STEVE’S SONGS
I always look forward to the first Thursday of the month, when Steve Barkhurst entertains us, playing his keyboard and singing. His theme today was “Country” music and “Patriotic” songs - his salute to the Fourth, and month of July.
Steve started out playing “The Entertainer” a piano tune written by Scott Joplin in 1902. It is one of the classics of Ragtime. It is sub-titled “A rag time two step” - a dance step - popular until about 1911. “The Entertainer” was the theme song for the 1973 film - “The Sting”. It won an Oscar. You also hear the tune on ice cream trucks, used to attract children. Steve praised Scott Joplin for his talent as a composer.
Steve mentioned George (“No Show”) Jones, and told us about his sad life. “No Show” got his nickname because he missed so many performances - a result of his wild lifestyle. And yet, they referred to him as “the greatest country singer”. He is responsible for more than 150 hits during his career - both as a solo artist and in duets with other singers. He was married four times. His second wife (1969-1975) was Tammy Wynette. He is still an active recording artist, and a touring country singer, even though he is in his seventies. He credits his current wife, Nancy, for saving him from being destroyed by alcohol and drugs.
Steve played, and sang, Hank William’s “Your Cheatin’ Heart”, (this was quite fitting, with all of the marital infidelity reported in the news lately!) made famous by Patsy Cline. Hank wrote, and recorded, the song in 1952. It was released in 1953, after Hank’s death. Steve went on to explain about Hank’s tragic death. On January 1, 1953, he was due to play in Canton, Ohio. He couldn’t fly there because of bad weather. He hired a chauffeur in Knoxville for the trip. Before leaving, he injected himself with vitamin B-12 and morphine. Steve said that Hank had his chauffer make two more stops en-route. Hank talked personnel at the hospitals into additional injections. When the 17 year old driver stopped for gas in West Virginia, he found Hank dead in the back seat. Hank Williams was 29!
Steve played and sang “Hey Good Lookin”. Hank Williams wrote and recorded the song in 1951. This version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. Cole Porter wrote the original version of the song in 1943. It was sung by Ethel Merman in the Broadway Musical, “Something For The Boys”. In 1951, Hank Williams wrote a variation of “Hey Good Lookin”, and he has received the credit for “Hey good Lookin” ever since!
Steve played “King of the Road” by Roger Miller. This was a #1 hit in 1964. Roger Miller started out playing the fiddle and the guitar, along with his singing. Later, he was known as a composer.
Steve talked about Johnny Cash, and how he met him in 1960, at Don Ho’s night club in Honolulu. Steve went on to play “I Walk the Line”. It was written by Johnny Cash and recorded in 1956. The song was his first number one hit. It spent six weeks at the top spot on the U.S. country charts, and reached number 19 on the pop music charts. “Rolling Stone” ranked the song at number 30 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1956, a million copies of this song were sold. Cash also wrote 150 religious songs.
Steve talked about Josh White. He was blind, and sang blues and folk music. In 1954, he recorded “One Meat Ball” (15 cents) and the first African American to sell a million copies. His career lasted for more than 40 years.
George M. Cohen:- Steve said that “Cohan wrote more patriotic songs than anyone.” His real birth date is a legend. The only record of his birth is his baptismal certificate. It states that he was born On July3, 1878. His family insisted that George was born on July 4th! If true, he had something in common with the three presidents - John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. Adams and Jefferson died on the same day - July 4, 1826 - 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Monroe died on July 4, 1831.
Cohan’s parents, Jerry and Nellie, were vaudeville troupers. They took George and his sister on tours with them. He had very little formal education. He got his start playing the violin in theatre -pit bands.
When George was eleven, he and his sister Josie joined their parents in the family song and dance act, as The Four Cohans. The family group was so popular that they were probably the highest paid group in vaudeville - $1,000 a week - in 1890. (This is the same year that my Dad Raymond Marks L’Amoreaux was born - in Hillsdale Michigan)
Cohan composed his first Broadway musical, “The Governor’s Son” in 1901. He wrote many more Broadway plays. Cohan visited the White House in 1940, and President Roosevelt presented him with the Congressional Medal of Honor for his creating “Over There” - the only American composer to receive such an honor. He also wrote “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” Cohan wrote more patriotic songs than anyone. He wrote the music for the film Yankee Doodle Dandy starring Jimmy Cagney. It received an Academy Award. George M. Cohan was married twice, and had three children by his second wife. He died on November 5, 1942 at age 64.
Steve played and sang “America the Beautiful. We all joined him in the singing. He went on to explain some of the background for the song. The words are from a poem written by Katherine Lee Bates in 1893. The
Music was composed by Samuel A. Ward - a church organist and a choirmaster. Bates wrote her poem after being inspired from a view atop Pike’s Peak. She went back to her hotel room in Colorado Springs, and put her vision into words. It isn’t clear whether she was staying at the Historic Broadmoor or Antlers Hotel - also a historic facility. The combined writings of Bates and Ward were published in 1910, and titled “America the Beautiful”.
Steve wound up his program by introducing “God Bless America”. We sang it along with him. It is a patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 (the year of my birth ), and he revised it in 1938. Kate Smith introduced the revision on November 11, 1938, on her radio show.
God Bless America is often sung at sporting events, some times in place of our National Anthem. Celine Dion has received a lot of recognition for singing “God Bless America.” The song was also recorded by Daniel Rodriguez, New York City’s “singing cop”, after the September 11, 2001 attack.
Steve always signs off his program by singing “All of Me”. The melody, and words, are “catching“. I find that I am humming and/or singing it to myself for days afterwards. The song was written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons in 1931. It was first recorded by Belle Baker, and by many other singers since then.
RCL - 7/5/09.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
MY DAY
My Day
Yesterday morning, after a fast breakfast, I played Bocce Ball. Our team 12, beat Team 4, 12 to 7. We had the early shift - 8:45.(There is also a 10:00 o’clock game.) I am glad that we were scheduled early, It was to be a hot day. At this time, it was probably a pleasant 70 degrees - on it’s way to a hot 90 degrees. (“But, it is a dry heat“, as they say in Phoenix).
Two of the players on the other team were women, Charlotte and Ginny, and quite skilled “rollers.” I first met them at the Laurel Creek Health Center, where Marie lives. They are “Volunteers”, and bring around drinks and snacks to the residents (and me.) Charlotte’s husband is also on the team (Charlotte has a twin sister who lives in Carmel). Ginny is the team Captain. I assume that her husband was also on their team, before he died, about a year ago. The two families live next to each other, in a duplex on campus. I see Ginny at church every Sunday.
In the afternoon, I played bridge with Virginia (Charlotte’s older sister), MJ and Bud. Mj had a stroke a few years ago, and her doctor recommended that she play bridge for mental therapy. Bud lost his wife a year ago, and he also had a stroke six months ago. That is why they call this an “assisted living facility.”
AN ASIDE:
It is a small world! In talking to MJ, she mentioned that her husband was in the Air Force during WWII. I asked her where he was stationed. She said that his last assignment was on Ie Shima. (This is the first time that I have ever heard any one, since the war, mention that tiny island a few miles off Okinawa.) I told her that I was stationed there too. too. I learned that we were both there at the same time -the latter part of 1945 - in the Fifth Air Force. He was flying B-24’s and I was flying B-25‘s. I never knew him. Because of this coincidence, I get he feeling that MJ feels a “closeness” to me.
Ernie Pyle, the famous war correspondent, was killed on Ie Shima by Japanese machine gun fire on April 18, 1945 They placed a monument at the site where Ernie was killed. It reads, ”At this spot, the 77th Infantry Division lost a buddy.” He was originally buried on Ie Shima, but reburied, after the war, in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, on the Island of Oahu in Hawaii.
None of us had played bridge in quite some time, so it was a case of “the blind leading the blind”. Bud was my partner. Talk about being rusty, I not only reneged once, (MJ challenged me - a two-trick penalty), but I threw my king on my partner’s ace!
Marie and I used to play a lot of bridge. through the years. She belonged to the St. Basil Bridge Club for many years. The original group was composed of 32 ladies from St. basil’s Parish. Two tables of players would rotate around to each others’ homes - each player taking a turn at hosting. Marie was in the Group for 30 years. Substitutes were merged into the Group as players died or dropped out.
Marie and I played bridge with our long time - friends, Pat and Mac Macdonald. We would rotate alternately between each others’ homes. We started out serving dinner first, and then playing bridge afterwards. But, as we aged, we didn’t feel up to the late- ending of the evening, so we eliminated eating dinner first.
We also played round robin- bridge with three other couples for many years. We started out with serving dinner first, and when that got to be too much work, we ate out. When it made too long an evening, we just met at each others’ homes to play bridge.
RCL - 7/1/09
Yesterday morning, after a fast breakfast, I played Bocce Ball. Our team 12, beat Team 4, 12 to 7. We had the early shift - 8:45.(There is also a 10:00 o’clock game.) I am glad that we were scheduled early, It was to be a hot day. At this time, it was probably a pleasant 70 degrees - on it’s way to a hot 90 degrees. (“But, it is a dry heat“, as they say in Phoenix).
Two of the players on the other team were women, Charlotte and Ginny, and quite skilled “rollers.” I first met them at the Laurel Creek Health Center, where Marie lives. They are “Volunteers”, and bring around drinks and snacks to the residents (and me.) Charlotte’s husband is also on the team (Charlotte has a twin sister who lives in Carmel). Ginny is the team Captain. I assume that her husband was also on their team, before he died, about a year ago. The two families live next to each other, in a duplex on campus. I see Ginny at church every Sunday.
In the afternoon, I played bridge with Virginia (Charlotte’s older sister), MJ and Bud. Mj had a stroke a few years ago, and her doctor recommended that she play bridge for mental therapy. Bud lost his wife a year ago, and he also had a stroke six months ago. That is why they call this an “assisted living facility.”
AN ASIDE:
It is a small world! In talking to MJ, she mentioned that her husband was in the Air Force during WWII. I asked her where he was stationed. She said that his last assignment was on Ie Shima. (This is the first time that I have ever heard any one, since the war, mention that tiny island a few miles off Okinawa.) I told her that I was stationed there too. too. I learned that we were both there at the same time -the latter part of 1945 - in the Fifth Air Force. He was flying B-24’s and I was flying B-25‘s. I never knew him. Because of this coincidence, I get he feeling that MJ feels a “closeness” to me.
Ernie Pyle, the famous war correspondent, was killed on Ie Shima by Japanese machine gun fire on April 18, 1945 They placed a monument at the site where Ernie was killed. It reads, ”At this spot, the 77th Infantry Division lost a buddy.” He was originally buried on Ie Shima, but reburied, after the war, in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, on the Island of Oahu in Hawaii.
None of us had played bridge in quite some time, so it was a case of “the blind leading the blind”. Bud was my partner. Talk about being rusty, I not only reneged once, (MJ challenged me - a two-trick penalty), but I threw my king on my partner’s ace!
Marie and I used to play a lot of bridge. through the years. She belonged to the St. Basil Bridge Club for many years. The original group was composed of 32 ladies from St. basil’s Parish. Two tables of players would rotate around to each others’ homes - each player taking a turn at hosting. Marie was in the Group for 30 years. Substitutes were merged into the Group as players died or dropped out.
Marie and I played bridge with our long time - friends, Pat and Mac Macdonald. We would rotate alternately between each others’ homes. We started out serving dinner first, and then playing bridge afterwards. But, as we aged, we didn’t feel up to the late- ending of the evening, so we eliminated eating dinner first.
We also played round robin- bridge with three other couples for many years. We started out with serving dinner first, and when that got to be too much work, we ate out. When it made too long an evening, we just met at each others’ homes to play bridge.
RCL - 7/1/09
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
ODOM
ODOM
At Quail creek, I usually sit with Jean and Ray Odom for breakfast. I enjoy his wit and sharp memory. Ray is 94 years old and recites poems verbatim. He is a retired Lt. Col. (Army), and a West Point graduate, as is one of his two sons! He relates stories of their military travels, during his 30 years of service, in such vivid detail, that I can almost “experience” the event,
It is interesting,. His wife’s memory is shot. Jean doesn’t know what day it is. She is four years younger than Ray. Her conversation is repetitive -day after day - she talks about the same thing. But, what the heck, on November 23, they will have been married for 69 years! They go places as a team(primarily to their doctors). I have never seen one without the other. I am frustrated because I can’t communicate with him. He wears an expensive hearing aid, but “the battery is dead!”. So, Jean repeats what I say to him, and he reads her lips. This is a slow going conversation, so it is short and infrequent.
This morning at breakfast, the discussion centered around whether today was June 30th or July 1st? Out of the blue, Ray recited “Sing a Song of Sixpence”, verbatim.
“Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing;
Wasn’t that a dainty dish,
To set before the king?
The king was in his counting house,
Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlour,
Eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes;
When down came a blackbird
And snapped off her nose.
I asked Ray when he learned that . He said, “In the first grade! RCL 7/1/09.
At Quail creek, I usually sit with Jean and Ray Odom for breakfast. I enjoy his wit and sharp memory. Ray is 94 years old and recites poems verbatim. He is a retired Lt. Col. (Army), and a West Point graduate, as is one of his two sons! He relates stories of their military travels, during his 30 years of service, in such vivid detail, that I can almost “experience” the event,
It is interesting,. His wife’s memory is shot. Jean doesn’t know what day it is. She is four years younger than Ray. Her conversation is repetitive -day after day - she talks about the same thing. But, what the heck, on November 23, they will have been married for 69 years! They go places as a team(primarily to their doctors). I have never seen one without the other. I am frustrated because I can’t communicate with him. He wears an expensive hearing aid, but “the battery is dead!”. So, Jean repeats what I say to him, and he reads her lips. This is a slow going conversation, so it is short and infrequent.
This morning at breakfast, the discussion centered around whether today was June 30th or July 1st? Out of the blue, Ray recited “Sing a Song of Sixpence”, verbatim.
“Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing;
Wasn’t that a dainty dish,
To set before the king?
The king was in his counting house,
Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlour,
Eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes;
When down came a blackbird
And snapped off her nose.
I asked Ray when he learned that . He said, “In the first grade! RCL 7/1/09.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Recently, I saw a review of the National Geographic book - “Where Valor Rests” - on the Lehrer NewsHour. It is an excellent collection of photographs taken at Arlington National Cemetery.
My daughter, Mary, checked the book out of the Vacaville Library for me .While the book is an emotional read - very sad - the experience is almost like being there. If you haven’t already bought a copy, you can check it out at your local library. I am sure that you will enjoy each page.
RCL - 6/29/09.
Recently, I saw a review of the National Geographic book - “Where Valor Rests” - on the Lehrer NewsHour. It is an excellent collection of photographs taken at Arlington National Cemetery.
My daughter, Mary, checked the book out of the Vacaville Library for me .While the book is an emotional read - very sad - the experience is almost like being there. If you haven’t already bought a copy, you can check it out at your local library. I am sure that you will enjoy each page.
RCL - 6/29/09.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Alzheimers Diease
Background:
About two years ago, my wife, Marie, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Dimentia. She was 84 years old. Her neurologist showed the family the image from her MRI brain scan. He pointed to the frontal cortex, and said that she had lost 50% of her brain cells in that area.
Marie's mental ability, at that time, was variable - but fairly stable. She had trouble with her short- term memory. But now, this is slowly declining. While she still knows me, and our daughters by name, she has entered the slippery slope of memory decline, so common with Alzheimer Disease.
And so, ever since her diagnosis, I have been very interested in the subject of Alzheimers Disease.
The Alzheimer’s Project
I didn’t see the Special on HBO on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). My daughter, Mary, let me review the AD Project Kit. Besides the HBO, it is co-sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, of the National Institutes of Health, in association with the Alzheimer’s Association, the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, and the Geoffrey Beene Gives Back Alzheimer Initiative. The kit contained four DVD’s on the subject. While watching them, I made rough notes. I will use them to try and paraphrase the subject matter.
Alosis Alexander was the discoverer of A.D. back in 1906. He was a Pathologist, and he discovered lesions in the brain, after death.
Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger was the moderator on Tape 2. She covered kids reaction to the disease, plus she talked about her Dad’s A.D. Here are some of Maria’s quotes:-
You don’t know the future - you live in the present.
When it comes to A.D., just go with the flow the best that you can.
It’s O.K. to be afraid of A.D.
It’s hard to accept a mind with no memories - our lives are made up of memories.
You have to let it sink in and accept it - when they don’t know who you are.
Remember, when they get angry, it is not them. It is nothing you did,
it is not she or him.
A family is a collection of emotions and experiences. You want to remember them the way that they used to be.
A.D. is difficult - both emotionally and financially.
On Tape 3, they discuss Plaques and Tangles.
A.D. is the second most feared disease - after cancer. As many as five million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer Disease. It causes not only human suffering, but A.D. has a huge financial impact. A.D. destroys brain cells. An MRI scan confirms A.D. The challenge is, how does the brain go wrong? Alzheimer predicted that we will see plaques and tangles in the brains of people who die with A.D.
The synapses, in the brain, transmits information. When they die, they no longer work, and you can no longer remember.
There are two types of the A.D. disease - Early and Late Onset. The “Early” is defined by ages 40-50, in 3 % of the population. “Late” is defined as late 70’s and early 80’s. The risk rises with age. It is a disease of the entire human body - not just the brain. It is not normal aging. He found that Beta amyloid plaques (composed of A-Beta cells and produced by the brain) and tau tangles (proteins), adjacent to the amyloid plaque in the brain, interfere with the synapses (information switches) ability to transmit information between the cells. Beta neurons produce amyloid Beta in the brain, which forms tau tangles, and must be cleared. Eventually, synopses are lost and the neurons are destroyed. Producing too much Beta amyloid, or not clearing it away, is toxic to neurons and synapses. When they are gone, it establishes the clinical diagnoses of A.D. If they can slow the chemical reaction, they can design drugs (which are also chemicals) to do this. They take spinal taps to analyze the A-Beta in the spinal fluid. The scientists are trying to determine why it is killing neurons and destroying synapses. Lowering the production of Beta amyloid slows A.D.
The average human male-brain weighs about 1100 grams (2.4 lbs.),
Our insulin system is very important for healthy aging. It is produced in the pancreas, in response to the need to transmit glucose into the cells. Insulin resistance underlying pathology is that it prevents glucose from entering the cells. Insulin resistance begins in mid-life, and detected by levels of insulin. It is treatable through diet and exercise.
Researchers are looking for “markers” APO-E (A-Beta) is one of them, pointing to susceptibility to the disease. Inflammation kills brain cells.
High blood pressure changes the heart, because it has to work harder to pump blood to the brain, and it leaves some residual blood still in the heart. People diagnosed with AD are very likely to have clogged arteries. The arteries in the brain become inflamed, and they can’t do their normal job of eliminating the excess A Beta from the brain.
It then accumulates in the brain as plaque.
People with high cholesterol and high blood pressure are candidates for A.D. There is a connection between vascular disease (V.D.) and dementia. Vascular disease can enter the brain and cause mental problems, when you are older due to an abnormal brain. In autopsies of older people, A.D. and V.D. are most common in dead brains. Brain injuries accumulate, resulting in late onset A.D. Statins lower cholesterol, and the brain damage goes away. Statins have been found to decrease the onset of A.D.
By the time that people are aware of their mental problem, they already need a caregiver. - even though they will tell you that they can take care of themselves. “Chuck”, one of the\ people, with A.D., that they interviewed, said, “If you can’t cry about it all the time, you might as well laugh about it half of the time.” Very profound!
Caregivers need respite. If they don’t have anything else to do , stress will get them. The Caregiver will know when she/he is maxed out with stress. The sequence of care goes - friend - family - professional care - grave. People in family support groups have said, “live life in the moment”; it takes indomitable spirit. It is like saying a long goodbye. It is exhausting and you get scared. There is some “denial” by both patient and the caregiver. Spirits fade as the illness progresses. A.D. patients tend to not like noise or crowds, they just want to stay home. With wandering, and toileting, a Caretaker in the home can cost $100 a night or $3,000 a month. One on one, is the toughest kind of schedule - it creates a fast burnout. You cannot be a caregiver unless you love the person you are caring for. A caregiver’s responsibility never leaves your shoulders.
Medications have side effects. The change in the patient is more noticeable when you don’t see them every day. Some people will make vows to loved ones that they will never put them in a nursing home. But, some vows you have to break - you have no choice. In the film, a woman was feeding her husband and said, “You gotta eat everything, it will make hair grow on your chest.” then, she said, “Do you remember when you used to tell our boys that?” Some other quotes -
We never say goodbye.
It is hard to see him the way he is now.
Family takes care of family.
It is hard to see someone who was so full of life.
When it’s time for me to leave, I will - until then, I’m holding on.
You don’t want to lose a person that you can’t live without.
Aren’t we lucky. (by an A.D. patient. I had a long-time friend with
A.D., and he used to tell me that.!)
It’s the bodies way of shutting down. Nutrition is not that important anymore.
The doctor said to the wife,” What do you want to prolong?” (Wife) It’s not fair to him. It’s not what he wants.
(Patient) - Memory problems are not fun.
In autopsies of people with A.D., they have found that the hippocampus has shrunk.
The genetic researchers have determined that genes influence the progress of A.D. or the probability of getting it. A gene makes the protein which makes the plaque. Late onset A.D. is not inherited. It is caused by the contributions of many genes, each of which make a small contribution. You cannot modify your genetics, but you can modify your lifestyle.
Postscript.
Marie’s neurologist, Dr. Pai of Kaiser, diagnosed her Alzheimer dementia a couple of years ago - based on her MRI. Watching these four DVD’s was very emotional for me.
RCL - 6/26/09.
About two years ago, my wife, Marie, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Dimentia. She was 84 years old. Her neurologist showed the family the image from her MRI brain scan. He pointed to the frontal cortex, and said that she had lost 50% of her brain cells in that area.
Marie's mental ability, at that time, was variable - but fairly stable. She had trouble with her short- term memory. But now, this is slowly declining. While she still knows me, and our daughters by name, she has entered the slippery slope of memory decline, so common with Alzheimer Disease.
And so, ever since her diagnosis, I have been very interested in the subject of Alzheimers Disease.
The Alzheimer’s Project
I didn’t see the Special on HBO on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). My daughter, Mary, let me review the AD Project Kit. Besides the HBO, it is co-sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, of the National Institutes of Health, in association with the Alzheimer’s Association, the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, and the Geoffrey Beene Gives Back Alzheimer Initiative. The kit contained four DVD’s on the subject. While watching them, I made rough notes. I will use them to try and paraphrase the subject matter.
Alosis Alexander was the discoverer of A.D. back in 1906. He was a Pathologist, and he discovered lesions in the brain, after death.
Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger was the moderator on Tape 2. She covered kids reaction to the disease, plus she talked about her Dad’s A.D. Here are some of Maria’s quotes:-
You don’t know the future - you live in the present.
When it comes to A.D., just go with the flow the best that you can.
It’s O.K. to be afraid of A.D.
It’s hard to accept a mind with no memories - our lives are made up of memories.
You have to let it sink in and accept it - when they don’t know who you are.
Remember, when they get angry, it is not them. It is nothing you did,
it is not she or him.
A family is a collection of emotions and experiences. You want to remember them the way that they used to be.
A.D. is difficult - both emotionally and financially.
On Tape 3, they discuss Plaques and Tangles.
A.D. is the second most feared disease - after cancer. As many as five million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer Disease. It causes not only human suffering, but A.D. has a huge financial impact. A.D. destroys brain cells. An MRI scan confirms A.D. The challenge is, how does the brain go wrong? Alzheimer predicted that we will see plaques and tangles in the brains of people who die with A.D.
The synapses, in the brain, transmits information. When they die, they no longer work, and you can no longer remember.
There are two types of the A.D. disease - Early and Late Onset. The “Early” is defined by ages 40-50, in 3 % of the population. “Late” is defined as late 70’s and early 80’s. The risk rises with age. It is a disease of the entire human body - not just the brain. It is not normal aging. He found that Beta amyloid plaques (composed of A-Beta cells and produced by the brain) and tau tangles (proteins), adjacent to the amyloid plaque in the brain, interfere with the synapses (information switches) ability to transmit information between the cells. Beta neurons produce amyloid Beta in the brain, which forms tau tangles, and must be cleared. Eventually, synopses are lost and the neurons are destroyed. Producing too much Beta amyloid, or not clearing it away, is toxic to neurons and synapses. When they are gone, it establishes the clinical diagnoses of A.D. If they can slow the chemical reaction, they can design drugs (which are also chemicals) to do this. They take spinal taps to analyze the A-Beta in the spinal fluid. The scientists are trying to determine why it is killing neurons and destroying synapses. Lowering the production of Beta amyloid slows A.D.
The average human male-brain weighs about 1100 grams (2.4 lbs.),
Our insulin system is very important for healthy aging. It is produced in the pancreas, in response to the need to transmit glucose into the cells. Insulin resistance underlying pathology is that it prevents glucose from entering the cells. Insulin resistance begins in mid-life, and detected by levels of insulin. It is treatable through diet and exercise.
Researchers are looking for “markers” APO-E (A-Beta) is one of them, pointing to susceptibility to the disease. Inflammation kills brain cells.
High blood pressure changes the heart, because it has to work harder to pump blood to the brain, and it leaves some residual blood still in the heart. People diagnosed with AD are very likely to have clogged arteries. The arteries in the brain become inflamed, and they can’t do their normal job of eliminating the excess A Beta from the brain.
It then accumulates in the brain as plaque.
People with high cholesterol and high blood pressure are candidates for A.D. There is a connection between vascular disease (V.D.) and dementia. Vascular disease can enter the brain and cause mental problems, when you are older due to an abnormal brain. In autopsies of older people, A.D. and V.D. are most common in dead brains. Brain injuries accumulate, resulting in late onset A.D. Statins lower cholesterol, and the brain damage goes away. Statins have been found to decrease the onset of A.D.
By the time that people are aware of their mental problem, they already need a caregiver. - even though they will tell you that they can take care of themselves. “Chuck”, one of the\ people, with A.D., that they interviewed, said, “If you can’t cry about it all the time, you might as well laugh about it half of the time.” Very profound!
Caregivers need respite. If they don’t have anything else to do , stress will get them. The Caregiver will know when she/he is maxed out with stress. The sequence of care goes - friend - family - professional care - grave. People in family support groups have said, “live life in the moment”; it takes indomitable spirit. It is like saying a long goodbye. It is exhausting and you get scared. There is some “denial” by both patient and the caregiver. Spirits fade as the illness progresses. A.D. patients tend to not like noise or crowds, they just want to stay home. With wandering, and toileting, a Caretaker in the home can cost $100 a night or $3,000 a month. One on one, is the toughest kind of schedule - it creates a fast burnout. You cannot be a caregiver unless you love the person you are caring for. A caregiver’s responsibility never leaves your shoulders.
Medications have side effects. The change in the patient is more noticeable when you don’t see them every day. Some people will make vows to loved ones that they will never put them in a nursing home. But, some vows you have to break - you have no choice. In the film, a woman was feeding her husband and said, “You gotta eat everything, it will make hair grow on your chest.” then, she said, “Do you remember when you used to tell our boys that?” Some other quotes -
We never say goodbye.
It is hard to see him the way he is now.
Family takes care of family.
It is hard to see someone who was so full of life.
When it’s time for me to leave, I will - until then, I’m holding on.
You don’t want to lose a person that you can’t live without.
Aren’t we lucky. (by an A.D. patient. I had a long-time friend with
A.D., and he used to tell me that.!)
It’s the bodies way of shutting down. Nutrition is not that important anymore.
The doctor said to the wife,” What do you want to prolong?” (Wife) It’s not fair to him. It’s not what he wants.
(Patient) - Memory problems are not fun.
In autopsies of people with A.D., they have found that the hippocampus has shrunk.
The genetic researchers have determined that genes influence the progress of A.D. or the probability of getting it. A gene makes the protein which makes the plaque. Late onset A.D. is not inherited. It is caused by the contributions of many genes, each of which make a small contribution. You cannot modify your genetics, but you can modify your lifestyle.
Postscript.
Marie’s neurologist, Dr. Pai of Kaiser, diagnosed her Alzheimer dementia a couple of years ago - based on her MRI. Watching these four DVD’s was very emotional for me.
RCL - 6/26/09.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
SCRIPTURE READING
Scripture Reading.
Today is Sunday, June 28, 2009. My youngest daughter, Sue , picked me up at Quail Creek this morning, and accompanied me to Mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.
The second -scripture reading was from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. It ended with the following verse:
“Whoever had much, did not have more, and
Whoever had little, did not have less.”
Today is Sunday, June 28, 2009. My youngest daughter, Sue , picked me up at Quail Creek this morning, and accompanied me to Mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.
The second -scripture reading was from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. It ended with the following verse:
“Whoever had much, did not have more, and
Whoever had little, did not have less.”
Thursday, June 25, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO
SAN FRANCISCO
Today is Wednesday, June 24, 2009. We are heading to San Francisco to visit the new California academy of Sciences. There are six residents going, plus Tony and Kelli. We left at 0915.
My gasoline report: Shell is $3.00 a gallon, and Chevron is $3.10. The Crude futures price is $69.26 - up $1.74 from yesterday. The weather is sunny, clear and cool, with hazy visibility (left after the morning fog burned off.) We are heading westbound on I-80 in moderate traffic. The “rush hour” is over. Still a teeth chattering ride on this section of the freeway. It’s a wonder the bus doesn’t fall apart. I can’t help but think of the high cost (and inconvenience) to replace tires, replace shocks and realign the front wheels of all the vehicles traveling this busy freeway! Our ride is smoother now. We are riding in the second lane. Both of these lanes have been resurfaced. The two right lanes will be next.
I see another burned area on our right side, near an overpass in Cordelia. Another carelessly tossed cigarette butt. We always pass trucks carrying “containers” to the Port of Oakland. There are many trucks, approaching the Truck Scales, from the opposite direction. Is the economy picking up? We pass a truck loaded with hay. This is valuable cargo.
As we reach the top of Hunter’s Hill, I get a good view of Vallejo down below. It covers a big area - extending beyond both sides of the freeway. It is hazy as the fog is slower to dissipate here. (It reminds me a little of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.) This area is a familiar sight. With four daughters living in Fairfield, We made many trips over this stretch during the 46 years that we lived in Vallejo. The Six Flags amusement park is off to our right. It has just declared Chapter Eleven Bankruptcy - following in the footsteps of the City of Vallejo. We are riding past the Solano County Fairgrounds. The annual summer Fair will be here next month. The next Exit is Redwood, which I have taken so many times. After moving to Fairfield, a little over a year ago, I never thought that I would miss Vallejo. But, each time I am in the area, I still feel a tug of emotion. I do miss it - primarily because of the ideal weather year round.
The next landmark on the right side is the Maritime Academy. This school is now part of the California State College system. We are passing over the fairly new Carquinez bridge now. I can barely see Mt. Tam in Marin County, off to the west. A highway sign says “San Francisco 27”. We are passing the former Union Oil refinery now. It is really a large complex,, They should be making money, considering the price of gas. I notice that graffiti has returned to a portion of the “sound walls” bordering the freeway. For quite a while they would remove the ugly stigma as past as it
Appeared. But, apparently, with the budget cuts, they no longer have the manpower. So sad.
We are passing the Cutting Blvd. off ramp. This is the general area where we lived when I was going to Cal (701 south 51st Street) This is also the Exit for the Del Norte BART station. It is very familiar to me. Besides living near here for a couple of years, I had a week-day Season Ticket to the Oakland A’s home games for about 15 years. I rode the bus from the Vallejo Park & Ride to this BART station. In this El Cerrito area it is overcast with the high fog. We are passing Golden Gate Fields, one of the few horse-racing tracks around. It probably won’t be much longer before it will give way to a high-rise apartment complex. It is prime property. That’s progress I guess.
We are passing the spot where a Heli-pad used to be. On my business trips, Marie would drop me off there. I would check my luggage, and wouldn’t see it again until I picked it off the carrousel at my destination! The helicopter would make a quick stop at their pad in Marin County and then fly on to SFO. They would land, and taxi right up to my carrier‘s Gate area. I just had to walk inside and await my flight! Talk about progress! This hard to believe service is no longer available. In it‘s place you have to allow a big chunk of time to go through “Security“.
We are riding along the East Shore of the San Francisco Bay. It is an attractive area now. I can remember - many years ago - when this portion of the bay was polluted. It was not only unsightly, but there was an unpleasant odor when you drove by. (Our girls used to hold their noses in this area.) Cleaning up the Bay, really was a big improvement.
Tony uses the “diamond lane” for busses and car pools, to get on to the Bay Bridge, avoiding the “parking lot” of commuters off to our left, creeping along to pay their $4.00 toll. Now, we are traveling on the upper deck of the span. I get a good view of the new East Span of the bridge under construction. This is the first time that I have seen it. Before we pass through the tunnel on Yerba Buena Island, I am looking down at “Treasure Island”. This is the location for the San Francisco World’s Fair in 1939 and 1940. After we pass through the tunnel, I can see Alcatraz off to the right. The government discontinued using it as a federal prison many years ago. Now, the Blue & Gold Ferry service run boats out there from Fisherman’s wharf.
It is a big tourist attraction.
I am getting a good view of the City now, out the right window. I always look for the U.S. Bank building where I used to work. Back in 1969 it was brand new, and it was named the Mutual Benefit Life building. I worked on the 19th floor. for 14 years - from 1969 to 1983, when I retired as the Manager of Internal Auditing for California & Hawaiian Sugar Company. In 1969, the building really stood out - even though it had only 30 floors. There were very few tall buildings then. At that time, building heights were limited to 30 floors, presumably because of the damage experienced in the big 1906 earthquake. It wasn’t long before the buildings were anchored on bed rock, and the city changed the building code to permit taller strictures. I watched both the Hyatt Regency Hotel, and the 101 California Street building go up. As many times as I have been in San Francisco, I never tire of it. I would be very content to live there.
There are some ships parked in the bay - waiting to be loaded/unloaded. The famous old Ferry Building comes into view (it survived the 1906 earthquake), and so does the Hyatt Regency, nearby. We exit from the bridge on to 101. Buildings butt up against the freeway, as one would guess, with such pricey real estate. On the side facing of the buildings facing the freeway, some have graffiti. I see a billboard with this message: “Develop a recreational habit that won’t show up in your urine.” (a ski ad). We pass a truck with “Goodwill - not Landfill” painted on the side. There are many luxury town-house complexes along side on the right.
Before getting to the Fell Street Exit, I noticed that the traffic on 101, heading for the Golden gate Bridge, is at a standstill. Not much later, so are we. I see the sign “End of Freeway ½ Mile.” We started and stopped for five minutes, during many signal changes, before reaching Fell street. This is a one way street- westbound. The two lanes are jammed with cars (Isn’t anyone working?) A small motor bike is weaving in and out of the two lanes at a high speed. I commented to my seat mate, “He will be in the hospital - or morgue - soon.” Thirty years ago we zipped along this route on our way to Golden Gate Park. The architecture of the old homes along here is really interesting. Not many gas stations in the City. We just passed a Shell station - ($3.20 a gal.)
We head into the Park on John F. Kennedy Drive. I see a sign
“Japanese Tea Garden
de Young Museum”
There aren’t any parking places along the way, and we are quite a distance from the Academy. It is 10:30. I wonder what time you have to arrive to find parking? Perhaps they parked their car last night, and then someone dropped them off in front of the Academy this morning. One thing about being handicapped - you have easy access. Tony parked the bus in front, and we all got out, while he went and parked. There are a lot of school busses parked nearby, and kids all over the place. One group is wearing orange shirts. I told Kelli that the six of us should be wearing identical colored -shirts.
We joined the long line waiting to go into the Academy I was surprised at the large week-day crowd. Vacationers and schools being out, can generate a crowd. I thought the steep $24.95 admission ($19.95 for us ) would screen out a few people. Not so. I can remember - many years ago - admissions to the Academy and the de Young Museum were free! While waiting in line, I overheard a guy say, “ The best things in life are no longer free.” I asked one of the employees inside how many people they handle on an average day. He said, “Between three and four thousand!”
We visited the Aquarium, and the Coral Reef Dive before lunch. After a very nice lunch (first class!), we went to the Planetarium Show - Fragile Planet, the “Living Roof” and African hall, where we got to see penguins doing what they do in captivity.
We left the Academy at 2:15 - a good time to beat the commute traffic. The orange-shirted kids that we ran into, when we first arrived, were leaving at the same time that we were. What a coincidence! We rode along Oak Street, which parallels Fell, going one way -eastbound. They call this area the Panhandle.
The City is hazy, smoggy and cool. We are back on 101 Eastbound. We pass the S.F. City Jail on the right. We are on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge. There are two container ships docked at the port of Oakland off to our right. We pass through the maze of flyways and freeways at the intersection of 580 and 80We are back on I-80 driving along the Estuary near Berkeley. There is a lot of traffic going in the opposite direction. We pass a lot of high-rise apartment complexes. A sign on one of them, years ago said, “If you lived here, you would be home now”.
We are passing near the Del Norte BART station on the right. We are passing a large apartment complex to the right, the sign running along the top of the building sys “Now Leasing”. I watched this complex being built. Every time I rode the bus into BART, I would check on the progress. It took two or three A’s seasons for it to finish. The builder must have started and stopped construction whenever funds became available, or depleted.
We are passing above Crockett, off to my right. I always look down at the California and Hawaiian Sugar Refinery. I worked there from 1962 until 1969, until I was promoted to their corporate office in San Francisco. We are now passing through Vallejo eastbound. At the top of Hunter Hill, I look over to my left. Numerous trucks are parked at the Rest Stop. I assume that some of the drivers are napping.
We arrive back at Quail Creek at 3:20, after a very nice day. Tony says that we covered 124 miles. It is hazy, windy and much warmer than when we left this morning. I really enjoyed seeing the Academy. I had seen it a few times before it received a face lift. I am very much impressed with the facility. It has moved ahead of the Salt Lake City and Seattle Libraries on my “wonders of the world” list.
RCL - 6/25/09.
1
Today is Wednesday, June 24, 2009. We are heading to San Francisco to visit the new California academy of Sciences. There are six residents going, plus Tony and Kelli. We left at 0915.
My gasoline report: Shell is $3.00 a gallon, and Chevron is $3.10. The Crude futures price is $69.26 - up $1.74 from yesterday. The weather is sunny, clear and cool, with hazy visibility (left after the morning fog burned off.) We are heading westbound on I-80 in moderate traffic. The “rush hour” is over. Still a teeth chattering ride on this section of the freeway. It’s a wonder the bus doesn’t fall apart. I can’t help but think of the high cost (and inconvenience) to replace tires, replace shocks and realign the front wheels of all the vehicles traveling this busy freeway! Our ride is smoother now. We are riding in the second lane. Both of these lanes have been resurfaced. The two right lanes will be next.
I see another burned area on our right side, near an overpass in Cordelia. Another carelessly tossed cigarette butt. We always pass trucks carrying “containers” to the Port of Oakland. There are many trucks, approaching the Truck Scales, from the opposite direction. Is the economy picking up? We pass a truck loaded with hay. This is valuable cargo.
As we reach the top of Hunter’s Hill, I get a good view of Vallejo down below. It covers a big area - extending beyond both sides of the freeway. It is hazy as the fog is slower to dissipate here. (It reminds me a little of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.) This area is a familiar sight. With four daughters living in Fairfield, We made many trips over this stretch during the 46 years that we lived in Vallejo. The Six Flags amusement park is off to our right. It has just declared Chapter Eleven Bankruptcy - following in the footsteps of the City of Vallejo. We are riding past the Solano County Fairgrounds. The annual summer Fair will be here next month. The next Exit is Redwood, which I have taken so many times. After moving to Fairfield, a little over a year ago, I never thought that I would miss Vallejo. But, each time I am in the area, I still feel a tug of emotion. I do miss it - primarily because of the ideal weather year round.
The next landmark on the right side is the Maritime Academy. This school is now part of the California State College system. We are passing over the fairly new Carquinez bridge now. I can barely see Mt. Tam in Marin County, off to the west. A highway sign says “San Francisco 27”. We are passing the former Union Oil refinery now. It is really a large complex,, They should be making money, considering the price of gas. I notice that graffiti has returned to a portion of the “sound walls” bordering the freeway. For quite a while they would remove the ugly stigma as past as it
Appeared. But, apparently, with the budget cuts, they no longer have the manpower. So sad.
We are passing the Cutting Blvd. off ramp. This is the general area where we lived when I was going to Cal (701 south 51st Street) This is also the Exit for the Del Norte BART station. It is very familiar to me. Besides living near here for a couple of years, I had a week-day Season Ticket to the Oakland A’s home games for about 15 years. I rode the bus from the Vallejo Park & Ride to this BART station. In this El Cerrito area it is overcast with the high fog. We are passing Golden Gate Fields, one of the few horse-racing tracks around. It probably won’t be much longer before it will give way to a high-rise apartment complex. It is prime property. That’s progress I guess.
We are passing the spot where a Heli-pad used to be. On my business trips, Marie would drop me off there. I would check my luggage, and wouldn’t see it again until I picked it off the carrousel at my destination! The helicopter would make a quick stop at their pad in Marin County and then fly on to SFO. They would land, and taxi right up to my carrier‘s Gate area. I just had to walk inside and await my flight! Talk about progress! This hard to believe service is no longer available. In it‘s place you have to allow a big chunk of time to go through “Security“.
We are riding along the East Shore of the San Francisco Bay. It is an attractive area now. I can remember - many years ago - when this portion of the bay was polluted. It was not only unsightly, but there was an unpleasant odor when you drove by. (Our girls used to hold their noses in this area.) Cleaning up the Bay, really was a big improvement.
Tony uses the “diamond lane” for busses and car pools, to get on to the Bay Bridge, avoiding the “parking lot” of commuters off to our left, creeping along to pay their $4.00 toll. Now, we are traveling on the upper deck of the span. I get a good view of the new East Span of the bridge under construction. This is the first time that I have seen it. Before we pass through the tunnel on Yerba Buena Island, I am looking down at “Treasure Island”. This is the location for the San Francisco World’s Fair in 1939 and 1940. After we pass through the tunnel, I can see Alcatraz off to the right. The government discontinued using it as a federal prison many years ago. Now, the Blue & Gold Ferry service run boats out there from Fisherman’s wharf.
It is a big tourist attraction.
I am getting a good view of the City now, out the right window. I always look for the U.S. Bank building where I used to work. Back in 1969 it was brand new, and it was named the Mutual Benefit Life building. I worked on the 19th floor. for 14 years - from 1969 to 1983, when I retired as the Manager of Internal Auditing for California & Hawaiian Sugar Company. In 1969, the building really stood out - even though it had only 30 floors. There were very few tall buildings then. At that time, building heights were limited to 30 floors, presumably because of the damage experienced in the big 1906 earthquake. It wasn’t long before the buildings were anchored on bed rock, and the city changed the building code to permit taller strictures. I watched both the Hyatt Regency Hotel, and the 101 California Street building go up. As many times as I have been in San Francisco, I never tire of it. I would be very content to live there.
There are some ships parked in the bay - waiting to be loaded/unloaded. The famous old Ferry Building comes into view (it survived the 1906 earthquake), and so does the Hyatt Regency, nearby. We exit from the bridge on to 101. Buildings butt up against the freeway, as one would guess, with such pricey real estate. On the side facing of the buildings facing the freeway, some have graffiti. I see a billboard with this message: “Develop a recreational habit that won’t show up in your urine.” (a ski ad). We pass a truck with “Goodwill - not Landfill” painted on the side. There are many luxury town-house complexes along side on the right.
Before getting to the Fell Street Exit, I noticed that the traffic on 101, heading for the Golden gate Bridge, is at a standstill. Not much later, so are we. I see the sign “End of Freeway ½ Mile.” We started and stopped for five minutes, during many signal changes, before reaching Fell street. This is a one way street- westbound. The two lanes are jammed with cars (Isn’t anyone working?) A small motor bike is weaving in and out of the two lanes at a high speed. I commented to my seat mate, “He will be in the hospital - or morgue - soon.” Thirty years ago we zipped along this route on our way to Golden Gate Park. The architecture of the old homes along here is really interesting. Not many gas stations in the City. We just passed a Shell station - ($3.20 a gal.)
We head into the Park on John F. Kennedy Drive. I see a sign
“Japanese Tea Garden
de Young Museum”
There aren’t any parking places along the way, and we are quite a distance from the Academy. It is 10:30. I wonder what time you have to arrive to find parking? Perhaps they parked their car last night, and then someone dropped them off in front of the Academy this morning. One thing about being handicapped - you have easy access. Tony parked the bus in front, and we all got out, while he went and parked. There are a lot of school busses parked nearby, and kids all over the place. One group is wearing orange shirts. I told Kelli that the six of us should be wearing identical colored -shirts.
We joined the long line waiting to go into the Academy I was surprised at the large week-day crowd. Vacationers and schools being out, can generate a crowd. I thought the steep $24.95 admission ($19.95 for us ) would screen out a few people. Not so. I can remember - many years ago - admissions to the Academy and the de Young Museum were free! While waiting in line, I overheard a guy say, “ The best things in life are no longer free.” I asked one of the employees inside how many people they handle on an average day. He said, “Between three and four thousand!”
We visited the Aquarium, and the Coral Reef Dive before lunch. After a very nice lunch (first class!), we went to the Planetarium Show - Fragile Planet, the “Living Roof” and African hall, where we got to see penguins doing what they do in captivity.
We left the Academy at 2:15 - a good time to beat the commute traffic. The orange-shirted kids that we ran into, when we first arrived, were leaving at the same time that we were. What a coincidence! We rode along Oak Street, which parallels Fell, going one way -eastbound. They call this area the Panhandle.
The City is hazy, smoggy and cool. We are back on 101 Eastbound. We pass the S.F. City Jail on the right. We are on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge. There are two container ships docked at the port of Oakland off to our right. We pass through the maze of flyways and freeways at the intersection of 580 and 80We are back on I-80 driving along the Estuary near Berkeley. There is a lot of traffic going in the opposite direction. We pass a lot of high-rise apartment complexes. A sign on one of them, years ago said, “If you lived here, you would be home now”.
We are passing near the Del Norte BART station on the right. We are passing a large apartment complex to the right, the sign running along the top of the building sys “Now Leasing”. I watched this complex being built. Every time I rode the bus into BART, I would check on the progress. It took two or three A’s seasons for it to finish. The builder must have started and stopped construction whenever funds became available, or depleted.
We are passing above Crockett, off to my right. I always look down at the California and Hawaiian Sugar Refinery. I worked there from 1962 until 1969, until I was promoted to their corporate office in San Francisco. We are now passing through Vallejo eastbound. At the top of Hunter Hill, I look over to my left. Numerous trucks are parked at the Rest Stop. I assume that some of the drivers are napping.
We arrive back at Quail Creek at 3:20, after a very nice day. Tony says that we covered 124 miles. It is hazy, windy and much warmer than when we left this morning. I really enjoyed seeing the Academy. I had seen it a few times before it received a face lift. I am very much impressed with the facility. It has moved ahead of the Salt Lake City and Seattle Libraries on my “wonders of the world” list.
RCL - 6/25/09.
1
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