[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjf4kNp9TRU]
So here I am, in my car, which is pretty hot. Probably have to open the windows to let in some air. Just going to make it hard for anything to be heard. Oh, oh, that feels good.
Okay. I’m on my way to the Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County, or whatever it’s called, Alzheimer’s dot org of Orange County. ALZ.org for those who want to check out the national Alzheimer’s US group. But I’m going to the local OC chapter’s educational series. The first one is Basics – Dementia Basics. I’m driving, so I’m not necessarily getting the title totally correct.
I’m actually pretty anxious going to it. Anxious because, well, this is pretty emotionally trying for me having both my parents with dementia right now. My mom’s struggling with what’s called vascular dementia, which is secondary to her stroke, and can be caused by heart problems, blood pressure, high blood pressure. All those things can damage the brain. Right? High blood pressure goes up, damage to the brain. So, and her stroke was the most damaging to the brain. Just horrible.
And, my dad has been struggling with memory loss for many, many years. This last year it’s just taken a real dive. He still has his social skills, but his memory is pretty fried, especially his short term memory. But he’s able to reason. His intelligence is there. It’s alcohol-related dementia. Some people are more susceptible than others. Have people drinking the same amount of alcohol. One gets cirrhosis. The other gets alcohol-related dementia. The other gets nothing. So, you never know what you’re playing with in terms of your deck, and you better take pretty good care of it.
I try to do my best. Well, I don’t do my best. I try to do my better. (Laugh) I don’t exercise enough. I know that. I’m taking cholesterol meds rather than strictly adhere to a low fat diet. I try, I look at the fat content in everything, but I just have my weaknesses, especially since my mom had her stroke. I’ve put on at least ten pounds, maybe fifteen. I think it’s about ten pounds according to my physician since her stroke, and it’s pounds where you don’t want to have it, on your stomach. That’s the area that’s not good for your heart.
Heart health is what I really have to take a look at now as somebody who is susceptible to stroke. My grandmother died, my maternal grandmother, my mother’s mother, died of stroke, and she’d had several TIA’s, which are like mini-strokes, before that. So, anyway, just checking in.