Guest post: Love Can Change Your Life

Love does make a huge difference in ANY situation...
especially when you are facing challenges like Alzheimer's in the Family...


Love Can Change Your Life! by Morgine Jurdan

My entire body tingled as I awoke, snuggled in crisp clean sheets, warmed by the sunlight kissing my skin. It was as if several hundred pounds of emotional excess has been released from my life these days! No more endless processes, books and courses attempting to change myself any more! I am free at last, bathing in the simplicity of Love!

Thinking I knew what love was, and having an intimate relationship with It, was life transforming for me. I liken it to being in love with my partner for over 10 years from afar, and finally having that first kiss! I could barely sleep for three days! Many mystics and scientists alike agree there is “an energy” everything emerges from and which creates all we experience here and beyond. I too, began to see this energy and call it Love.

It seems this Love is Infinite and without conditions, powerful and healing. Yet being everything, I also found it inside anger and war, inside cancer cells and toxic chemicals. There seemed to be no place Love does not call home and my entire perspective of life was altered! I released definitions which had so confined my life and now live outside that box.

I learned how to connect with my inner wisdom, at first usually when disaster struck. Then when I consulted it daily, fewer disasters would occur. Life became easier and easier. I only needed to ask, “What choice would Love make here?”

For me this Love lives through me, breathes me into existence, loves me endlessly just for the sheer joy loving brings. This Spirit fully embraces all It’s creations. Daily I am bathed in love from inside and also, outside in the form of Nature, animals, buildings, people, and so much more!!

I ask for guidance all day long and allow this Spirit of Love to bring clarity to my life in the midst of chaos, returning me to a peace beyond words. I truly believe It desires what is best for me, allowing me the free will to listen or not. It guides me to fully living the brilliance I truly am! It sings endless songs of praise and encouragement, if only I remain open.

I am Love and I have always known everything I needed to know connecting with this inner wisdom. When I step into fear, struggle, pain or judgment, I am aware I am pretending I am alone and separate. Love is the Key. I am learning to trust it more and more every day and know it changes my life when I follow Love’s lead.

© Morgine Jurdan
4-21-2009

10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's

10 Million...that's one out of eight boomers...will develop Alzheimer's.

This fact comes from the 2009 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures Report.

There are now 5.3 million Americans living with this debilitating disease.
When there is Alzheimer's in the family, there are both social and economic impacts for both the patients and their loved ones.

Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in America. It even exceeds diabetes in the number of annual deaths.

And what is even more sobering is that younger-onset Alzheimer's, occurring in people as young as in their 30's, affects nearly 500,000 Americans!

These younger individuals are usually employed and may have children still living at home. This brings up even more serious consequences including financial crisis, receiving benefits, and helping their children cope with the disease. Alzheimer's support is critical for this transition time.

Our support of research and awareness of Alzheimer's and its effects on the family is critical for the well being of all of us.

If you'd like to check out the 2009 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures Report, you can access it here:

===>>> http://alz.org/national/documents/report_alzfactsfigures2009.pdf

How Do Alzheimer's and Dementia Progress Over Time?

There are seven distinct stages of Alzheimer's that are good to know so that you can be aware of problems developing with a loved one.

With early detection, there is an opportunity for medical treatment that can slow down the symptoms for the patient.

I came across a great article that describes these stages very clearly and succinctly. You might want to check it out here:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/alzheimers/alzheimers-progression.aspx

Taking Care of a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease

With all the responsibility involved in taking caring of a loved one with Alzheimer's disease, it's hard to take time to tend to your own well-being.

What causes burnout when your parent has Alzheimer's?
There is a huge shift in roles between you and your parent....
It's difficult to give up on the idea that your parent could actually get better.
There is a tremendous loss of control...
And there can be unreasonable demands on you from your family and from
your parent with Alzheimer's.

For more information about these dangers and more about the disease, you need to check out this great article put together by the HealthTalk Staff and was medically reviewed by Ed Zimney, MD.


http://www.everydayhealth.com/alzheimers/alzheimers-caregiver-burnout.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthHealthyAging_20090411