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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Best apps for cat lovers 10 things to know for Friday Emergency services Jacksonville man who summited Everest will help in Nepal relief efforts Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Jacksonville man who summited Everest will help in Nepal relief efforts 'Stolen' wheelchair actually traded by owner, police say That smoke in Ashland hills likely from underburn Fourth Kairos employee arrested in Grants Pass Politics and Elections BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Arthur I. 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Mangino: Baltimore boils over again Granlund cartoon: Cities and fire starters Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope Letters to the Editor, May 1 Michael Gerson: A pastor's faith in Baltimore Editorials Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope Our View: Medical marijuana market not at risk Our View: Don't wait on public records reform Our View: Yes to faster speeds, no to lane splitting Our View: Sensation and sensibility: a balancing act Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 1 Letters to the Editor, April 30 Letters to the Editor, April 29 Letters to the Editor, April 28 Letters to the Editor, April 27 Columns Michael Gerson: A pastor's faith in Baltimore George Will: What stands in Lindsey Graham's way Dana Milbank: Billionaire politics Kathleen Parker: Comedy, tragedy and fear of free speech Michael Gerson: Weighing the baggage Hillary brings Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework Guest Opinion: Removing barriers to walking, biking benefits everyone Lifestyle Latest stories Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Fishing Report: Friday, May 1 Hike of the Week: Black Butte Trail in the Siskiyou Wilderness Go with the (low) flow Get Out: Friday, May 1 Food Andrea Honaker: Mexican-inspired dips for Cinco de Mayo Page H. Onorato: Enjoying good food just for the fun of it Page H. Onorato: Food items appear in the funnies Community blog: Variations on potato patties please brunch palates Food for Thought: Grill up a storm as the weather gets warm Home and Garden Betty Montgomery: You can have a variety of ferns in your garden Clean out household chemicals Friday and Saturday Dear Monty: 10 tips to avoid tenant complaints Home Help: Upgrade your entryway with simple DIY projects Costa Living: Basking in flower power Health Health Watch: Pack your pantry with healthy items HealthStyle: It’s all in the family dinner 'Game changer' for heart patients Health Watch: Tips for protecting your eyes Dr. Jeff Hersh: Could severe cramping mean endometriosis? Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Milestones and Achievements ENGAGEMENT: Sellers-James Witham's birthday bash draws hundreds for 1950s prices Charlesworth-Murphy Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Live Music in Local Clubs Firefall tonight at the Craterian Theater in Medford Trio Brasileiro plays Old Siskiyou Barn Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' Theater Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Thanks for the Memories stages 'Company' one night only Camelot Theatre presents 'Arsenic and Old Lace' 'Secret Love' playwright Stan Lai appears in Ashland Music Live Music in Local Clubs Firefall tonight at the Craterian Theater in Medford Trio Brasileiro plays Old Siskiyou Barn Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour Maria Muldaur at the Unitarian Fellowship Community Events Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Rogue Valley Earth Day 2015 Foreign language film festival set at SOU Movies Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ has a lot going on Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ knows how to party Catching up with the Avengers Interview: Sofia Vergara talks ‘Hot Pursuit’ Quick Flicks: ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Insurgent’ and more Dining Taqueria Picaro offers casual Mexican cuisine Set a table from your local farmers market Let's do brunch! Restaurant inspections: April 26, 2015 Island Grindz serves up Hawaiian specialties Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death ... Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope ... Fishing Report: Friday, May 1 ... BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death ... Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope ... Fishing Report: Friday, May 1 ... Donna Knight: Alzheimer's brings challenges By Donna Knight HoumaToday.com MailTribune.com By Donna Knight HoumaToday.com Posted Apr. 29, 2015 @ 9:40 am By Donna Knight HoumaToday.com Posted Apr. 29, 2015 @ 9:40 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Momma said my name recently. Ordinarily that would not be something worth mentioning, but my Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010 and has been on a very gradual downhill slide since then. She hasn’t called me by name for some time and I thought she had finally forgotten who I was. But I was wrong, she still recognizes me, and that makes me really happy. Before my husband, Randy, and I started caring for Mom at home, neither one of us had really been around someone with Alzheimer’s. We did not know just how devastating that disease can be. Learning to care for Mom is a sort of on-the-job training for us. But we are getting through it and starting to understand the disease much better. The deterioration in Mom’s memory all started with her writing notes. We noticed that she would write notes about everything and put them all over her house. Her kitchen table, calendar and refrigerator became covered with notes about everything imaginable. That was when we first realized Mom was having memory issues. That started when she was in her late 60s and seemed to go on without changing for many years. It stayed the same until she had a mild stroke when she was in her late 70s. After the stroke, things started progressing much faster until finally in 2010, my sister Sandy and I took Mom to the doctor to see what could be done for her failing memory. Our family doctor sent Mom to a geriatric doctor who gave her a battery of specialized tests. The result of the tests was that she was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately one does not recover from Alzheimer’s. It is a progressive and ultimately fatal disease. Randy and I started caring for Mom, and she did very well until my father, who was in a nursing home, passed away in 2011. After that, the downhill slide became faster and more obvious. Now, it is a daily struggle against the Alzheimer’s as Mom loses more and more of herself to the disease. Mom has developed behaviors that she never had before that sometimes can be very hard to deal with. Mom used to pass time by looking at magazines and photo albums. But now we cannot give those to her because she tears them apart. She will tear pages one by one out of a magazine until they are all torn out. Also she will get the photos out of the albums and tear them up. The only thing that seems to work is removing the item from her hands as she does not seem to realize she is destroying the objects. Mom started making noises that are something between a grunt and a hum. She makes this noise continuously, though lately and thankfully not as loud. She also will tap her feet or pat her hands, and this can go on for hours. Lately she seems to get fixated with one behavior and that is all she will do for days on end. For the last few weeks, the behavior has been scratching the right side of her face. Before that it was scratching her left arm. She will do this scratching behavior until she actually makes a tear in her skin. It is very difficult to deal with, but we are learning the different ways to cope and prevent her from hurting herself. We have learned that redirection is the main key to handling the bad behaviors that she develops. Living with Alzheimer’s is not easy, but it can be done. There are new challenges every day as the disease progresses, but we are learning to take these in stride. It is a journey we have chosen to take with Mom, and while it is sometimes difficult, we do not regret that choice. Donna Knight writes for The Thibodaux (La.) Daily Comet and The Houma (La.) Courier. By Donna Knight HoumaToday.com MailTribune.com By Donna Knight HoumaToday.com Posted Apr. 29, 2015 @ 9:40 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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