Breaking Stigma's Around Alzheimer’s

Breaking Stigma around Alzheimer’s
By: Brooke Morgan Westlake
June 25, 2014

(One of the last great photos of my grandma and I. She was visiting me in Reno. October 2005)

I have felt that there are a lot of stigma’s around Alzheimer’s for a while now. And I think I have finally begun to understand why.

When my grandma was first diagnosed she did not tell anyone she had Alzheimer’s. In fact she hid it for a long time until everything unraveled and she did not know the difference at that point if she was sick or not, but I did...  When sharing with others what was happening to her and what I was going through, I felt ashamed to say “My grandma does not know what is happening because she is sick, she has Alzheimer’s”. The A word being the last word in the sentence.  At the end of the day anyone I spoke to or with about my grandma was very compassionate but I always remember thinking to myself ‘are they going to think she is mental ill? ‘ or ‘She is old so of course she has Alzheimer’. I came to realize the stigma I felt around Alzheimer’s is common and the more I thought about it the more I thought about why my grandma never told me her “official diagnosed” until I read it on her medical record from her Alzheimer’s specialist. She had a stigma to herself and did not want others to know she was sick. She was a successful healthy active woman who skied till 77 years old, how could she have something that was robbing her brain and then her body of all its functions?

See there has not been a movement with Alzheimer’s yet like breast cancer or other top killing disease on the map. And by movement I mean empowering the actual person diagnosed to take charge and gain control of what is to come for them and their families. I see many women on Facebook empowering themselves after they are diagnosed with breast cancer.  They are sharing there treatments, and what stage of cancer they have and showing photos of themselves with a shaved head. Do I think that is easy? No, not at all.  But I see empowerment along with breaking the stigma’s surround by breast cancer or any other disease where the individual talks about it openly. Have you ever seen someone with Alzheimer’s recently diagnosed posting about it on Facebook? Not likely.  In fact the ones you might see a posts from are family members who are the primary care givers for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.  Why haven’t we broken these stigma’s around Alzheimer’s so that we can empower this disease and take it over? 

(Longest Day Every 6-21-2014 Dedicated to Grandma Bev, #ENDALZ)

The reason I started Remember My Photo was to honor those ones like my Grandma Bev, like my great cousin Mike and my great aunt Nomy.  All of these family members on my grandma side all have Alzheimer’s, but my grandma was the first was to pass away. It was also a way for me heal from her loss and to capture others loved one’s photo with the story about the person they were the things they did and liked to do. To give them part of the dignity and respect back. The goal at the end of the day is to put a face with a name to the disease.  The "A" "Alzheimer's" word is scary. We cannot live under the stigmas any longer as the disease stairs right back at us in the face with expected predicted number of 50 million people to be diagnosed worldwide with Alzheimer’s by 2050.  We must embrace life and the things that come our way. We can embrace the stigma without taking away an individual’s dignity and respect. We can simply do this by opening up and sharing our loved ones story or letting them embrace what is to come and let them share their life before it to late….

Stone Valley Alzheimer's Special Care Center-Reno

I had the pleasure of getting connected to a new Alzheimer’s facility here in Reno via a facebook friend.  Last week I was given a private tour with Jennefer Myers, the Program Director for Stone Valley.

 Over this past weekend the facility opened its doors for two hours for families and friends to come and tour this lovely facility. Jerry Erwin, the CEO and owner not only has a long background in senior living facilities, but watched his own mother suffer from Alzheimer’s for 7 years until she passed away.

This beautiful center is a specialty care facility for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients is located in North West Reno and will be opening late this summer. The lovely earth tone colors are inviting and calming when you walk in the doors.

The layout inside the facility is designed like a “P” with a beautiful court yard and smaller activity rooms to work with smaller groups of individuals.  Part of their program includes the “Meaningful Moments” program that is designed specifically to meet the needs of the residents with memory loss.  It focuses on psychological, social and spiritual needs of the patient.  Knowing the patient’s life before dementia is key ingredient to this program.

Stone Valley will be able to provide care for 66 people in both private rooms and shared rooms.  Residents will be served three meals a day along with snacks and different activities daily to help engage the patients.

The Stone Valley Philosophy is: “Our Philosophy of Care is a simple one: To care for each Resident with dignity and respect and join you in honoring them.”

I am honored to provide photo services to this lovely facility and it’s patients.

The Grand opening is scheduled for September this year.

Stone Valley Alzheimer’s Special Care Center: 6155 Stone Valley Drive, Reno Nevada 89523 (775)746-2200

See more images of this facility below.

 

Washoe County Senior Services Participates in the Longest Day to raise awareness for Alzheimer's

Reno, Nevada. June 20, 2014. Alzheimer’s disease is a global epidemic. Worldwide, there are at least 44 million people living with Alzheimer's and other dementia's, including 30,000 here in Nevada.

People across the globe, including people throughout Northern Nevada, will participate in The Longest Day to honor the strength, passion and endurance of those facing Alzheimer's with a day of brain-healthy activity.

The Longest Day is a sunrise-to-sunset team event Saturday, June 21. The event will raise funds to fuel the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. On The Longest Day, thousands will complete approximately 16 hours of activity ranging from running, cooking and knitting to playing cards, to honor those living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. Participants in The Longest Day are joining a global conversation about Alzheimer's disease, the brain and other dementia's as part of the inaugural Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month in June. To join a team or learn more about The Longest Day, visit http://act.alz.org/site/TR?fr_id=5860&pg=entry.

For more information about Alzheimer’s disease, visit the Alzheimer’s Association at http://www.alz.org/. Alzheimer's is the nation’s sixth leading cause of death, according to the Alzheimer’s Association 2014 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts & Figures report.

Washoe County Senior Services will support National Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month by wearing purple Friday, June 20, 2014, in support of seniors and their caregivers living daily with Alzheimer’s and other dementia's. Senior Services operates an Adult Day Health program that provides medically supervised day care for adults and seniors in Washoe County suffering from Alzheimer’s and other brain health disorders. The Adult Day Health program allows those suffering from cognitive issues to avoid institutionalization and age at home with loved ones.

The mission of Washoe County Senior Services is to offer opportunities for the community's older adults to maintain dignity, to maintain independence, and to enhance the quality of their lives through the provision of direct services in a quality, cost-effective manner.

Services include home delivered meals, nine congregate meal sites, recreational and social activities, Daybreak Adult Day Services, social services and legal assistance. For more information, call (775) 328-2575 or visit the Senior Services Department online at www.washoecounty.us/seniorsrv.

Legendary radio personality Casey Kasem dies at 82 on Father's Day.

Legendary radio personality Casey Kasem has passed away. Share your tributes, memories and stories with CNN iReport.

By Todd Leopold, CNN

(CNN) -- Casey Kasem, who entertained radio listeners for almost four decades as the host of countdown shows such as "American Top 40" and "Casey's Top 40," died early Sunday, according to a Facebook post from his daughter Kerri Kasem.

The news was confirmed by Casey's Kasem's agent, Don Pitts.

Casey Kasem was 82 and had been hospitalized in Washington state for two weeks.

"Early this Father's Day morning, our dad Casey Kasem passed away surrounded by family and friends," Kasem's children -- Kerri, Mike and Julie -- wrote in a statement released by Kasem's representative, Danny Deraney.

"Even though we know he is in a better place and no longer suffering, we are heartbroken ... The world will miss Casey Kasem, an incredible talent and humanitarian; we will miss our Dad."

Kasem's longtime friend, Gonzalo Venecia, and his younger brother, Mouner Kasem, were also with him when he died at St. Anthony's Hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington, at 3:25 a.m. Sunday, a family member said.

Casey Kasem had been suffering from Lewy body disease, the most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's.

He had recently been the subject of a bitter court battle involving three of his children by a previous marriage and his wife, Jean.

His oldest children, who challenged their stepmother for control of Kasem's medical decisions in his last months, are not fighting his wife for possession of his remains, a family member told CNN Sunday.

Daughter Julie Kasem will host a memorial celebration at her Northridge, California, home on Saturday, June 21, the family member said. No other funeral arrangements were yet known.

No autopsy is expected since Kasem died under a doctor's care in a hospital. The immediate cause of death was from sepsis caused by an ulcerated bedsore, the family member said.

Casey Kasem's family feud

In May, a California judge awarded Kerri Kasem temporary power of attorney after Jean Kasem took her husband out of a nursing home and moved him to Washington amid family feuding.

A Washington judge later allowed Kerri to visit her father in that state.

Casey Kasem was hospitalized after an argument between Jean and Kerri in which his wife threw meat at her stepdaughter.

Last week, a Los Angeles County judge gave daughter Kerri Kasem the authority to have doctors end his infusions of water, food and medicine.

Kasem was already a popular disc jockey in Los Angeles when he became the host of "American Top 40" in 1970. The syndicated show, which counted down the 40 most popular songs in the United States based on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 music chart, began on just seven radio stations but quickly became a mainstay of thousands, all around the world.

"When we first went on the air, I thought we would be around for at least 20 years. I knew the formula worked. I knew people tuned in to find out what the No. 1 record was," he told Variety in 1989.

Kasem's first No. 1, concluding the "AT40" premiere show of July 4, 1970, was Three Dog Night's "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)." His last on successor show "American Top 20," almost exactly 39 years later, was "Second Chance" by Shinedown.

But the show wasn't just about finding out who was No. 1.

Its features, included biographical details on performs, flashbacks, album cuts and Kasem's "long-distance dedication" for listeners who wrote to dedicate songs to friends and loved ones far away.

Kasem, whose baritone was always friendly and upbeat, delivered these in his most sympathetic voice, warm enough to melt butter. "Dear Casey," he began, and would read an emotional letter from a listener who wanted to connect with an old flame, express regret to a new love or send wishes to a far-flung family member.

The first one, for example, was from a male listener who wanted to dedicate Neil Diamond's "Desiree" to a sweetheart named Desiree who was moving to Germany.

The show, originally three hours, expanded to four in the late '70s.

Tributes: 'Keep reaching for the stars'

In many ways, even as Top 40 radio moved from the AM to the FM dial and took on the name "Contemporary Hit Radio," "American Top 40" remained a throwback to the way the format was in the 1960s, with frequent number jingles ("Number 29!") and a fast-moving mix, though Kasem, in temperament, practically defined the laid-back hosts of the Me Decade. (The exception to the laid-back rule was a much-copied outtake, now readily available on the Internet, of Kasem exploding in anger over a long-distance dedication that succeeded an up-tempo record.)

The show inspired several imitators, including a television version, "America's Top 10," hosted by Kasem himself.

Kasem left "American Top 40" in 1988 over a contract dispute with ABC Radio Networks and signed with competitor Westwood One, for whom he started a show called "Casey's Top 40" in 1989. The new show used a different publication's chart, but it was the same old Casey: smooth, cheerful, full of information.

"The magic of Casey is that he is the ultimate professional in whatever he does. ... He enlightens, he explores, he suggests, he provokes and he informs," fellow DJ Gary Owens told Billboard in 1997.

Kasem acquired the name "American Top 40" and in 1998 resumed hosting the program with a new syndicator. (The ABC show, with Shadoe Stevens replacing Kasem, had been canceled in 1995.) He handed off to Ryan Seacrest in 2004, though he continued with two other shows, "American Top 20" and "American Top 10," until signing off in 2009 -- as always with his trademark line, "Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars."

Kemal Amin Kasem was born in Detroit in 1932. He first tried radio while in high school but found he had a talent for it while serving in Korea with the Army. He was a DJ on the Armed Forces Radio Network.

Kasem's global reach: Long-distance dedications

After stops in several cities, including Flint, Michigan; Buffalo, New York; and San Francisco, he joined KRLA in Los Angeles in 1963, partly in hopes of an acting career. He did earn roles in a number of low-budget movies -- the most famous of which was probably "The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant" (1971) -- but his voice was always his ticket to fame, whether appearing on a Dick Clark-produced TV show, "Shebang," or voicing the character of Shaggy on the cartoon "Scooby-Doo," which premiered in 1969. (He also was the voice of Robin on "Super Friends.")

That voice became ubiquitous. He was NBC's promotional announcer in the late '70s and early '80s, and heard on dozens of commercials.

But "American Top 40" remains his legacy.

"Kasem started the show in 1970, a curious time to start a show about Top 40 mainstream pop, because the format had just been pronounced dead and progressive album-oriented radio was on the rise," wrote Susan Orlean in a 1990 New York Times Magazine profile. "He infused the show with corny reverence for conventional American values exactly when cynicism had become the more fashionable posture."

Kasem attributed his success to that everyday voice.

"It's not a clear-toned announcer's voice," he told the Times. "It's more like the voice of the guy next door.''

Kasem is survived by his second wife, Jean, whom he married in 1985; and four children.

All-time great DJs

Reno, Nevada Bishop Manogue Golfer Raising Money for Alzheimer's Disease

So proud of my fellow Nevadan! This young man is doing a great thing. Raising money for Alzheimer's, raising awareness, sharing his own story and golfing.  Thursday June 19, 2014! See detail below for the Golf-A-Thon!!! Go Erik V.!

Golf is a game that exemplifies the spirit of giving and I am so blessed to be a part of this most wonderful game. My hope is to use this game of golf that I so love to raise money for Alzheimer's Association.

Raising money for the Alzheimer's Association is important to me because my grandmother was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. I have come to know on a personal level just how devastating this condition can be. In addition, Alzheimer's is one of the most pressing issues facing our society as a whole with over 5 million affected victims nationwide. Research efforts in this area have been relatively lacking, and for these reasons, it is my hope to raise as much money as possible for curative and preventative measures of Alzheimer's.

I will be conducting a golf-a-thon on June 19, 2014 at Arrow Creek Country Club in Reno Nevada. I will play from sun up to sun down and play as manyholes as possible to honor my grandmother.

Your dollars will not only support the funding Alzheimer's Association, but also will impact junior golfers as well through the ACE Grant program. Your contributions will help talented junior golfers with a desire to better their life through playing junior golf and earning a college golf scholarship. These juniors lack the financial resources to compete at the national level to gain exposure to these scholarships. They need our help as well. The scholarships these juniors earn through their play change the course of their life and the life of their future family.

My goal is to raise $5,000. Would you consider making a donation and making a difference?

There are two ways to contribute - Click Donate Now

-          You can make a one-time donation and your credit card will be charged now.

-          Or, you can pledge a specific amount for every hole that I play.  My hope is to play around 72 holes of golf in one day.

Thank you in advance for any support you can lend.

 Sincerely,

Erik Verhey

Click on the below link to donate!!! 

https://www.ajga.org/PIF/HomePages/indexHolesNew.asp?UID=172948

http://www.kolotv.com/sports/headlines/Bishop-Manogue-Golfer-Raising-Money-for-Alzheimers-Disease-261617911.html

Casey Kasem's Daughter Gets Temporary Custody

I lived and understand this moment Casey's daughter Kerri went through. I was lucky to acquire the same emergency guardianship over my grandma before her third husband tried to take her out of state.. Acquiring emergency guardianship over another individual is a very hard thing to do. A Judge makes the determination if a legal/emergency guardianship is needed based on the situation at hand with the individual.
At the end of the day families can have dispute over loved ones like this and they are common. The overall goal is that the patient with Alzheimer's is getting the best care from the appropriate health care provide, guardian, or medical team.  My heart goes out to this family.

By Michael Martinez, CNN

updated 9:21 AM EDT, Mon June 2, 2014

(CNN) -- Radio icon Casey Kasem's daughter visited her father Friday evening for the first time since he was taken to Washington state two weeks ago from California in a family dispute over his care, a CNN affiliate reported.

To make that visit, daughter Kerri Kasem won court approval from a Kitsap County, Washington, judge earlier in the day, CNN affiliate KING reported.

A feud is ongoing between daughter Kerri Kasem and Kasem's wife, Jean, over legal authority to care for Casey Kasem, 82, who has Lewy body disease, the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's.

In early May, Casey Kasem was living in a California nursing home, Kerri Kasem said.

Kerri Kasem won a California court order this month to become thetemporary conservator for her ailing father, but he went missing for a few days before being found in Washington state with his wife, Kerri's stepmother.

On Friday morning, a Kitsap County judge granted the daughter permission to visit her father one hour a day at a local home where Kasem and his wife are staying with close friends, the affiliate reported.

"I'm not going to say anything much except that I'm happy with how the court proceedings went today," Kerri Kasem said.

Jean Kasem, however, was displeased with the outcome of Friday's court proceedings and told reporters, "Shame on these children."

She then played an audio recording of what sounded like a groaning man, saying the moaning came from her husband when he heard about Friday's court activity, the affiliate reported.

"He's crying," Jean Kasem said.

When Kerri Kasem showed up for her one-hour visit Friday evening, she and a companion were met by two security guards with motorcycles in the driveway, KING reported. One man's motorcycle vest said "Combat Veterans" on the back. There was a brief disagreement over whether Kerri Kasem's male companion would be allowed onto the house's premises, but the guard eventually admitted both of them, according to the news outlet.

Kasem's daughter wins additional powers in court

One hour later, Kasem wiped away tears as she left the house. She made no comment to reporters.

On Friday, Kerri Kasem also won court permission to take her father to the doctor, the affiliate reported.

The Washington state judge will hold another hearing June 6 on whether the California court order naming her as her father's temporary conservator would also apply in Washington state, the affiliate reported.

A California court also awarded Kerri Kasem temporary durable power of attorney and health care directive and has ordered Jean Kasem to surrender Casey Kasem's passport to the daughter. The California judge also ordered that Casey Kasem can't travel anywhere without a court order until a doctor clears him.

Casey Kasem's other daughter, Julie Kasem, and her husband, Dr. Jamil Aboulhosn, have said her father signed papers in 2007 giving them the power of attorney over his heath care in the event he was unable to make his own health decisions.

But Julie and Kerri Kasem and their brother, Mouner Kasem, have contended since last year that Jean Kasem has prevented the three from visiting their father.

Jean Kasem said in court papers last year that the three children "single-handedly and irreparably shattered" the couple's lives by deploying public demonstrations and attacks in the media, according to CNN affiliate KCBS.

Kerri Kasem's temporary conservator-ship over her father is in effect until June 20, when another California court hearing is scheduled on whether to make the conservator-ship permanent.

U.S. radio listeners knew Kasem for decades as the host of music countdown shows "American Top 40" and "Casey's Top 40." He retired in 2009. Kasem was also the voice of Shaggy in the cartoon "Scooby Doo" and an announcer for NBC.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/31/showbiz/washington-state-casey-kasem-daughter-visit/

All-time great DJs