A Story of True Love

A STORY OF TRUE LOVE

'Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80s arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb.

He said he was in a hurry, as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him.

I saw him looking at his watch, and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.

The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health; he told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.

As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.

He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are'?

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, ''She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.'

I had to hold back tears as he left.  I had goose bumps on my arms and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life".

True love is neither physical nor romantic.
True love is acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

"The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have."


 

TALK ON "NEW HOPE FOR ALZHEIMER'S AND STROKE PATIENTS" ON 29 NOV '08 (SAT) AT 3:30PM, ADFM ALZHEIMER'S CARE CENTRE, TAMAN SEPUTEH, KUALA LUMPUR

Dear Members & The Public,

We are pleased to announce the confirmation that Dr Sreenivasan from the Energy Medicine of the Guangzhou YouHao General Hospital, China will be giving a Talk on "Hope for Alzheimer's & Stroke Patients" on this Saturday, 29 November at 3:30 pm, following the scheduled Talk on "Moving About With Urine& Faecal Incontinence" by Mr Eric Choo of Newind Marketing at 2:30 pm.

Details: 

Day /Date : Saturday / 29 Noember 2008

Venue : ADFM Alzheimer's Day Care Centre, No. 9, Bukit Lorong Raja, Taman Seputeh, 58000 Kuala Lumpur

Time :
2:30 pm - Talk on "Moving About With Urine & Faecal Incontinence" By Mr Eric Choo, Newind Marketing 
Followed By Q & A

3:45 pm - Talk on "Hope for Alzheimer's & Stroke Patients" By Dr Sreenivasan, Guangzhou YouHao General Hospital, China
Followed By Q & A

Light Refreshments will be served after the Talk.
 

For refreshments arrangement, kindly register with ADFM Secretariat at:

Tel No: 603-7956 2008 / 7958 3008  (Kath Leong / Janet Low)   OR  E-mail to:  adfmsec@streamyx.com

OR   for Members to reply online (NACON).

The National Alzheimer's Caregivers Network is a safe haven for CAREGIVERS to express their feelings, needs and concerns. Here, they share tears and laughter on care-giving experiences and come to know that they are a part of a bigger family.

 

From:  KL-PJ Alzheimer's Caregivers Support Group Committee

 

 

NEW ALZHEIMER'S CARE CENTRE AT PETALING JAYA, NO. 6, LORONG 11/8E, SECTION 11 (TELEPHONE NO: 603-7956 2008 / 7958 3008)

NEW ALZHEIMER'S CARE CENTRE AT PETALING JAYA

NO.6, LORONG 11/8E, SECTION 11

TELEPHONE NO: 603 � 7956 2008 / 7958 3008

 

The Alzheimer's Disease Foundation Malaysia (ADFM) is pleased to announce the opening of its new Alzheimer's Care Centre (ACCPJ) at its Head Office in Petaling Jaya to provide day care for Alzheimer's Disease/Dementia patients in Selangor.

 

Operations hours are Mondays to Fridays, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, except on gazetted Public Holidays for Selangor.  Activities at the day care centre include light morning exercises, board games, bingo, throwing of beach-ball, sing-along and mahjong.

 

The fee is RM30/= per day which includes lunch and 2 teas.  All are welcomed to visit but patients have to be assessed by our SRN-In-Charge.  Registration is on a 'first-come-first served' basis.

 

The Day Care service which is also available at our branch at No. 9A, Lorong Bukit Raja, Taman Seputeh, 58000 Kuala Lumpur, caters for residents of Wilayah Persekutuan.  

 

For more information, kindly contact ADFM Secretariat at Tel:  03-7956 2008/7958 3008.

Free Talk On "New Hope For Cancer, Stroke & Alzheimer's Patients" On 22nd (SAT) & 23rd NOV '08 (SUN) At PWTC, Kuala Lumpur

Dear Members,

 

TALK ON "NEW HOPE FOR CANCER, STROKE AND ALZHEIMER's PATIENTS"

 

For your information, Speakers from the Guangzhou Youhao General Hospital from China will be in Malaysia to give the above free talk on the following 2 Days:

 

Day / Date :  Saturday, 22 November and Sunday, 23 November 2008

 

Veneu :  Putra World Trade Centre, Level 2, Kelantan Room

 

Time :  (for Saturday & Sunday)

 

12:00pm         Mandarin Session      By Professor Soong

01:30pm         Mandarin Session      By Professor Soong

03:00pm         English Session          By Professor Tim Leow

04:30pm         Mandarin Session      By Professor Soong

 

Speaker's Profile:  Professor Soong Jian Guo

 

Professor Soong Jian Guo is from the GuangZhou You Hao Hospital Oncology Department, an Executive Council Member of China Medical (GuangDong) for "Tumor Intervention", a Committee Member of China Medical (GuangDong) Tumor Association and an Executive Tutorial Member of the 'Tumor' Magaszine.  

 

The Coordinator in Malaysia, Mr Lim Eng Huat is the Overseas Director of Guangzhou You Hao General Hospital, China.   

 

For more information, kindly contact the following representatives:

 

Mr Soo  (019 � 226 5130)

Mr Lim  (012 � 210 2388)

Mr E. P. Lim  (012 � 238 8327)       

 

 

From NACON for ADFM  

TALK On "MOVING ABOUT WITH URINE & FAECAL INCONTINENCE" On Saturday, 29 November '08, 2:30pm, Organized By The KL-PJ Alzheimer's Caregivers Support Group Committee

Dear Members & the Public,

 

The KL-PJ Alzheimer's Caregivers Support Group is having our  monthly gathering on Saturday, 29 November '08 and a Talk on "MOVING ABOUT WITH URINE AND FAECAL INCONTINENCE" by our Guest Speaker, Mr Eric Choo of Newind Marketing.   

 

Details for the Talk are as follows:

 

Day/Date :     Saturday / 29 November '08

Time :     2:30pm

Venue :     Alzheimer's Care Centre, No. 9A, Lorong Bukit Raja, Taman Seputeh, 58000 KL

 

SYNOPSIS

Incontinence can be humiliating for a person with Dementia (including Alzheimer's) and upsetting for those around them. Although it can be a distressing problem, it is a surprisingly common one, and the good news is that there is plenty of help out there. To deal with incontinence, you should get proper information about the problem and to find out what help is available.

SPEAKER'S PROFILE

Eric Choo, co-founder & owner of Newind Marketing, has over 24 years sales & marketing experience in the medical, diagnostics and pharmaceutical industry.  As agent for the leading adult incontinence aid manufacturer in Malaysia, Eric will enlighten you on the ways to make hygienic care easier while on the move.  Newind Marketing is a Community Medical (non-drug) Store, located opposite UMMC (formerly University Hospital), providing advice, sales and support to the end-users (carers/nurses) of the patients who are hospital-discharged and recovering at home; and to those on medical long-term care at home, including assessing the patient's condition, recommending suitable medical equipment and hospital supplies and providing the support for their correct and safe use.

 

For Registration, kindly call ADFM Secretariat at:

Tel No: 603-7956 2008    OR    7958 3008  (Kath Leong / Janet Low)

OR    E-mail to:  adfmsec@streamyx.com  OR   for Members can register online (NACON)

 

 

 Dear Members - Kindly take note in your Diary to make yourself free on this date and time for the Talk and more importantly an occasion to renew our bonding.  

 

The National Alzheimer's Caregivers Network is a safe haven for CAREGIVERS to express their feelings, needs and concerns. Here, they share tears and laughter on care-giving experiences and come to know that they are a part of a bigger family.

RESEARCH SHOWS EDUCATION BLUNTS EFFECTS OF ALZHEIMER'S

Brain scans of people with an abnormality that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease are strengthening the notion that greater education levels somehow protect against this common form of dementia.

 

People with more education did better on memory and problem solving tests than others with similar amounts of brain plaques related to Alzheimer's, Researchers wrote in the Journal Archives of Neurology on Monday.

 

Researchers are eager to find factors that help patients dodge the mind-robbing ailment or withstand its effects. Previous research showed that having more years of formal education seemed to delay the memory loss associated with Alzheimer's.

 

In the new study, Catherine Roe of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and colleagues performed positron emission tomography, or PET, scans on the brains of 37 people with Alzheimer's and 161 people without the disease.

 

The scans determined the amount of plaques, deposits of the protein fragment beta-amyloid that build up between nerve cells in the brain. For people with few or none of these plaques, education level had no bearing on performance on the cognitive tests, the Researchers said.

 

But for those with these brain plaques, performance on the tests closely corresponded to schooling -- rising with a person's increasing education levels, the Researchers said.

 

"If you had more education, it looked like you were better able to handle having plaques in your brain without showing dementia symptoms," Roe said in a telephone interview.

 

"It tells us more about Alzheimer's disease and how it works in the brain," Roe added.

 

The findings indicate that people with more education may have a greater "cognitive reserve" -- the brain's ability to keep working despite damage, the Researchers said.

 

As many as 5.2 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. But those numbers are expected to balloon as the population ages.

 

(Source:  Reuters, November 10, 2008)

 

EXERCISE MAY IMPROVE FUNCTION IN DEMENTIA PATIENTS

Organized exercise designed to increase strength, flexibility, mobility and coordination may improve overall physical function among nursing home patients with Alzheimer's disease, Researchers report.

Alzheimer's disease patients who have physically deteriorated are less able to perform activities of daily life, which, in turn, affects their quality of life. Despite the well-known physical benefits obtained from exercise, Professor Alejandro Lucia and colleagues in Spain found comparatively little research has focused on exercise training among patients with Alzheimer's disease.

To address this, Lucia, of the Universidad Europea De Madrid, and collaborators compared the outcomes of 16 Alzheimer's disease patients who were randomly assigned to receive normal care involving no programmed exercise or to a 12-week exercise program as part of their nursing home care.

Each group consisted of five women and three men of similar functional capacity at the start of the study. Participants' average age was 73 years in the normal care group and 76 years in the exercise group, the investigators report in the International Journal of Sports Medicine.

Exercise sessions, held 3 days each week, included 75 minutes of warm-up and cool-down stretching, inside walking, joint mobility activities, elastic exercise-band resistance training, and coordination exercises using foam balls.

Lucia's team reports the exercise group had significant improvements in measures of upper and lower body strength and flexibility; agility and balance; walking abilities; and endurance. Exercise participants also showed greater ability to independently perform activities of daily living such as rising from a chair, transferring from bed to chair, bathing, or dressing.

By contrast, the normal care group showed no changes over the 12-week period.

These findings show that shorter duration exercise programs "are sufficient to induce significant improvements in patients' functional performance and independence," the investigators state. Adherence to the training program was nearly 100 percent, they add.

While more evidence of efficacy is needed from larger study populations, Lucia and colleagues suggest similar programs could be included in the overall nursing home care of Alzheimer's disease patients.

(Source: International Journal of Sports Medicine, October 2008.)

 

 

Astro Sehati Berdansa 2" Celebrity Charity Show - Live On Astro Ria,Channel 104 (From October 26 To December 27, 2008)

Dear ALL,

 

ASTRO "SEHATI BERDANSA 2" CELEBRITY CHARITY SHOW

LIVE ON ASTRO RIA, CHANNEL 104

 

To keep you posted on the above Astro Live Celebrity Charity Show which has so far entered its 2nd round.  The 3^rd round will be telecast live tomorrow's night on 9 November at Channel 104.

 

The Alzheimer's Disease Foundation Malaysia (ADFM) is one of the 10 charitable organizations selected to be the beneficiaries of this Celebrity Charity.

 

Adapted from an international TV programme, it features celebrity couples competing against one another on the dance floor. 

The 10 participating Celebrity couples will compete against each other to help fund the local charitable organization that they are representing. They each have the responsibility to perform their best for their respective charity homes.

Performances based on technical aspects will be judged by a jury (which will constitute 50 per cent of the votes), while the remainder 50% will be from audience' votes via Short Message Service (SMS) and fixed line.

Each week, the eliminated couple will present cash to their selected charity organisation. The amount of cash collected will increase every week until the night of the finale on December 27.

 

The couple with the least votes for the week will be eliminated.

 

The celebrity couple for ADFM is local television actress, Amyza Aznan and her husband, khairil Izhar. 

 

To ensure ADFM reach the final round and emerge the champion on December 27, we encourage Members & the Public to gather the support of their family members, friends and colleagues to vote for ADFM's Celebrity Couple, Amyza & Khairil.

 

Send in your SMS at any time of the day, any number of times as you wish to Astro with this MESSAGE :

 

By keying in the words "danza amyza" and send to  "32999". 

 

For each SMS you send, you will get a SMS response from Astro.

 

If you wish to send in your SMS more than one time, you have a choice of 3, 5 OR 10 Times in one SMS – example :

 

"danza3  amyza" to represent 3, "Danza5  Amyza"  to represent 5, "danza10 amyza" to represent 10 times.

 

"danza amyza" can be in capital or small letters.

 

Come forward to give your support to adfm by sending in your sms as many times as you Could at any time of the day to

ensure adfm reach the final round & become the champion of this celebrity charity

 

 

 For more information, go to:  http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/Features/20081019174414/Article/indexF_html 

OR

www.astro.com.my/sehatiberdansa

Come 8:00am, Sunday, 9 November '08, Dataran Merdeka KL - Join The 15th Annual Charity Walk / Jog / Walk-A-Thon With The Disabled - An Unique Opportunbity To Shower Your Love, Care & Concern For The Disabled.

COME, JOIN THE

15th Annual Charity Walk / Jog / Wheel-A-Thon

with the Disabled

oN

SUNDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 200, 8:00A

 DATARAN MERDEKA, KUALA LUMPUR (START / FINISH)

 

open to all

YOUR CONTRIBUTION � THEIR HOPE

An Unique Opportunity To Show Your Love, Care & Support

 

Come and join � it is for the whole family, exercise, competition, nasi lemak, gardenia buns, milo, cucumber drinks, prizes, lucky draws, entertainment, pets adoption, T-shirts, Lots of fun  ……..

 

Flagged Off By:

YB Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen

Minister of Women, Family & Community Development, Malaysia

 

Jointly organized by The Spastics Children's Association of Selangor & Federal Territory with the Selangor Social Welfare Council, FT Amateur Athletic Association and participated by more than 30 welfare-based NGOs (The Alzheimer's Disease Foundation Malaysia is one of the participants since this charity started in 1994).  

 

Details:

 

Distance:  4.0 km (for all age group, except for the intellectually disabled and severely disabled).

 

Registration Fee:  RM20/- only (entitle you a T-shirt plus food/drink coupons, handsome prizes for winners, lucky draws, various forms of entertainment,etc.)

 

Participants who completed the 4.0 km walk will be awarded a Certificate.

 

Able-Bodied By Age Group:

 

Boys  (< 12)

Grils  (< 12)

Boys Junior  (12 � 18)

Girls Junior  (12 � 18)

Men  (18 � 40)

Women  (18 � 35)

Men Veteran   (40 � 35)

Women Veteran  (35 � 50)

Senior Citizen Men  (> 55)

Senior Citizen Women  (> 50)

 

Disabled (By Disability)

 

Physically handicapped (amputee)

Blind

Spastic

Deaf

Intellectually Disabled (2.5 km)

Severely Disabled with Assistance (l.0 km)

Wheelchairs

Hearts Group

 

If you have not registered

All  ARE WELCOME TO REGISTER AT DATARAN MERDEKA BEFORE 8:00 AM   TOMORROW, SUNDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2008

Health Tips: Caring For A Loved Ones During The Holidays

HEALTH TIPS:  CARING FOR  A  LOVED ONES DURING THE HOLIDAYS

 

Holidays are a time of happiness but they can also be quite stressful, especially for caregivers and their charges with Alzheimer's disease.

The National Institute on Aging offers these suggestions for caregivers:

·                Keep up with family traditions, and, as much as possible, include your loved one with Alzheimer's disease.

·                Understand and accept the changes that the disease brings, and be realistic in your expectations.

·                Encourage visits from family and friends, but arrange them appropriately. Don't schedule too many at a time, and plan them when the person with Alzheimer's is likely to be at his or her best.

·                Keep your loved one comfortable and happy by keeping the routine the same, and avoiding crowds and confusing situations.

·                Ask for help so that you have time to relax and enjoy the holidays.

 

(Source:  Health Day, November 8, 2008)

 

Vitamin B Does Not Slow Mental Decline

B vitamins fail in U.S. Alzheimer's disease study

High doses of B vitamins failed to slow cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's disease, dashing the hopes for a new weapon against the fatal, mind-robbing ailment, U.S. Researchers said on Tuesday.

Experts had viewed B vitamins as a potential way to lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease or slow its progression because the vitamins can cut the amount of the amino acid homocysteine, found in high levels in the blood of Alzheimer's patients.

But when the researchers gave people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease high-dose supplements of vitamins B6 and B12 and the B vitamin folic acid for 18 months, they did no better on tests assessing cognitive skills such as memory and language than similar patients who were given a placebo.

And the people who got the vitamin supplements unexpectedly experienced greater amounts of depression, the Researchers wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Our results give a very clear answer that these vitamins should not be taken to treat Alzheimer's disease. They're ineffective," said Dr. Paul Aisen of the University of California San Diego, who led the study.

Alzheimer's is an incurable brain disease that worsens over time. It is the most common form of dementia in the elderly.

"Alzheimer's disease breeds a great deal of desperation. So people will go to the health food store and look on the shelf that says 'brain health' and take one of everything," said Bill Thies, Vice President for Medical and Scientific Relations at the Alzheimer's Association Advocacy Group.

"These B vitamins are included in there. But this data really suggests that they're probably not getting any benefit. It is apparently a waste of money," Thies said.

The study involved 409 people with Alzheimer's disease at 40 sites throughout the United States. Some got daily doses of five milligrams of folic acid, one milligram of vitamin B12 and 25 milligrams of vitamin B6. The rest got daily placebo pills.

Those doses are far above the recommended daily allowance.

The people who took the B vitamins saw their homocysteine levels decline, but that did not translate into any benefits in terms of cognitive abilities compared to the placebo group.

Dr. Lon Schneider of the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, another of the researchers, said the study did not look at whether lowering homocysteine much earlier in life would prevent or delay Alzheimer's.

Amyloid beta protein is toxic to brain cells and plays an important role in the disease. The researchers had hoped by reducing homocysteine, it could reduce the toxicity of amyloid beta protein, Schneider said.

People can get folic acid and other B vitamins in the diet through leafy green vegetables and fortified cereals or through vitamin supplements.

The study was part of an initiative funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health testing promising ideas for Alzheimer's treatment not being pursued by drug companies.

"This is closing down one strategy, but we fortunately have many others," Aisen said.

(Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE49D98N20081014)