Preparing for Hilarity for Charity, County Fair, 2019

Lots of wonderful updates! ENJOY! 

Adam Hamilton. Born January 21, 2019

I will be attending my 4th Hilarity for Charity (HFC) annual fundraiser in Los Angeles in 17 days!  I’m pumped up because I was unable to attend last year’s show due to a high-risk pregnancy and not allowed to travel. I’m pleased to announce that I had a very happy and healthy baby boy named Adam Hamilton. He was born January 21, 2019 and weighed 9lbs, 3oz. (Thank god for c-sections)! I am just loving him to pieces. Everyone else in the family is in love with him too. Now on to the good stuff regarding HFC.


 


















HFC’s goal is to raises awareness, inspires change, and accelerates the progress of Alzheimer's care, research, and support. View their website to learn more about the great work they do: https://hilarityforcharity.org

https://hilarityforcharity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/HFC-2018-Annual-Report-Digital.pdf

For the first time since becoming a 501c3, HFC released their annual report for 2018 to show donors what funds were raised and how they are being used. Take a peek! It’s filled with lots of goodness. 


In the HFC 2018 annual report readers can find the mission statement. which can be referred to as the C.E.A. Or if you line up the letters in another way, it could be called, A.C.E. This stands for the following:

Care-for families facing this disease

Educate-young people about living a brain healthy life 

Activate- the next generation of Alzheimer's Advocates

The 2018 annual report has strategic highlights such as partnering with Netflix where they showcased their 2018  fundraiser around the world. They hired Bonnie Wattles as the Executive Director. They awarded over 230,000 respite hours, met with members of the U.S. congress, started research studies for brain health and prevention, and launched the #ManyFacesOfAlzheimers. See my story at https://hilarityforcharity.org/stories/brooke-westlake-of-nevada/ Ironically, my story was shared 6 days prior to my late Grandma Bev's birthday. She would have turned 90.

My Rivet Revolution Bracelets with a photo of Grandma & I.

Lauren Miller- Rogen began conducting live Facebook chats. They partnered with Humble Bundle and raised $108,000 and then raised another $20,000 on Giving Tuesday. More than 725 Rivet Revolution bracelets were sold, of which 10% of all sales go back to HFC.  https://www.rivetrevolution.com  

Wearing my Rivet Revolution Bracelets

I have my Rivet Revolution bracelets in white, purple, dark red and a light brown. I love wearing them. Do you have yours? HFC also provided over $500,000 in care grants! (FREAKING awesome!). The report is fantastic and shares many other wonderful accomplishments. Please read it when you get the chance. https://hilarityforcharity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/HFC-2018-Annual-Report-Digital.pdf

Now, let’s talk about this year’s HFC fundraiser. Hilarity for Charity has a theme each year for their annual fundraiser. I have been to prom (2014), James Franco's Bar Mitzvah (2015), and a Halloween costume party (2016). This year's theme is "The County Fair". Watch Seth's promo reel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh_FaIgsbbE


I love this theme because during the summers I spent with Grandma Bev in Oregon she and I attended several county fairs. In 1989, she took me to Terrebonne, Oregon's annual "Good Earth Day". In essence it was a local county fair of sorts. It had carnival rides, games, food and competitions. Being that this blog is dedicated to my late Grandma Bev, who passed away from Alzheimer's in 2012, I couldn't help but be reminded of those wonderful times that her and I shared.

Juniper Breeze Newspaper. August 23, 1989

Well, readers, you are in luck! I have a comical Good Earth Day story. The first time I attended the Terrebonne's Good Earth Day, my photo ended up in the local Juniper Breeze newspaper, on August 23, 1989

My photo was printed because I was the only girl able to climb a greased pole and touch the red flag at the top. I won $1 for doing this and was very proud of myself. Looking back now, I can't help but wonder who's idea it was to put a flag on top of a greased pole for children to try their luck at earning a dollar? I will let my readers come up with all the jokes and laughter about this. I have had some great laughs over this childhood event and memory. 

This write up regarding the "slippery pole" is very funny.

I also remember being in line with boys who were being boys. I was the only girl, and I remember them saying to me I wouldn't be able to make it up the pole because I was a girl, and because I was in a dress. I gladly accepted this challenge because I was very athletic. After touching the flag and earning my $1, those same boys were super annoyed while I walked away feeling very proud. More importantly, my grandma cheered me on and congratulated me on my win. 


The next day the local Juniper Breeze newspaper arrived at Grandma's house. She was standing in her driveway, and I heard her say, "Well, would you look at that!" I had no idea why grandma was excited so I rushed over to her. She handed me the newspaper with a big smile on her face.

I had other kid experiences with climbing poles. My favorite was climbing gym poles. Once on top, I would spin in circles, forward and backward. I can't imagine what that would to do my knees today. I also climbed Teether poles and swing poles where I would dangle from the top. Grandma Bev took some great photos of me playing on various poles in the school yard as a child. I am glad to say I found these photos and I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Photo By: Grandma Bev. Young Brooke and friend Desire, playing on gym poles at Long Valley Elementary School. Doyle, California-1989

The following year, Grandma Bev and I went to the Deschutes County Fair in Redmond, Oregon. I do not remember there being any greased poles for me to climb, but I did get to sit on the lap of a clown named "Gordo". Grandma snapped a photo of me and this became Grandma's Christmas card that was sent out to family and friends that year. 

Brooke sitting with "Gordo" the clown. Deschutes County Fair, Oregon-1990

My other funny childhood county fair story was when I won 3rd place lizard racing during Doyle Days, in California. Doyle Days is an annual festival held once a year during the summer. They have dancing at the Buck, a 5K race with a pancake breakfast, a parade, an outhouse race, and a lizard race. https://www.susanvillestuff.com/big-fun-in-south-county-at-annual-doyle-days-event-this-weekend/

Zombie, our Leopard Gecko Lizard.

To qualify for the lizard race, you had to bring your own lizard. Most people did not own a lizard, but around Doyle there are lots of wild blue belly lizards. As a child, I would catch blue belly lizards all the time, or I would rescue them from my cat, Duffy. Blue belly lizards are friendly and beautiful. To this day, I am still very fond of lizards. We have a pet Leopard Gecko lizard named Zombie. His markings are very striking and he very calm. He does not move very fast and just likes to be held. Plus, I did not have to catch him in the wild. He was purchased from an exotic animal shop that was closing. Zombie has a forever home with a nice tank and lots of crickets to eat. He is fat and happy. 

For the lizard race, we put the lizards in a long box that was divided by small wooden walls. We then used squirt guns to make the lizards run to the other side of the box.  I received a bright white 3rd place ribbon for my Lizard Racing victory but lost it later that day. I cherished that hard earned 3rd place ribbon, and I cried about losing the ribbon for several days. I did a google search to see if Doyle Days still existed. To my surprise it still does. On August 2, of this month, there was an article posted, titled "Doyle Days hosts World Famous Lizard Races this weekend": https://www.lassennews.com/doyle-days-hosts-world-famous-lizard-races-this-weekend/

 

Photo By: Grandma Bev. Young Brooke on top of a Teether Pole. Roger Corbette Elementary School. Reno, Nevada-1991

What makes me laugh about these life experiences is that I couldn't make them up even if I wanted to! I am forever grateful for these memories of my county fair experiences with Grandma Bev. I can't wait to see what fun adult memories will be created at HFC County Fair. Maybe a potential Christmas Card for 2019?

#HFC #BEVERLYJEAN #REMEMBERMYPHOTO #KICKALZINTHEBALLZ #ENDALZ #GRANDMABEV #FORMYGRANDMA #MEMORIES #COUNTYFAIR #ALZHEIMERS #PHOTOGRAPHYBMW #RAISINGAWARENESS #PURPLE #PURPLEDIGNITY #HFCCountyfair #RIVETREVOLUTION

What are the 7 stages of Alzheimer's?

This article by Angela Stringfellow provides some great content on the seven stages of Alzheimer's disease broken down. Ms. String fellow has several great articles on her blog  https://blog.caregiverhomes.com She has legal advice, support group information for South Dakota, Pennsylvania, end of life planning, nursing home costs and discussions of companionship. You can read more of her content on the link provided above. I shared this article, because I felt that it was a critical first step in understanding the stages of Alzheimer's when a family has had a loved one diagnosed. This can help break the disease down into stages. It will in now way prepare a family for all that is about to happen, but it can provide a guideline of sorts.

Alzheimer's disease can be broken down into seven stages. 

1. Prior to Diagnosis: No Dementia.  
2. Stage One: No Impairment.  
3. Stage Two: Very Mild Cognitive Decline.  
4. Stage Three: Mild Cognitive Decline. 
5. Early-Stage Dementia. 
6. Stage Four: Moderate Cognitive Decline. 
7. Mid-Stage Dementia.

"Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that gradually worsens over a period of four to 20 years. On average, however, most people live between four and eight years following diagnosis.(Stringfellow, 2019)"

The 7 Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease: What to Expect from Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease to End-Stage Alzheimer’s
https://blog.caregiverhomes.com/the-7-stages-of-alzheimers
By: Angela Stringfellow

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease, developing slowly and gradually worsening, typically over a period of several years. It impacts memory, thinking, language, problem-solving, and even personality and movement as the disease progresses. While not everyone will experience the same symptoms, and the disease may progress at a different rate for each individual, there is a similar trajectory that most people follow as the disease progresses. The typical progression of Alzheimer’s disease may be broken down into three, five, or seven stages. 

Prior to Diagnosis: No Dementia

In the first three stages of the seven-stage model, an individual is not considered to have dementia, as the symptoms are commonly associated with typical aging and are not typically noticeable by healthcare providers or family members. This is also known as Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease.

Stage One: No Impairment

In the first stage, a person with Alzheimer’s disease has no memory impairment with no evident symptoms of dementia. At this stage, Alzheimer’s disease is undetectable. This stage is also sometimes called No Cognitive Decline.

Stage Two: Very Mild Cognitive Decline

In this stage, a person with Alzheimer’s disease begins to experience the typical forgetfulness associated with aging. They may forget where they left their car keys or their purse. These symptoms are typically not noticed by the individual’s family members or physician.

Stage Three: Mild Cognitive Decline

Individuals in this stage experience increased forgetfulness as well as slight difficulty with focus or concentration. These symptoms may result in decreased work performance for those in the workforce, or for those who do not hold outside employment, they may experience decreased performance in ordinary household tasks such as cleaning or paying bills. They may get lost or begin to struggle to find the right words in communication.

In stage three, increased forgetfulness and decreased performance are likely to be noticed by the person’s family members. The average duration of stage three is approximately seven years prior to the onset of dementia.

Early-Stage Dementia

In the first three stages above, an individual is not considered to have dementia. At stage four, however, that changes, and a person is considered to have early-stage dementia. Note that early-stage dementia differs from early-onset dementia or early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, which refers to the onset of clinical symptoms prior to age 65.

Stage Four: Moderate Cognitive Decline

Stage four comprises what is clinically described as early-stage dementia. A person with early-stage dementia (in stage four of the seven-stage model) will experience increased forgetfulness, often forgetting recent events, as well as difficulty concentrating, difficulty with problem-solving, and difficulty managing finances. They may have challenges when traveling to unfamiliar areas alone, and they may have difficulty performing complex tasks or organizing and expressing thoughts.

People in stage four may also be in denial about their forgetfulness and other symptoms, and as socialization becomes increasingly difficult, they may begin to withdraw from family and friends. In stage four, a healthcare provider can easily identify cognitive decline in an examination and interview with the patient. The average duration of stage four is approximately two years.

Mid-Stage Dementia

Stage five marks the beginning of mid-stage dementia, which continues through stage six.

Stage Five: Moderately Severe Cognitive Decline

Major memory deficiencies are present beginning in stage five, and people in this stage of the disease may require assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, and preparing meals. Memory deficits in this stage are severe, with individuals often forgetting prominent bits of information that affect their daily lives – such as their home address or phone number. They may not be able to identify where they are (orientation to place) or what time of day it is (orientation to time). Stage five lasts, on average, one and a half years.

Stage Six: Severe Cognitive Decline

Also known as Middle Dementia, stage six marks a period in which a person requires substantial assistance to carry out day-to-day activities. They may have little memory of recent events and forget the names of close friends or family members. Many people in stage six have limited memory of their earlier lives and will also have difficulty completing tasks or successfully exhibiting cognitive skills such as counting backwards from 10.

People in stage six may also begin to experience incontinence of bowel or bladder, and speech ability is often diminished. Significant personality changes may also be noticeable at this stage, as individuals may suffer from delusions, anxiety, or agitation. This stage lasts an average of about two and a half years.

Late-Stage Dementia

The seventh and final stage comprises the final stage in the three-stage model: late-stage dementia.

Stage Seven: Very Severe Cognitive Decline

Also known as Late Dementia, stage seven is the final stage in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. At this stage, most people will have lost their ability to speak or communicate. They often require assistance with most of their activities, including toileting, eating, dressing, bathing, and other daily activities, around the clock. Because people in stage seven often lose psychomotor capabilities, they may be unable to walk or require significant assistance with ambulation. This stage lasts an average of two and a half years.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that gradually worsens over a period of four to 20 years. On average, however, most people live between four and eight years following diagnosis. The progression of the disease may be different for each individual, but family members and caregivers should familiarize themselves with the typical stages that occur throughout progression. It’s a challenging road to travel for both the person with Alzheimer’s disease and those who love them, but knowing what to expect can help to ease some stress and uncertainty.