11.15.2004
Living with Alzheimer's Disease
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The day to day toll of memory loss changes lives in ways that are difficult to measure at first. The effects may be observed subtly through third parties before the realization comes that one is in fact in the grip of serious and, for now, incurable disease. That's why early detection through self awareness is so important. Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman in their new book Fantastic Voyage propose a program for detecting and defeating most ills of the body before their effects are rampant, through a philosophy of 'programming' the body with carefully assessed nutrition, coupled with moderate exercise for mind and physique, and active monitoring.
Living with Alzheimer's disease
By SALLY FRIEDMAN
Burlington County Times
MEDFORD - One day, Rosemary Kane got a call from her husband's boss. It was hardly the sort a wife would want to receive.
Her husband Dennis was making a lot of mistakes in his management job with a major company, and the boss was concerned.
The ultimate diagnosis was that at 55, Dennis Kane was in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Yesterday, Rosemary Kane and her two daughters were at Lenape High School attending the daylong annual Caregiver Conference presented by the Alzheimer Association's Dela-ware Valley chapter. They were among about 175 others who have come to learn more about the disease that has changed their lives.
Cendant Mortgage was the presenting sponsor of the conference. Media sponsor was the Burlington County Times. Oth-er sponsors included Fox Re-habilitation Services, Genesis Health Care, Home Instead Se-nior Care, Kennedy Health Sys-tem, Moorestown Visiting Nurse Association/Hospice, Sa-maritan Hospice and Univer-sity of Medicine and Denistry of New Jersey-School of Osteo-pathic Medicine's Center for Aging.
"My entire life is now wrapped around my husband's needs. He is my full-time job," said Kane, an Atco resident who has given up her own job to care for her husband. Her story detailing several years of ex-haustion, sleepless nights and constant anxiety was repeated by others at yesterday's event.
"We're secondary caregivers," said Denise Geoghegan of Evesham, who, with her sister, Bridget Christy, helps with her father's care as much as she can. The sisters were instrumental in starting a support group for children of early-onset Alzheimer's patients. "The group has been a wonderful support, and our monthly meetings help us enormously, just like today's conference," said Geoghegan.
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