mom

Considerations before placing an Alzheimer/Dementia patient on tube feeding

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It is said 65 percent of Alzheimer’s or dementia patients would develop dysphagia, ie gradually losing the swallowing reflex towards the end stage of their disease. Even though they could still swallow, the quantity of fluid and nutrients is no longer sufficient to keep them alive for long. Hence, the decision would have to be [...]

Is Fluimucil effective for mucus reduction in nose/ nasal feeding patients?

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Usually our understanding is when we take flumucil, we first dissolve the tablet in a glass of water. Then drink the water and the medication would have its effect as is moves through our throat. But if a person is intubated, or on nose feeding, the medicine is administered straight via the nasal tube to [...]

Should Alzheimer’s patient start medication?

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This post is written from personal experience as my mom has been officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s- mid stage. Usually your geriatrician or neurologist would recommend starting the patient on medication in hope of delaying the deterioration of brain function due to Alzheimer’s. Update July 2021: There have been a lot of changes after this article [...]

What to do when you are diagnosed with hepatitis B

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If you have been diagnosed with hepatitis B, close follow with your specialist (usually a gastroenterologist) is crucial. Your doctor would advice if you should begin medication for your condition (do note medication is usually long term and very expensive) or try to first control via lifestyle changes. In this article, I would address the lifestyle [...]

Emotional causes of Alzheimer’s | Dementia- my mom’s story

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My mom is a truly wonderful woman, even with Alzheimer’s. It is sad that the coping and defense mechanism that she had developed against the hurt, rejection and abuse had set in place rigidity of patterns in thinking that made her ultimately developed this condition.

Finding happiness and meaning in caregiving, minimizing caregiver burnout

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Last year in May, I resigned from a relatively stable corporate job to care for my mother full time who suffered a fall, diagnosed with acute hepatitis and liver cirrhosis as well as showing symptoms of dementia. I never though that I would eventually ended up as a caregiver. The job fit totally did not suit me because I dislike housework, cleaning and cooking.