, those with a positive spin on life were also less likely to show signs of Alzheimer’s disease in post mortem findings. And interestingly, there were 15 brains that showed the classical, pathological signs of Alzheimer’s disease, but the Nuns whose brains they were had not exhibited dementia in their lifetime. These were amongst those Nuns who had a positive, active perspective on life.

Dr. Snowdon hopes his study will encourage people to do things to ward off the disease, like quit smoking and other stroke-causing behaviors, and read to children to stimulate language development.

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