welcome to the organic green doctor blog

i am a family physician who was diagnosed with
early mild cognitive impairment(mci) amnestic type on december 21, 2010
this is a precursor to alzheimers disease
because of this diagnosis i have opted to stop practicing medicine
this blog will be about my journey with this disease
please feel free to follow me along this path
i will continue blogging on organic gardening, green living,
solar power, rainwater collection, and healthy living
i will blog on these plus other things noted to be interesting

Friday, October 16, 2020

alzheimers news-dont let this happen to your loved one

 ALZHEIMERS NEWS-DONT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOUR LOVED ONE


we went down to manhattan beach to do the walk to end alzheimers that goes along the strand between manhattan beach and hermosa beach
in the opening ceremony there was a speaker whose wife had gone missing several months before
they were together at the los angles museum of art when she just disappeared never to be seen again except once on a stores video walking down the street 
her name was nancy paulikus a 55 year old who had early onset alzheimers disease
here is a news report of her story

there is also a new documentary on her story playing at some of the film festivals
here is a link to a story about the documentary with a short trailer video

the family and police searched for her for months
then
two years later her remains were found on the side of a hill in los angeles about 15 miles away from where she was at the museum
they dont know where she had been or what happened to her

her story led to the los angeles sheriff department being aggressive on providing bracelets for risky alzheimers patients

once when i was on a panel for an alzheimers la alzheimers seminar i met a fellow panel member who had mild to moderate alzheimers disease
he had one of these bracelets on so that if he went missing the sheriff department could track him down

i always thoughf that these things ought to be used on everyone who is at risk for wandering
maybe even use a chip like they do on dogs and cats

my younger brother who had alzheimers disease would sometimes wander off
once he wandered off into the woods 
he loved to hunt so im sure he thought he was going squirrel or deer or hog hunting
he was found safe but when these patients wander off things can sometimes like with nancy paulikus they can not end well

here in our condo complex a gentlemen had alzheimers disease and would sometimes wander off
i found him once down by a bus stop a block away
i walked him back home
another time i found him wandering along the sidewalk along the street nearby
again i walked him back home

his wife eventually had to place him in a long term facility for his safety 

the same happened with my younger brother 
even there he would try to escape

im sure when my time comes and i start to wander off all they will have to do is to go look for me at the garden

ive also told my wife she when i start doing that just dont hesitate its time for me to go live somewhere else like a long term care facility

so if you have a loved one who has dementia and they reach that time when they could wander off 
then its time you protect them
find a bracelet system
find a long term care facility for them

dont let it all end tragically
 

be looking for your local alzheimers walks this fall
they are all being done virtually

below is the link to the santa barbara walk to end alzheimers to be done on november 7 2020
the opening ceremony will be virtual 
then everyone is asked to walk in their neighborhoods or their favorite walking spot using covid 19 safety guidelines

the promise garden with its different alzheimers flowers will be at the santa barbara missions beautiful front grounds
we plan to walk to the mission to see the promise flowers
we will pause there for a few moments to remember our loved ones whom we lost from this awful disease
in our case it is 
my mother 
my younger brother
probably my father
multiple other aunts and uncles and grandparents

consider getting involved with your local alzheimers walks

here below is the information on my team organicgreendoctor that will walk in this years santa barbara walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 7 2020
the opening ceremony will be virtual
so anyone can watch it online
then
each individual member will walk in their neighborhood or favorite hiking trail wearing their purple alzheimers shirts for the 2-3 mile walk 
this is the safest way to do the walk this year
please wear your mask and keep a good social distance from others
hopefully next year we can all be live


here is the link to our team
the organicgreendoctor team

donate and or join us that day
you can walk wherever you live

the organicgreen doctor

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