I Should Be Posting

Just when I should be posting, events in my life seem to take over. My father-in-law had a stroke several weeks ago. Just when I should be posting about it, relatives arrived, I started a new job (that didn't last), and I took a planned trip to care for the grandkids once I knew my father-in-law was stable.

Under the circumstances, posting took a back seat as is the case so many times when "life happens". Responsibilities have a way of overwhelming us. I'm a prime example of putting my health last. I'll be working on relaxation (exercise), stress relief (exercise) and just plain exercise in the weeks to come. At least it's a good excuse when I should be posting!

Way To Go, Mom!

We know that exercising the brain is said to be a good way to slow dementia and memory loss in general. It makes sense that reading and working puzzles and learning something new could be effective in keeping our brains in good working order.

I think I mentioned in the past that my mother has loved to play scrabble for years. And she was a whiz too! When she moved close to me, I located a scrabble group and she played with them for several months. She was age 83 then and the oldest of the players. But she kept up with the group and enjoyed playing until they started making some changes to the rules.

My sister had given her an older laptop computer and I put the scrabble game on it. She was learning to enjoy it, although it is definitely different playing a computer opponent than a human one! Then for various reasons, she stopped using it for a while.

Now, after a year or so, she is ready to play "Maven" (the computer) again. She is well aware that exercise of different kinds has been prescribed to help with her memory loss. And she is the one who asked me to help her with start up and how to play again. I've written out the instructions from start to shutdown and spent some time today explaining the ins and outs of the computer to her. I don't expect her to catch on immediately, but I must say, I'm awfully proud of her. Almost 85 and learning new skills to play a game that will help her in so many ways. Way to go, Mom!

Superbrain Yoga

In an article taken from AARP Magazine, I've discovered a new way of boosting brain power! Now, this is something anyone may be interested in, the aging parent or the caregiver.

Yoga has been around a long time, and before you panic at the thought of trying to put your body through the many contortions Yoga is known for, let me reassure you, that is not the case here. Actually, it's one of the reasons I was so excited to read the method for Superbrain Yoga as it is called, because there is no way I could twist myself into a pretzel for my brain or anything else! I truly admire those who have mastered the art of Yoga, but I still have difficulty sitting cross legged on a mat. While I believe I'll have to leave the intricate positions to the masters of Yoga, I think I can accomplish the one described in AARP magazine under the Mental Muscle heading.

Basically, you hold onto your right earlobe with your left thumb and finger, and your left earlobe with your right thumb and finger, stimulating accupressure points on the earlobes. While pressing on the earlobes, squat a little with your legs about shoulder width apart and do about 10 deep bends while you breathe in and out. I've taken some liberty with the instructions, so it would be best if you check it out in AARP magazine. The article says it should be done daily.
Don't you wonder how my mother is going to like this exercise? I'll let you know.

Walk with Sticks?

In my research on exercise for the elderly, I came accross an article on Nordic Walking. The walking technique was developed in Finland ( hence Nordic) in the 1900's as training for cross country skiers. Walkers use poles to push off with each stride, and used properly, this walking gives a whole body workout. The poles help take weight off the weight-bearing joints and increase stability which is great for any age!

Nordic Walking is becoming more popular with seniors in the United States and poles can be purchased on line or at sporting goods stores everywhere. If you are talented enough to make your own poles, make sure the height is correct for your legs and stride, and be certain to install rubber tips that will grip any surface. Wrist straps can be made of velcro and you are good to go!

I'm going to see about a pair of sticks for me and my mother. I'll let you know how that goes.

Now We Wait

This morning was my mother's monthly appointment to check the levels of blood thinner in her system. Until recently, I took her for this blood work every week and her medications were adjusted each time as necessary. Her new doctor felt that was excessive and told her he didn't do things that way. Needless to say, the new schedule made ME happy, so long as it was good for Mom.

This appointment was also the first time she had been back to her primary care physician since the last visit to Memory Care. I spoke of this in my post Let's Face It...Who Likes Exercise? as exercise was one of the things suggested to keep the brain functioning better for longer. No one can be really certain they have the beginnings of Alzheimers disease, but the doctor at Memory Care felt there was enough concern from the initial testing that Mom should go ahead with the full battery of tests, including an MRI. If she wanted to. And up to today, she wanted to! According to Mom, she "just didn't want to say anything about it right now".

So now we wait. I hope I'll be ready to hear the verdict when she finally is ready. In the meantime, lots of exercise to do!

Let's Face it. Who Likes Exercise?

Today was a little unnerving. I took my mother for a follow up visit to a memory care specialist. She has some issues going on that have given us both concerns over just what this is. Or could be. The specialist apparently has a few "concerns" as well, nothing concrete but suggests she go ahead with the full battery of tests to see if it could confirm that the big "A" is coming on. I've been reading some on the brain and alzheimer's as well as other forms of dementia. Studies have shown that exercise, physical as well as mental, can help in postponing the progression of the disease. So what's on my mind now is how to encourage an 84 year old woman with bad knees to exercise. In her case, walking is best. Fortunately, we live in a state where bad weather is not an issue. Motivation is. Not just my mother but me! Let's face it. Who really likes to exercise? We're told it's good for just about everything. It's time to find out.