Battling For Health

If you want to make a teenager or young adult blush, mention their parents having sex.

Let’s face it, there aren’t very many “children” be they teens, young adults, baby boomers or elderly who want to talk about their parents (aunts, uncles, grandparents) um….er……uh sex life.

Now, toss in dementia affecting one or both of the parties, and now you’ve really got something to talk about or not talk about.

I mean, first of all, what caregiver wants to think about, much less talk about their loved ones sex life? And then, who gets to make the decision as to whether the relationship continues? Let’s say John and Mary live independently, and one or both has dementia and they decide that they want to engage in a sexual relationship. Should their children or other family members get involved?  When the spouse is primary caregiver, it’s complicated too.  Can a person with dementia “consent?”

Another scenario. What if Joe and Martha (one or both have dementia) are in an assisted living facility or even a nursing home and they decide they want to be sexually active. Should the facility or family members have a say or just allow the relationship to go on?

Over the next two days, we are going to delve into this subject and discuss the pros and cons of dementia, dating and sex.

According to the CDC, Alzheimer’s disease has surpassed diabetes and is now the sixth leading cause of death. They say that 10million people will suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. So, in essence, what makes a cute kind of tongue in cheek story today could tomorrow necessitate careful thought, planning and possibly even policies regarding the sex lives of people living with Alzheimer’s disease.

There are many questions to consider, but the hardest part my be getting caregivers to add their loved one’s sex lives to the ever growing list of things to think about and handle as they battle Alzheimer’s disease.

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According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 70% of the 5.2 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease live at home where family and friends take care of them.  So, you are in good company, there are literally millions of caregivers across the United States of America taking care of loved ones in various stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

As you know, caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease is demanding, both physically and emotionally.  I say it almost every Friday, you are no good to your loved one if you are sick, burned out and exhausted.  So do yourself and your loved one a favor- take care of YOU. 

Today, I’ll tell you about three categories of drinks that will nourish your body and your spirit.

Water-I know, its sounds kind of boring, but your body is 75% water.  All of your body’s systems need water in order to work properly.  There are many schools of thought regarding proper water intake, but I’ll go with the Institute of Medicine which says that men should drink about 13 glasses and women about 9 glasses each day.  I’ll list just a few reasons you should drink at least 8-9 glasses of water each day. 

• Water helps to regulate body temperature.
• Water moistens mouth, eye and nose tissue.
• Water lubricates joints.
• Water lessens the burden on kidneys and liver by flushing out impurities.
• Water carries nutrients and oxygen to cells.
• Water helps to prevent constipation.

Juice-I am talking about the real thing, not the ones laden with artificial sweeteners and colors. I mean, the kind you buy or preferably make fresh.  Yes, its a little time consuming, but YOU are worth it.  Check out the benefits of fresh juice.  Fresh juice is the liquid from a fruit or vegetable devoid of all of the fiber.  The liquid gets into your blood stream quickly, takes little energy for your body to digest and provides you with the benefits of the food you have juiced.  You’ll need a juicer to make your own and you can get an electric one for as little as $59 or as much as $400.  It just depends on how often you plan to use it, how easily you want to be able to clean it and how much you are willing to lose in waste.

Smoothies-My personal favorite, are excellent sources of whole food nutrition.  Just remember that the finished product is only as healthy as the individual ingredients you add to it.  So, if you add ice cream, butter finger pieces and sugar laden chocolate milk, it might be pleasing to your taste buds, but it won’t do much for your tummy (except to help it expand).

The advantage of healthy smoothies made with fruits and veggies over juice is that you get the fiber, which is important to colon health. 

Two of my favorite recipes:

Morning Glory Juice (I use a cheapie manual citrus juicer for this one)

1 large grapefruit

2-3 medium oranges OR 5-6 small tangerines

Manually juice the fruit, pour into glass, mix and try to drink slowly and ENJOY. (the drink slowly part never works for me)

NOTE:  If your fruit isn’t that sweet, add a bit of honey or agave nectar to sweeten to your liking. 

Almond Banana Smoothie (adapted from The Smoothies Bible by Pat Crocker)

Place all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth

1 Cup plain soy milk or almond milk (both can be purchased in the healthy section of your grocery store.)

¼ cup raw chopped almonds

2 ripe bananas peeled and cut into about 4-5 pieces each (you can peel, cut and freeze bananas for a thicker, frostier smoothie)

1 tsp vanilla or you can use vanilla flavored milk

Pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to your taste (optional)

Your action assignment today is to increase your water intake and try either the fresh squeezed juice or a smoothie.

I can’t wait to hear how you feel.  I always feel more energized and less stressed when I get in my water and start my day with fresh juice or a smoothie.

So, drink your water, have some fresh juice or make a smoothie and drink to your health!

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Yesterday, we talked about the fact that incontinence and Alzheimer’s disease are companions.

Today, I want us to investigate incontinence a little deeper. We’ll look at types of incontinence and some differences between men and women. Hopefully, we’ll help you to be able to ask the right questions and/or figure out if your loved one’s incontinence is temporary and due to some underlying medical issue, or if it’s the incontinence brought on as Alzheimer’s disease progresses.

Women are more likely than men to be incontinent. Chalk that up to pregnancy, the resulting childbirth, menopause, and the structure of the female urinary tract.

There are also several different types of incontinence. I’ll go through them quickly, just to give you an idea.

Stress–Leakage generally caused by coughing, exercising, laughing, sneezing. or some physical pressure on the internal abdominal area.

Urge–Urination begins at the same time the urge to go is felt. The bladder contracts for seemingly no reason. Can be brought on by the sound of water or even by the washing of impacted person’s hands.

Overflow–Usually caused by a physiological issue that causes the bladder to be full most of the time.

Functional–Caused by brain function issues, such as inability to carry out the steps necessary to go to to the bathroom when the urge is felt. Inability to translate the feeling into urge to use the bathroom, and/or deterioration of brain function.

A urologist or gynecologist can help to make the proper diagnosis. In the early stages, simply adjusting liquid intake or prompting affected person to use the bathroom may be helpful. You do want to rule out physiological issues if your loved one is in the earlier stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Even something as simple as a urinary tract infection can cause urinary incontinence.

Now, here’s the tricky part, getting your loved one to ACT NOW before it gets unsanitary and embarrassing for all involved. There is no easy way to approach the subject, but the smarter way is earlier rather than later. If you start talking about it while your loved one can still communicate fairly logically, it will be easier. If the affected one understands that she has Alzheimer’s disease, then that may take away a little of the resistance.

Explain that incontinence doesn’t make her any less of a person (mom, grandmother, sister, wife), it’s just an inconvenient part of Battling Alzheimer’s disease. Often, by the time the affected person is incontinent, he or she is in the later stages of the disease and it may just be a matter of selecting the best products and using them without the need for explanation or coaxing on your part.

Even still, you’ll need some information and guidance as to the products, how to use them properly and how to manage the process  so that it is clean and healthy for you and your loved one. That’s what we’ll talk about in the upcoming posts.

Until then, remember … Like I said in the post, “You gotta do what you gotta do….dealing with Incontinence.”  Everyone poops!

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Welcome to .. Battling-Diabetes.com

Battling the monster - Diabetes.

My father has diabetes and injects himself with a needle before every meal with insulin. He also checks his sugar level every morning. My brother was just diagnosed with early symptoms of diabetes.

Fortunately, I have been tested negative for diabetes, but struggle with my weight and am warned about the risk that I face in also getting diabetes in the next few years. I want to be healthy and fight this monster before I become vulnerable, and that is why this topic is important to me.

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