Book contents
- Dispatches from the Land of Alzheimer’s
- Reviews
- Dispatches from the Land of Alzheimer’s
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Lost in Thought
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Prologue
- 1 Physician Heal Thyself
- 2 Evaluating New Advances in Alzheimer’s Research
- 3 Alzheimer’s Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease
- 4 The First Patient with Alzheimer’s Disease
- 5 Kidnapped in Kinshasa
- 6 Smell, Disgust, and Alzheimer’s
- 7 Apolipoprotein-4 (APOE-4)
- 8 Lost in the Fog of Alzheimer’s
- 9 My Father’s “Stuff”
- 10 Face Blindness during a Pandemic
- 11 Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease
- 12 Olfactory Impairment in Covid-19 and Alzheimer’s
- 13 Alzheimer’s Disease and Work
- 14 Crossword Controversies
- 15 Can Loneliness Increase Risk for Dementia?
- 16 Excessive Laxative Use and Dementia
- 17 Dog Dementia (Canine Cognitive Dysfunction)
- 18 The Possible Role of Brain Inflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease May Be More Significant in APOE-4 Carriers
- 19 Surprisingly Good News about the Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors (Donepezil, Rivastigmine, and Galantamine)
- 20 More about the Importance of Exercise
- 21 Rolling on the River
- 22 The MIND Diet Revisited
- 23 My Photographs, Then and Now
- 24 Does Cataract Surgery Really Decrease the Risk of Dementia?
- 25 Hearing Loss, Aphasia, and Dementia
- 26 To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
- 27 The Amyloid Hypothesis Is Not Dead, but It May Be Gasping for Breath
- 28 Could Lecanemab Offer a Ray of Hope?
- 29 A Fatal Case of Multiple Brain Hemorrhages Associated with Lecanemab
- 30 Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (CAA)
- 31 Hitting the Sweet Spot in the Spectrum of Alzheimer’s Disease for Future Trials of Anti-Amyloid Medications
- 32 Disappointing Results of Two Human Trials of Monoclonal Antibodies in Parkinson’s Disease
- 33 Repurposing Old Drugs for Alzheimer’s Treatment
- 34 Writing While Impaired
- 35 Spreading the Word
- 36 Saying Goodbye to Lizzie G
- 37 Amyloid and Tau PET Scans of My Brain
- 38 Running on a Field of Dreams
- 39 Living in the Moment with Alzheimer’s
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
39 - Living in the Moment with Alzheimer’s
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 January 2024
Book contents
- Dispatches from the Land of Alzheimer’s
- Reviews
- Dispatches from the Land of Alzheimer’s
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Lost in Thought
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Prologue
- 1 Physician Heal Thyself
- 2 Evaluating New Advances in Alzheimer’s Research
- 3 Alzheimer’s Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease
- 4 The First Patient with Alzheimer’s Disease
- 5 Kidnapped in Kinshasa
- 6 Smell, Disgust, and Alzheimer’s
- 7 Apolipoprotein-4 (APOE-4)
- 8 Lost in the Fog of Alzheimer’s
- 9 My Father’s “Stuff”
- 10 Face Blindness during a Pandemic
- 11 Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease
- 12 Olfactory Impairment in Covid-19 and Alzheimer’s
- 13 Alzheimer’s Disease and Work
- 14 Crossword Controversies
- 15 Can Loneliness Increase Risk for Dementia?
- 16 Excessive Laxative Use and Dementia
- 17 Dog Dementia (Canine Cognitive Dysfunction)
- 18 The Possible Role of Brain Inflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease May Be More Significant in APOE-4 Carriers
- 19 Surprisingly Good News about the Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors (Donepezil, Rivastigmine, and Galantamine)
- 20 More about the Importance of Exercise
- 21 Rolling on the River
- 22 The MIND Diet Revisited
- 23 My Photographs, Then and Now
- 24 Does Cataract Surgery Really Decrease the Risk of Dementia?
- 25 Hearing Loss, Aphasia, and Dementia
- 26 To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
- 27 The Amyloid Hypothesis Is Not Dead, but It May Be Gasping for Breath
- 28 Could Lecanemab Offer a Ray of Hope?
- 29 A Fatal Case of Multiple Brain Hemorrhages Associated with Lecanemab
- 30 Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (CAA)
- 31 Hitting the Sweet Spot in the Spectrum of Alzheimer’s Disease for Future Trials of Anti-Amyloid Medications
- 32 Disappointing Results of Two Human Trials of Monoclonal Antibodies in Parkinson’s Disease
- 33 Repurposing Old Drugs for Alzheimer’s Treatment
- 34 Writing While Impaired
- 35 Spreading the Word
- 36 Saying Goodbye to Lizzie G
- 37 Amyloid and Tau PET Scans of My Brain
- 38 Running on a Field of Dreams
- 39 Living in the Moment with Alzheimer’s
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
Summary
Eventually, in the late stages of Alzheimer’s, we are left with life in the present – no past and no future. I’m not there yet, but I can sense the shrinking timeline of memories from the past and plans for the future. For those of us on the Alzheimer’s journey, it is really important to embrace the moment and not dwell on the frustration of trying to remember the past and plan for the future. Others can help us retrieve old memories. Calendars, lists, and post-it notes will help us minimize the chaos of the future. But happiness and peace come from focusing on the moment, whether it is hugging a grandchild, writing in a journal, working in the garden, or listening to great music. As Horace put it over two thousand years ago, carpe diem quam minimum credula postero – seize the day and don’t worry about tomorrow.
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- Dispatches from the Land of Alzheimer's , pp. 158 - 160Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024