The Oscars. Still Alice. Alzheimer’s Disease

[sheshe2]

Julianne Moore has been scooping up awards all season for lead role in the movie Still Alice, where she plays a woman dealing with Alzheimer’s disease. She’s also predicted to win her first Oscar tonight at the 2015 Academy Awards for the role. Movies that Moore has been nominated for in the past include Boogie Nights, The End Of The Affair, Far From Heaven, and The Hours. In order to prepare for her role in Still Alice, Moore trained herself for four months by watching documentaries and interacting with patients at the Alzheimer’s Association. So, do you think Moore’s husband will be hearing his name in an acceptance speech tonight? The chances are very good for Moore, who has been at the top of the predictions for the win this year. Watch a clip of Moore above in the film that has earned her such amazing recognition.

You can also check out the official movie trailer for the film below.

http://heavy.com/entertainment/2015/02/julianne-moore-oscars-2015-winner-husband-bart-freundlich-still-alice-academy-awards/

Taking Care of the Caregiver

Believe it or not, we are a nation of caregivers in the United States. According to The National Alliance for Caregiving in partnership with the AARP, 65.7 million of us provide free care to our loved ones. This includes 14.9 million who care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

snip



Who is the Average Caregiver?

Caregivers are men and women of every color and race. Many are employed, married, and have children still living in the house even as they provide care for a family member. In many cases, an adult child will provide care for an aging parent. This is especially true of a widowed parent who suffers from dementia and cannot safely live on their own. The National Alliance for Caregivers in partnership with the AARP reports that the average caregiver spends 20 hours per week providing care to a loved one.

snip

Symptoms of Caregiver Burnout

Caregiver burnout is very common among men and women who suddenly find themselves in charge of taking care of Mom or Dad. Over time, they may lose touch with friends or hobbies as they spend more and more time caring for their family member. They may also develop guilt over spending time on themselves or become nervous about leaving a loved one home. Caregiver burnout is especially prominent as a family member’s condition worsens and their needs grow.

Here are some of the most common signs of caregiver burnout:

Feelings of exhaustion, anxiety, or depression
Withdrawal from hobbies, friends, and family
Lower immune system and higher rates of sickness
Difficulty sleeping
Less interest and enjoyment of favorite activities
Resentment toward the person you are caring for
Constant irritability
Feelings of loss of control

Read More http://dementiaandalzheimerscare.com/2015/02/17/taking-care-of-the-caregiver/

A heartbreaking disease to watch, one that leads to darkness. They are not going to miss you. I know, I just lost my dad to it. In the end he never knew me.

[bigwillq]

1. Great movie.

Julianne Moore was fantastic.

[sheshe2]

3. I haven't seen it, bigwillq

Will watch when it comes out on netflix. The struggle means a lot to me.

Thanks.

[Ruby the Liberal]

5. I added it to my queue tonight

They don't have a release date yet. Part of me is afraid to watch it. I still cry watching The Notebook and I've see that at least a dozen times. Insidious disease.

[Cha]

2. Alzheimer's is such a cruel disease.. so sorry about your Dad, she. Hopefully

someday there will be a way to reverse it and even have preventive measures.

Good on Julianne Moore for highlighting this.. in doing such an outstanding job in her portrayal of Alice Howland, the Linguistics Professor, who gets diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.

Mahalo for your OP, she

[sheshe2]

6. Hey Cha.

Looks like Julianne Moore did a spectacular job.

Thank you.

Glen Campbell is up for an Oscar for this song. He is in his final stages as well. If you haven't heard it please listen. Omaha Steve posted it for me a month before my dad died.

[Cha]

7. Thank you for that. I will listen..

[sheshe2]

8. Bring some tissue Cha.

I never watch TV. Yet~

Just saw it on the Oscars.

[SoapBox]

11. Yes...have some tissues.

I just lost my almost 94 year old beloved Mom. Her mind was sharp as could be but the song (as did Jennifer Hudson) brought on the tears.

[brer cat]

4. It is a heartbreaking disease, sheshe.

I am sorry you went through this with your dad.

Thanks for the thread.

[sheshe2]

10. Sorry I keep posting about it.

Obviously I am not over it Brer Cat.

I thank you.

[BrotherIvan]

9. Being a caregiver is one of the hardest things a person can experience

You are losing your loved one, seeing them suffer, watching them slip away. You are faced with the fear of their death every minute of every day. And sometimes, there is no where to turn. There is no help, no money, no services. I often said that my mother's cancer would kill me too and it almost did. I have heard that Alzheimer's is even more heartbreaking and physically demanding. I can't imagine how hard it is.

I hope you are taking time to take care of yourself and heal. You've been through so much plus the loss of your father. Rest up, eat a lot of good food, and take it a day at a time. Best to you.

[SoapBox]

12. Caregiving is one of the toughest jobs anyone will ever have to take on.

And it's virtually never discussed...terrible.

Mom passed on January 23rd and I'm stuggling to fill a void of 5 full years, virtually 7 days a week.

There are estate things to take care of but the large HOLE in our house has really been bothering me the last couple of days...she is on my mind all the time.

[BrotherIvan]

19. I'm so sorry

Truly. I know exactly what you are talking about. It really is the hardest thing to go through. And it is a crime that caretakers are not supported in this country whatsoever. Between worrying about money or getting the right care or just not being able to do it alone, it can take everything out of you. The physical and emotional toll are so much.

It just takes time and rest, a lot of it, to keep going. The only advice I can give is not to be worried if it hurts more than you thought it would. It does, it always will. But you do learn to live with it. I wish you the best as well. I hope you have some people to lean on, but if you ever need someone to talk to, never hesitate to let you DU family know. There seems to be a lot of very kind people here. And I am always willing to listen!

[Iliyah]

13. Living with someone who has Alzheimer's disease

is heartbreaking. I helped my grandmother take care of grandpa. Seeing a vibrant man slowly deteriorate mentally and then physically where he needed diapers. He reverted back to his childhood days working on the farm (going through the motions of tending the fields and mending the fences).

Hugs and kisses.

[NuclearDem]

14. And she won.

[sheshe2]

15. She did....

Alzheimer victims as well.

We are now on the front page. We need to find a way to help them, a cure maybe, we can only hope.

[SoapBox]

16. Bravo to her...

This is the most that I've ever watched. I don't really do movies and was clueless about all these films...at least I could now discuss the basic topics of the films.

[flamingdem]

17. Wonderful!

Way to go Julianne

[LibDemAlways]

18. The cost of having someone in even a few hours a week

to provide some respite is often prohibitive, so many caregivers struggle alone.

Of course the cost of a long term care facility is beyond the reach of many families, and the situation will only worsen as the boomer generation ages. My aunt had Alzheimers and when he could no longer care for her at home, my uncle reluctantly found a nursing facility that cost $7000 a month. Fortunately, he had it. Many, however, don 't.

This is a problem that won't go away and doesn't deserve to be ignored.

[liberalhistorian]

20. What I especially liked about it was that

it focused on early-onset dementia, because most films, books, research, social focus, etc., is on dementia in the elderly. Little attention is paid to early-onset dementia, but it is being diagnosed more and more in higher and higher numbers.

It has hit my own family especially hard. My uncle succumbed to it last year after developing it only in his mid-fifties (early onset), with a very rapid progression. My stepfather just recently died of Lewy Body Dementia, which also started in his mid-fifties, and my stepmother is now institutionalized with Alzheimer's, which, you guessed it, started in only her late fifties. People need to be aware that dementia is not just an "old person's" disease, it can and does strike at younger ages and is appearing to do so more and more. Those with learning disabilities, mental retardation, ADD/ADHD, or on the autism spectrum have an even greater chance of developing dementia and often at much younger ages. Which scares the hell out of me considering my own learning disability.

[Cha]

21. And, Julianne Moore Won! Shining a Light on this horrible disease.