#Losing a family member to dementia isn’t easy

[fandomfreakstudios]

Swap!BJ needs more love and stat

Love as in crippling trauma

Beatrice getting dementia… god I think that would fuck him up so bad. He and his mother’s relationship… was interesting. It certainly wasn’t as cut-and-dry fucked up as classing Boj, I honestly think that level of grey area makes it so much more interesting to explore.

I feel like even if Bea doesn’t have a Henrietta to project Bojack onto, she still wouldn’t recognize him. Dementia is a bitch like that, it’ll find a way.

Bojack had spent his whole life as this kind, sweet, eager people-pleaser who’s fundamental philosophy that everyone (even his hard to please mother) is truly a good person deep down. This is how he knows to cope with his mother’s sternness and high expectations, by making himself believe that even the roughest people have good in their hearts.

He has built his entire life, his philosophy, his ways of interacting with others, and his career in a way that he thinks would make his mother happy and approve of him. Only for every one of those efforts to be in vein, as she just forgets him anyways.

I feel like Bojack would of course move his mom in with him and Diane. He would try DESPERATELY to make her recognize him even a bit but she just… doesn’t. And furthermore she treats Bojack with the sort of apathy of someone you have no recollection of or feelings about. Gone are the days of Bea’s sternness guidance and expectations that ultimately come from wanting to see her son succeed, all to be replaced with a hollow nothingness.

Bojack would be fucked up over it. Deep cracks would begin to form in his whole personality. He’s lost without having his mother’s expectation to live up to. He thrived only under the iron fist she provided. And now he doesn’t know what to do and where to go.

His wife said he should put her back in the home, that his mental and physical health is suffering too much because of the situation. But he ignores her. He can’t believe she would even suggest abandoning his mother. Now he’s fighting with his wife. He’s lost, and alone, and he just wants his mom back so everything makes sense again.

There’s no quick fix to this. The pain of losing a family member runs deep. But if there’s one thing that Beatrice left him with, it’s the knowledge that through hard work, perseverance, and taking charge of your own destiny, you can handle anything

[wytfut]

Small view..

This has been hanging around in my itty bitty head for years, and haven’t still to this day have a controlled handle on it... because I still do it. And really don’t understand it.

First saw this in my Pop back in the late 90′s. It actually pissed me off a bit when he do it. As he aged, his temper would show, rarely, but it did. In public he was notorious making “cute” comments to specific unknown service people all to the embarrassment to family members (mostly my Mom).  Now I understand, as I’ve experienced it myself many times.

Pop, with age would sometimes (possibly mood at the moment) could get very pissy, with folks (even family) about the stupidest stuff. Stuff that made no sense to react with any emotion. As I keep catching myself in this same boat, I know in his head it made sense to do it....   I do it.

Why do I recognize this in my Pop, but I really don’t recognize it in other people in my life.... people I see frequently, or have in my past?

Don’t take these comments badly of my Pop.... he was a great guy, an original. I’m just using him as an example, I expect we all endure at one time or another.

Here I am doing the same thing. 

Many examples;

Calling a “tech help” center, in need of help, or advice.... and the answering party’s English is less than acceptable. Or i just can’t hear them.

Why does the “F++++++G” floor have to be so far away????

I’ll  hear a conversation, and have this uncontrolled urge to speak on the subject, that adds absolutely nothing to the conversation. And most of the time go ahead and speak up.

Staring at a new to me new card reader at the stores counter.

Rude people/ignorant people, well, they act like they are.. . Not just driving.... everyday in all of society dailies.

What I value (objects), and what others value (junk). 

Trying your hardest to have everyone you meet,  like/love you.... with wasted efforts.

My Wife is going out of her way to pick a fight with me... Why? What did I do? Am I doing this to her?

Not getting respect, for which some not understood reason, I feel entitled too....

Popping off really mad with someone, you really like/love. Waste of effort.

Shying away from past people/events, with no reason. Again, wasted effort.

Disappointed in myself with things I do and know I should not, but still continue. Habit? OCD? Just being an asshole? 

Just because I do it this way, DOESN’T REALLY mean that its the correct way to do it.

Am I as polite as I truly believe I am, or am I just polite when its easy for me? Or is my head just interpreting it as being polite?

I've come up with some possible reasons (these make sense?):

I’m one of the OLD guys now. A blue hair. Crinkled up face and hands. WTH is that guy in the mirror?? Things just don’t flow thru my brain near as smoothly as they used to. Young people don’t notice me as much, ummm,  I’m now in the background or wall paper. I still have extraordinary core strength for my age, but my youth super strength is gone (the mad linesman strength). But my habitual mind says I’m still young.

I’m hard of hearing. My sight isn’t perfect. I hurt... regularly. 

Life moves too fast to comprehend everything. 

I feel I am due respect, as I do know about at least a couple of things. I’ve stumbled around the block quite a few times.

Fear of losing reality.... be it dementia, or any other reason. Being easily confused.

Can’t remember a 2 minutes ago memory, but can remember things 50 years ago like yesterday, most likely not accurately.

Life long, generally an up person, finding I can be moody at times more often. Never had an anxiety attack until I was over 50. This is the same guy that could be seen standing knee deep in blood and guts, and just walk away after it was over and deal with it.

And daily stress we all encounter apparently affects us old dudes differently.

Not understanding what is being presented to me. Hell not even knowing what question to ask so I can understand. I want to understand, but have no clue what? English isn’t a perfect language, and most people do not have the skills to use it to its most effective way. Being fluent and efficient in your speech, isn’t always the best way to get a point across.

And obviously not recognizing the real world that other people have lives too. That just maybe, these folks are being bombarded by the very same things as me (really??). The sun doesn’t rise and set on my personal ass. Its not me me me...  

  I’ll try harder to avoid my reactions to these scenarios. I really will try to recognize the “que’s” when I’m derailing. Going to try and understand, that people do respect me, even without showing/saying it. People do know what I’m about, and hopefully still appreciate me for being who I am. I’ve spent my whole life trying to be Bruce... and not a sheep. That took a lot of work/time. I’ll make efforts to be patient with everyone, and appreciate their point of view/action.

Small mind syndrome seems to be epidemic these days. But it just could be me..

To the day I die... I’m never going to understand this phenomenon of living daily with all these “other” people. Every time I think I have “IT” all figured out....   SURPRISE!!! you don’t know shit, FOOLED YA.    LOL!!!

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

So, I always wanted to know a bit more about Wands in the harry potter universe. Given that they are so central to life, it would be nice to have a bit more info.

The wood - we know there's like 4/5 different types of wood they choose, and they're all things they can get in region. Does that imply then that aussie wizards could have wattle, eucalyptus, or other local trees?

What about trees native to the region, JK? TELL ME

How do they choose the tree. Do they have to come from a specific place, or do wandmakers need to wander through magically inclined forests until a branch falls off into their hands, or what?

Is there like commercial plantations of these trees, to feed the constant need for all the children constantly coming into their power?

What does that look like? What are the hazards? Can the place get infested by bad magic or what? Pesticides or no?

So they find the tree, next step? Is it just like 'yes, dibs that branch' and that's it, or do they take the whole tree? What are their conservation policies?

Or do they need to do a spell, or use a ritual or something before/during/after harvesting?

Crafting... how do they know what length and shape to make for each piece of wood? Like, is it like when artists make statues and they can already see what is inside the marble/wood, etc.? Or do they just make as many randomly shaped wands as they can for each one... is there a magial equivalent of a lathe? Or is this all by hand?

How do they choose designs, assuming the wand isn't calling out to them? Like, some are delicately patterned, and the elder wand was straight up a**l beads???

Are there variations based on the shop, the wandmaker and the region?

The core - apart from the main question of how they get the core in there (drill a hole and slip it in? make it into a potion and soak the wand? lay it on the crafted wand and it disappears in a show of magic?), and if this is done before or after the wand is shaped... You have to think it's a little fucked up the way they go about it, right?

Standards are like, Unicorn hair, Phoenix Feathers (Rare) and Dragon Heartstring, right?

Well how the fuck do they get these things without unethical commerical farming? Unicorn hair is easy enough, you have a herd of them on a ranch protected from bad guys or whatever (and centaurs are lobbying against it bc what the fuck magical people) and most of the strands can be picked up from where they catch / fall out by fences, in the paddock, in the barn at night, etc

But what if they just pluck them. I mean, there are places that live-pluck birds for the feathers, which is fucked up, and we know magical people see any magical creature or half-human as lesser...

Assuming things are totally ethical, best case is that the unicorns lose a bit of mane or tail hair every so often and it is sourced from the field. Worst case, they are trapped in stalls all day every day and shaved beyond acceptable (look up horse tails, it's not all hair) to the detriment of the animals...

Ideally, but more impracticably, the wandmakers could wander through the forest and meet at a certain place with wild herds. They bring the carrots, the unicorns hand over a few strands once a year...

\I know unicorn cores are meant to be harder to turn to the dark arts but like... what if the unicorns are upset, stressed and angry? You'd think that would turn on them, right?

Phoenix Feathers... well they're rare. I think they probs have to get it willingly, or it doesn't work. Wasn't that in the books somewhere? But it wouldn't have to be. I mean, they're an immortal resource... even if you mistreat a phoenix, it cant escape in death.

You just have to wait a bit for it to regrow, and there's probs spells to help speed that up. I mean, look how the world treats chickens (caged), would it be that hard for magical society (with fewer animal oversight committiees and laws) to pull some nonsense...

The dragon cores are the ones that always used to stress me out, as a concept, as a child. Like, there's a LOT of dragon heartstring wands, its common... that implies a lot of dead dragons.

How many hearstrings does the average dragon have, in this universe? Assuming at least four... that's only four wands, maybe eight if they cut them in half and it still works.

So, are they commercially farmed? Is Charlie Weasley complicit in dragon farming with the goal of harvesting the animals for parts? What happened to the dragons from the Triwizard Tournament? Is there a first year with a Special Dragon Heartstring wand?

Also, would they need to prep them specially?

What variations are there, as well? Like these are the main 3, but other countries and places have to have others, or have tried other magical things?

Do you think there are houself ears, or Centaur tendons, or mermaid fins, or kraken tentacles, or niffler claws, or goblin teeth, or redcap blood, in their wands? And it only phased out of common production recently as new protections came in for magical races?

Is there a blackmarket trade for illegal cores and if you have enough it can be 'verified' as a legal core...? There are implications here.

So you have the core, you have the wood, you have the wandmaker who slapped it together and imbued it with magic... you have a wand. Does it do a little sparkle or something when it works?

Are there wands that get to the end of the process and just... fail to work? How do they dispose of them?

Do they put resin or a protective potion/agent on it? They have to last for years, right?

Longevity - So you have a wand your entire life, unless it breaks or it is taken for being a Bad Naughty Little WizardTM... for one, how does the wand choose the person? Even if we slap a 'magic' bandaid on it, there are still more questions about it.

Do you lose your wand if you become impaired? Like, would a magical doctor remove your wand if you got dementia and 'lost capacity'? But then, how would it control your innate magic? The stuff you can do wandless? Off topic.

So you pass away, is your wand typically buried with you? Is it given to a family member? If so, then how does that work because the info the author gave was it was one wand = one person, pick each other etc. Assuming it does bond to that other family member, who is probably young enough to not have their own wand yet... does that mean their perfect wand will never be bought?

If not, what normally occurs? Does the wand get taken by the council Dept of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Magical Incineration to be checked over and reset to 0? Does it get returned to the Wandsmith shoppe who made it, so they can check it is fine to be reused? Does your wand choose another person, who will never know how well it once fit into your hand? The atrocities you committed with it?

How does this system work? Is there magic recycling, or is it all waste...?

Are cores from animals who did not consent at greater risk of turning the bearer evil?

What if your wand breaks... like Ron's did? Like... he had an older relative's wand, so he got a proper wand that matched him. But what if your Perfect Match of a wand is damaged? Why is there no option to have the wand repaired properly...

If humans today would rather die than get a replacement roomba, you have to assume people would be pretty damn attached to their wands... maybe more than usual. Is it about profit? Or can they just not fix it? What are the limitations on fixing a wand, or is it just not considered at all?

Is there... wand insurance?

Like, it feels like there was a lot to talk about...

[princeasimdiya12]

I adore your talentswap backstories! I'd like you to write some headcanons for my Talentshift SDR2 au. It consists of Mechanic!Hajime, ReserveCourse!Mahiru, Photographer!Ibuki, Musician!Fuyuhiko, Yakuza!Gundham, Breeder!Chiaki, Gamer!Mikan, Nurse!Nagito, Lucky!Imposter, Imposter!Peko (impersonating non-despair Junko), Swordswoman!Sonia, Prince!Nekomaru, Coach!Teruteru, Chef!Hiyoko, TraditionalDancer!Akane, and Gymnast!Kazuichi. If not, I completely understand.

Hey anon! I’m glad you enjoyed them! ^_^ And I’d be happy to make some headcanons for your AU. But just to let you know anon, I would appreciate it if you asked me first before sending me your listed requests. I honestly don’t mind writing headcanons for talentswaps (I honestly enjoy doing that) but I would appreciate you asking me and then sending them to me. That way it doesn’t take me by surprise. 

So without further ado, here are my headcanons for your SDR2 Talentswap AU.

Peko Pekoyama as the SHSL Imposter

While Peko was adopted by the Kuzuryu Clan, she didn’t have a choice in her lifelong profession like Fuyuhiko did.

She was made to work as an infiltration agent.

As a professional imposter, Peko learned how to analyze and copy the body movements and behaviors of any potential person. 

She also was taught how to apply makeup to make her disguises as accurate as possible.

Her assignments involved abducting low level workers of rival clans and taking their place while disguised as them.

She’d then relay the rival clan’s weaknesses and business transactions towards the Kuzuryu’s so they can exploit them.

Peko was discouraged from having any personal interests or hobbies so that her infiltration and identity theft skills wouldn’t be tarnished.

This made Peko feel more like a tool and how she only existed to promote the success of the Kuzuryu Clan. 

When Fuyuhiko was scouted to go to Hope’s Peak, her superiors used their connections to grant Peko a spot with him to keep an eye on him.

She would take on Junko Enoshima’s image given that the supermodel was busy with her own personal affairs.

Although no one can recognize her while disguised, the viewer/player can recognize Peko with her thick glasses and piercing red eyes.

Hiyoko Saionji as the SHSL Chef

Hiyoko came from a family of culinary masters who amazed Japan with their creative and flavorful dishes.

There was unfortunately alot of drama within the family as they each wanted to train Hiyoko so they can pass their personal culinary training onto her.

Her grandmother managed to win and was one of the most ruthless teachers ever. 

Under her training, Hiyoko received burns, cuts and having her food thrown in her face just for making the smallest of slip ups.

Her brutal training mixed with having negative relations with her family made her bitter and aggressive towards everyone around her.

She also has a hard time trusting others to work with her in the kitchen due to multiple incidents where dishes were poisoned and nearly tarnished Hiyoko’s reputation.

Because of this, she prefers to work alone in the kitchen. When she’s assigned to work with partners or underlings, she can be best described as Gordon Ramsay if he were a sassy lost child.

She often holds a knife or a frying pan whenever she’s threatening someone she doesn’t like.

Her culinary specialties involve desserts such as wasabon and kompeito.

Ibuki Mioda as the SHSL Photographer

Throughout her childhood, Ibuki was neglected by her caregivers so she took up photography as a means of distracting herself from the loneliness of her household.

She managed to earn her success by taking high quality photos of lovers in romantic situations.

At her middle school, she made it a game for herself to see how many pictures she could get of different couples at her school without getting caught.

While developing her photos, the couples tried to chastise Ibuki for her actions but they immediately changed their minds when they saw how cool the photos looked.

Ibuki gained a reputation among her peers for her photos and now everyone wanted one too.

This resulted in Ibuki getting alot of “friends” who only wanted to hang out with her just so she could photograph them doing what they wanted while conveniently leaving out the photographer herself.

The fact that these people only cared about her talent so she can capture their memories for them gave Ibuki a sense of familiar loneliness.

Despite this, she wants to enjoy her talent as much as she can with an upbeat attitude.

Ibuki’s favorite subject to photograph are people.

She loves to people watch since the people walking around come in different shapes and sizes and are always doing something unique that you wouldn’t expect.

Sonia Nevermind as the SHSL Swordswoman

Sonia came from a family of professional swordfighters who taught her the power of the blade at an early age.

She grew up on European fairy tales and legends of powerful heroes who used their swords to fight for justice or prove their superiority against enemies who opposed them.

Her family taught her classical fencing, mordhau, the half-sword, destreza and several other fighting styles which she claims are a secret.

She earned her title after winning multiple swordfighting tournaments, many of which were held underground. 

Despite her victories, she’s actually been hospitalized due to the extreme injuries she received from sword wounds and physical attacks from her opponents.

Since these wounds have yet to diminish her fighting power, Sonia feels that it’s best to pay them no mind so she can continue her family’s legacy.

She’s never seen without her longsword which she made herself. She calls it Stjerneild because there were shooting stars on the night of making it and also since she burned herself during the process.

Sonia isn’t afraid to boast about her fighting skills and eagerly offers her girl friends the chance to learn how to use a sword.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu as the SHSL Light Music Club Member

Rather than becoming the next heir of his family business, Fuyuhiko wanted to pursue his dream of being an idol.

He takes his career extremely seriously and wouldn’t do stupid stunts or scandals that could jeopardize his work.

To make up for his young appearance, Fuyuhiko uses outfits that have a punk aesthetic while also incorporating black and gold color schemes to make him look older.

Alot of his songs feature themes of embracing your personal talents or how it’s better to carve your own path rather than rely on others.

He knows how to play the electric guitar and the keyboard. 

Having refused his parents’ intended career plans, he feels that he can’t screw up his career or else everything he ever worked for will be for nothing and he’d have to crawl back to them for support.

His sister Natsumi often joins him during his tours and unofficially becomes his manager and bodyguard during her visits. 

He has a hard time dealing with fanclub meetings because the fangirls would make jokes about his baby face which would drive him insane.

Akane Owari as the SHSL Traditional Dancer

Just like in canon, Akane had to take care of her younger siblings while struggling to survive her poor hometown.

While she did take different jobs to support her family, she would lose those jobs constantly because she kept getting into fights against strangers who tried to grope and harass her.

One day, while she was training by herself in an empty plaza, a woman passed by and paid close attention to her fighting form and rhythm.

She revealed herself to Akane as a traditional dance instructor and offered to train Akane to perfect her skills.

The girl wasn’t interested in doing something fancy like dancing but she changed her mind when she realized that her dancing could be used to raise money for her family. To which, she accepted.

While the instructor taught Akane the fundamentals of mai and odori techniques, the girl performed better when she used her own skills.

While frustrated, the instructor decided to rework her teaching style so Akane’s performances would be passable while also integrating her own skills.

She ended up winning multiple competitions and performances and used the prize money to move her family into a bigger and better house.

Although her reputation as an “easy waitress” would often rear its ugly head and would make Akane become agitated.

Her dancing moves incorporate alot of her old fighting techniques.

She wears a cherry red kimono with a yellow dragon etched on the side as a design.

At the end of each performance, she can be found at the snacks table eating just about everything.

Nagito Komaeda as the SHSL Nurse

Nagito lost his family when he was just a child.

Having pity on the boy, along with finding traces of frontotemporal dementia, the head doctor of the hospital he resided in decided to adopt the boy as his own.

Nagito became the doctor’s apprentice and learned of the different techniques that came with working in the medical field. 

The doctor taught him which drugs/medicines were used for what along with how to use the surgical tools properly.

He personally saw different medical cases each more mesmerizing than the last. 

He became fixated on the concept of death and how it was an integral part of life.

When he became old enough, he started to work as a nurse and partake in the same surgeries he saw as a child.

While he certainly participated in a number of cases that saved the lives of his patients, he also had a number of cases that resulted in death.

He personally requested to handle the patients that were unable to be saved so he can spend their final moments with them and capture the memory of their deaths.

There’s been word from the medical staff that he tries to comfort the dying patient and their family with speeches on how they shouldn’t be afraid of death and how the patient will move on to greater things in the next life and how the families will become stronger afterwards.

This has earned him the nickname “Angel of Death”. 

He wears mint green scrubs and carries a portable bag withhis own medical equipment.

Teruteru Hanamura as the SHSL Coach

Despite his physique, Teruteru has amazing stamina and is capable of lifting heavy objects that ordinary people would have trouble lifting on their own.

Teruteru can analyze a person’s physical stature and determine which exercise or physical activity best suits them.

He always offers massage therapy proclaiming that it’s the best way to strengthen the body and relax the mind.

There are multiple cases where the players he’s worked with have accused him of sexual harassment or groping their bodies. 

He has a complicated relationship with his family.

The younger siblings antagonize him for pursuing a career that isn’t related to their family’s restaurant business while putting more hardships on their mother.

His mom on the other hand, is more accepting of his career and asks that he focus more on what he enjoys doing in life.

Teruteru’s massages originally stemmed from how he would give massages to his mama to help alleviate her of her body aches.

He wears a dark red track suit and gold chain. Mixed with his combed over hair, it makes him look like a sleazy gangster.

Chiaki Nanami as the SHSL Animal Breeder

As the daughter of a rich family that hardly had time for her, Chiaki’s parents bought her a variety of animals to keep her company.

She found comfort with them but was heartbroken when she noticed that they became saddened and died.

She became motivated to learn from them so they could stay alive for long as possible.

Chiaki began studying different types of animals and what behaviors are ideal and which are concerning.

After school, she would venture to local animal shelters and veterinarians and offer to volunteer so she can work with different animals and examine first hand their behaviors.

She earned recognition by forming connections with the animals in her care and teaching them commands.

While she prefers the company of animals to humans, she will make an effort to help her human clients have a better relationship with their pets.

She can often be found napping alongside any of her animal friends.

Sagishi as the SHSL Lucky Student

Saigishi grew up in an orphanage having been abandoned by their family before they can remember.

They noticed that they had an unusual luck themed streak when it came to playing with the other kids.

If they were playing soccer, they would accidentally kick the ball into the window which surprisingly knocked out a janitor that was about to assault one of the orphanage workers.

If they tried to pass a love letter to another child they had a crush on, a burst of wind would fly the letter straight into the child’s face and they’d end up having a terrible accident.

If they were preparing food for an upcoming dinner, they would end up pouring too much vinegar into the meal which would spoil the dinner resulting in the staff having to order pizza for the kids.

Saigishi developed a reputation as a kid with creepy powers which both amazed and terrified their fellow orphans.

The kid realized that their luck would only benefit the people around them but would make bad things happen if they tried to use it for themselves.

At the urging of their friends, they ended up participating in the Hope’s Peak Lottery and wound up with the chance to join them as the next SHSL Lucky Student.

Sagishi was worried since something bad would eventually happen if it was the work of their luck, but they decided to take the offer knowing that they needed to make a future for themselves.

They wear a white collared shirt with old jeans. 

They still have a mullet which has a small ahoge on the top of their head.

Mikan Tsumiki as the SHSL Gamer

She still had a horrible childhood growing up where her family and classmates would bully and abuse her for a variety of reasons.

Not wanting to put up with their abuse anymore, Mikan decided to drop out of middle school and become a hikikomori.

Using her worn out computer, Mikan found comfort in playing online video games. 

She personally enjoys fighting games as she imagines her enemies as her abusers and would deliver swift justice on them by beating them up.

Mikan has a preference for playing as male characters since the female characters wearing skimpy/stripper-esque outfits bring back painful memories for her.

After sufficient online practice, Mikan gained enough confidence to try tournaments in the real world. 

But she kept this secret from her family in fear that they would use this to torment her.

When it comes to tournaments, she unleashes her pent up anger and frustrations for her past tormentors by cursing at her opponents as she beats them.

While her fandom is impressed with her gaming skills, they do question why they would call her opponents by a different name and accuses them of doing something awful to her.

When she wants to calm down after a heavy day, she likes to play relaxing games with cute animals.

Nekomaru Nidai as the SHSL Prince

During his childhood years, Nekomaru stayed in his room because of his heart condition.

He received private tutoring based on the history of his kingdom along with different world cultures.

His father and mother spared no expense in providing the best doctors and medical professionals who could ensure that their son would be physically fit.

When he started making appearances outside of the palace, there were rumors that the frail prince was placed in a secret government program that was designed to create super soldiers.

He’s often recognized for working first as a soldier under his father’s militia before becoming of it’s main generals.

Nekomaru is well versed when it comes to proper etiquette and engaging in the company of royals or high class aristocrats. 

He has a personal club made of suitors who have fallen for his image as a charming (and handsome) prince.

He also devotes alot of time to interacting with the middle class of his kingdom as he believes having a bond with his people is important for a royal to have.

The main uniform he wears is a blue military outfit with a silver sash and a black beret with a family jewel in the front.

Gundam Tanaka as the SHSL Yakuza

He inherited the throne of the Tanaka Empire at an early age due to the death of his father.

He wasn’t able to remember his father but the stories passed by his underlings and advisors describe him as a devil who was incredibly powerful but dangerous when provoked.

His mother on the other hand, remembers him as a loving man who was very attentive toward her needs.

Gundam would unintentionally embrace his father’s memory thanks to his “overlord” personality which would make him come off as overly dramatic and sinister to his enemies.

His reign as a yazuka lord involved more emphasis on spiritual affairs by bringing spiritual communities under his Empire.

He personally believes that maintaining ties with the spirits and Gods will grant the Tanaka Empire a stronger chance of survival.

While maintaining relationships with minor businesses under his control, he would also invite potential gang groups for tea ceremonies and offer them the chance to join him.

He’s been trained by his advisors in using a katana and gun making him skilled enough to handle even the most dangerous of gang members.

While he’s capable of defeating them, he vows never to take the blood of anyone weaker than him or unless he’s given no other choice.

Before entering high school, Gundam was able to have his upper and lower body tattooed with images of oni demons and spirits.

He found the Four Dark Devas when he passed by a street and saw the four hamsters foraging for food in a dumpster. 

He also expresses admiration for Sonia’s impressive swordfighting skills and has offered her an opportunity to work for his Empire if she wishes.

Kazuichi Souda as the SHSL Gymnast

Kazuichi got into gymnastics by reading alot of shonen manga.

He was impressed by how athletic and fit the heroes were so he wanted to train and be like them.

When not helping in his dad’s shop, he would try practicing parkour near the streets of his town to help him develop better flexibility.

While practicing at middle school, his teachers noticed his potential and offered him a spot in a gymnastics program.

His dad didn’t like him getting into “girly shit” like gymnastics and frequently insulted him for it. 

He would often perform for his friends which impressed them at first. But then things got troublesome when they requested him to do flips and jumps for their amusement.

It got worse when they tricked him into breaking into a second story classroom so he could steal the answers for an upcoming test.

Not wanting to be taken advantage of again, Kazuichi gave himself a radical makeover so no one would mess with him.

Along with his pink hair, his outfit consists of a black tanktop with neon green stripes and yellow shorts.

Hajime Hinata as the SHSL Mechanic

His parents rented his own shop for him to work at but they personally didn’t invest their own time to work with him.

To avoid having to think about his loneliness, Hajime placed all of his effort and thinking into his work.

He began receiving requests to repair average household appliances before moving on to bigger machines.

He’s received alot of praise for improving the appliances while also explaining to the owners on how they should best maintain their appliances so they can last longer 

The machines that he worked best with were vehicles and motorcycles.

Despite being underage, Hajime managed to practice driving on his own and learned how to drive the basic motor vehicles.

While he’s grateful for his mechanic talent, he often worries if he’s really living his life to the fullest and if there’s something missing that he needs to achieve.

His favorite invention is a hoverboard that he uses to ride around his hometown to clear his mind after a hard day’s work.

His mechanic uniform is a mechanic uniform with a design similar to that of a racecar driver. 

Mahiru Koizumi as a Reserve Course Student

While Mahiru was interested in the idea of going into Hope’s Peak, she wasn’t confident enough in her photography skills to go through with the entrance exam. 

At the insistence of her best friend Sato, Mahiru ended up in the Reserve Course so they can fight for the chance to be special.

While she didn’t mind the work provided by her classes, Mahiru took notice of how her peers had a hard time with paying for their tuition along with even getting into the Talent program. 

She also had to deal with Sato having to fight against her old rival Natsumi who was picking fights with her while trying to get recognized herself.

She became an unofficial peace keeper of her class as she would chastise her classmates for picking fights against each other or making rude remarks.

As time went on, Mahiru herself was unable to keep up with her classes since the money to pay for them was running low. 

She would later receive an e-mail from the Steering Committee offering her a chance of entering the Talent program through an unconventional method that was funded by the school.

She had to cast that thought aside when Natsumi ended up dead and Sato is all but stated to have killed her out of frustration.

Soon vengeance would claim Sato’s life with Mahiru finding her in an empty classroom and on the brink of death with her head bleading.

Before dying, Sato begs her friend to make something special with her life and not to waste it in the Reserve Course. She knows that Mahiru will do great things in her life and that she believes in her.

Casting her doubts aside and refusing to let her friend’s death be in vain, she accepted the Steering Committee’s offer by participating in the Hope Cultivation Project.

[violet-amet]

this isnt the first time something like this happens... touching on some personal stuff to vent about here. boi this turned out longer than i expected. caution: mentions of familiar death, cancer, illnesses, dementia, and abuse. there might be one or two things i missed, but yeah... a lot has been going on lately. im doing okay-ish, despite these struggling times, but whats really been going on is all under the cut.

ive been in a situation before, when my father was sick, that his family took advantage of his fragile mind, and took everything away from him, me, and my sister. i still cant forgive them for this, but i cant blame the kids for being put up with them either. my cousins on that side of the family, two of them specifically, have been abused by their parents that was taking care of my dad, and i was the center of it all, at the age of 13-14. barely a teen, barely understanding anything that happened. since then, i still keep thinking back on it, and what i could try to understand from it. i hope the kids grew up well, tbh, despite our differences. anyway, this is sort of relevant with whats happening now with my uncle.

he got diagnosed with dementia, then with alzheimer’s, which makes things... difficult to deal with for him, and everyone around him. his son -- my cousin -- and my mom -- his sister -- are trying to take care of him the best they can, while i sit here and support them in my own way. tbh, i keep getting flashbacks to my dad when he was sick, so its... not great, to say the least. very, very taxing.

but pushing me and my stress aside, there has been on big, big, big issue here, and that is my aunt -- my mom and uncle’s sister -- that has been coming here to take whatever she can from my frail uncle. like, i get it, material things and money is important, but as a christian, isn’t this kinda... wrong? but i suppose thats subjective, who knows! but, what bothers me more, is that she dared to say that my cousin is not my uncles son. while they may not be related by blood, i personally loathed that, and nothing enraged me more, than saying that someone is not family, no matter what the situation is.

what my aunt is doing is incredibly wrong. she is trying to take advantage of a sick person, and causing havoc for some reason that im not entirely sure of! but if its anything like my father’s situation, and it certainly feels like it to me, i hope she doesnt get anything from this. esp not my uncle’s church.

but this is out of my power. i cant do anything to help anyone, because im inexperienced. but, i dont mind helping my mom out, since thats one of the reasons why i came here anyway, aside from spending time with my uncle. he is sort of like a father figure to me, tho, maybe its because i still miss my dad. idk.

anyway, to say the least, it seems that even a self-proclaimed religious person doesnt mind taking money and material things away from their frail, sick family member. those kinds of people are less than dirt -- than anything really -- and i hope she gets nothing from this. i only wish the best for her sons, but not her. esp since she dared to say the things she said.

woof. what a world. i really need a break from all this. its really taking a lot out of me. its... really heartbreaking to see my uncle become less like himself over time. and i know i look younger than i actually am, but it did kinda hurt when he thought i was a kid. its not just because of my self-esteem, but also because, he really is losing pieces of himself.

well, i can only leave it up to god.

to you all, take care, stay safe, and i wish the best for you.

thank you, and may we continue to take it easy one day at a time.

[kitcat992]

The struggle of moving on (and how Endgame failed at conveying its message)

Yep, I’m standing on my soapbox again. The multitude of errors within Avengers: Endgame are slowly processing in my mind and I feel a need to discuss them as they arise.

One of the many things I found most relatable about Steve Rogers story within the MCU was his constant struggle to move on. We got to witness his story first-hand with Captain America: The First Avenger, a bittersweet love story containing both his first -- and only -- romantic love, as well as his best friend. Coming out of the ice after 70 years in Avengers (Assemble) portrayed a lost, broken, and astray man who wasn’t sure what else to do with his life besides the one thing he knew how to do best: Fight.

This narrative was continued in The Winter Solider, showing that 2 years had passed since the Battle of New York, where Steve was spending his time working with SHIELD in his personal attempt at finding purpose for his life. Fighting the good fight was what he knew best, what he did best. We see him accumulating to this new world of the 21st century, and he’s actively pursing ways to adjust, shown with his little notepad and his eagerness to write down Sam’s suggestions at music.

But he’s hindered by a roadblock: Bucky. The arrival of The Winter Solider and the subsequent knowledge of what had happened to Bucky tears him apart, and he finds himself passionate and albeit reckless to get that part of his life back.

I think we can all relate to that; we like returning to things that make us comfortable, things we’re familiar with. This is common after big life changes as well, when you move to a new city/country or lose relationships or family members that held a part of your identity. You cling to what you can that feels safe and familiar, whether that be a TV show you’ve seen five hundred times over or a song you’ve listened to time and time again.

For Steve, that became Bucky. He never stopped living his life in the 21st century, but he fought the best he could to get that familiarity back. His safety blanket, if you will. It was within his grasp, after all. While he went to extreme levels to get that part of his life back (Civil War) it’s still a relatable aspect that makes him human.

Even without Bucky, Steve found a purpose for his life to fight the battles that needed to be won. He discovered a part of himself in Age of Ultron; “A wife and kids...that man went into the ice 75 years ago. Someone else came out,” he says, viewing his surroundings of the New Avengers compound. The soldiers running by glimmer in his eyes and he gives a small smile. “I’m home now.”

We all have major life changes happen to us, at one point or another. We become different people. It’s rare to find someone so stagnant in their life that they can say they’re the same exact individual they were 10 years ago. And while we hold certain morals, standards and traits to ourselves that we feel make us who we are, along the way our desires and goals change. That happens to Steve Rogers along his narrative in the MCU. He went from a man in the 1940′s longing for a wife and kids and a white picket fence to a Captain willing to train and lead soldiers into battle.

He even gets Bucky back, sends him to Wakanda for help, and lets him be. We don’t see him clinging to Bucky’s side, nay in fact. Bucky is moving on himself, the White Wolf of Wakanda, finding peace in the country land. If Steve Rogers had shown the unhealthy behavior of never leaving Bucky alone, it would contradict his narrative of moving forward as the man he had become. And while he may have been on the run from the government, he still pushed forward. He still had his identity.

For some reason beyond my understanding, this message was greatly warped and twisted within Avengers: Endgame. We see that 5 years following The Decimation, Steve Rogers is taking a chapter out of Sam’s book in holding support groups for those that need it. These individuals are seeking help for their inability to move on from their loved ones who got dusted. Steve tells him, “We need to move on. The world is in our hands...its up to us now.”

But he tells Natasha the truth. “Some of us move on...but not us.” We think this is in reference to The Decimation, those who were dusted and are gone. And while we see Steve look at his locket every so often in each of his movies, glancing at that black and white photo of Peggy Carter, we’re led to believe it’s more as an attempt to gain strength. Her picture reminds him to be strong, gives him the courage to take that next step.

This is also something I think the audience can relate to -- we all have a lost loved one that, though we miss them greatly and would gladly take them back into our lives, we know/accept that they’re gone and we look to them for strength to get through the day.

The most frustrating aspect of Avengers: Endgame and the usage of Peggy Carter within Steve’s narrative is that it completely erased the many steps he’s taken in his previous films. Steve Rogers would spend time with an elderly  Peggy Carter who suffered from dementia, and ultimately he buried her body and said his goodbye. No one said this was easy for him; it was once again saying goodbye to that part of his life.

One could even say that’s why he fought all the harder for Bucky; he was clinging to what little he had left. “Even when I had nothing...I had Bucky.” But returning to that, once he got Bucky back he let him be. I’m sure visits were had, I’m sure they kept in touch, but he didn’t actively cling to Bucky and I don’t believe he would have even if he hadn’t been on the run.

Not to mention -- and as much as I and the fandom do not like to think about this moment -- he even goes on to have a kiss with Sharon Carter. I’m not sure if it’s ever explicitly said, but I’m pretty sure that’s only the second woman he’s ever kissed in his life. It’s a clear sign that Steve Rogers is moving on.

So while Avengers: Endgame played up a message of “some of us move on, but not us,” we are tricked into believing Steve is referring to The Decimation. To Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes and even T’Challa. To all those dusted. But little aspects of Peggy Carter begin to sprinkle throughout the film that makes us question...what’s exactly going through Steve’s head? He looked at Peggy’s photo before killing 2018 Thanos; we’re used to that, he’s using her for his strength. But then he lingers when he sees her in the year 1970, staring through the glass with an longing expression of lost love.

By the end of the film, we realize quickly that we were lied to. The narrative of “some of us move on, but not us,” was never referring to the Decimation. It was the erasure of 6 Captain America movies and the character development written for Steve Rogers. A man we were under the impression had moved on from Peggy Carter, especially once discovering she had lived a long, fulfilling life without him -- a husband, kids, grand-kids, a very successful career at Shield -- he had actually been hung up on this woman he knew for less than 3 years. So much so that he ceases the opportunity of time travel to live a long 80some years with her.

That’s right. Steve Rogers was sent on a mission to return the infinity stones to their proper place in time and stayed around so he could marry Peggy Carter.

I’m not going to lie, this isn’t explicitly said in the film. Sam goes to shake Joe Biden’s Steve Rogers hand and notices the wedding ring. He asks, “Wanna tell me about her?” to which Steve smirks and says, “No. No, I don’t think I will.” However, the narrative lays heavy implication who it was, by fading into the next scene of Steve dancing with Peggy Carter in her home. So, if he didn’t marry her, he did marry someone else and then went to spend his free time dancing with Peggy...I’m not sure which is worse.

Listen, this message sent to audiences is simply insulting on many different levels. It’s years worth of character development thrown out the window for Hollywood’s stereotypical "relationship happy ending.” Especially considering Steve Rogers, a man who found purpose only in winning the fights that needed to be fought, was reduced to a needy man who couldn’t survive without a woman.

It goes without saying that the audience expected Steve to die. But why? Some people say that “well, SOMEONE needed to die. It’s Endgame, after all.�� But those who understood Steve’s narrative knew the real purpose behind it: Steve was a man out of his time, he lived for the battles and he wanted nothing more than peace for the world. We see that in The First Avenger, as he lets his ship crash to save everyone else. It was HIM who was destined for that sacrifice of the final snap, if not something else entirely.

Avengers: Endgame was practically a love letter to Steve Rogers, one that had him finally worthy to wield Mjonlir and to call upon hundreds of Avengers as their Captain: “Avengers....Assemble!” He had finally truly become Captain America again, and not just to the original Avengers, but to so many others.

His story had been told. His life had served its purpose. His ending was in sight.

The audience/fans predicted that because it was written in the stars. Prediction is NOT a bad thing, it merely means the story is heading on the right path. It means the narrative is being so well told that if people are still watching, its because they know an ending is in sight that they want to witness. To see The Russo Brothers/Kevin Feige/MCU take a hard left and give that ending to Tony Stark...it absolutely destroys years worth of collective narrative.

But more than that, it sends a tainted message. It says “You’ll never move on. Don’t try. Just go get that Hollywood happy ending, because you won’t be happy without it.” It sends an unhealthy message, that you’ll never be happy without a romantic partner, no matter how hard you try to move on, how many years you spend moving on.

Some fans are saying Steve Rogers finally got his happy ending. I mean, yes, that’s what the writers wrote for him. But Steve had said time and time again he was not fit for such a life.

Steve: A family...stability...the guy who wanted all that went in the ice 75 years ago. I think someone else came out.

Tony: You alright?

Steve: I’m home.

Its truly a shame Steve was not the one to die on the land that he once called his home. Its even worse that he backpedaled and regressed so hard with that decision to stay back in time with Peggy, disrespecting the life she had built having actually moved on from him. As a woman, I do not find this ending romantic in the least bit. If I were Peggy Carter, I would never want this to be done to my life.

And that’s why Avengers: Endgame is #notmycap

[bluefanguy]

Supergirl: In Search Of Lost Time: Reaction (Spoilers)

What cannot be restored must not be fixated upon.

I’m on the fence regarding Mon-El’s suit. The overall shape isn’t bad though it’s an obvious inversion of Supergirl’s color scheme. I haven’t really been a fan of capes since Edna Mode showed me the numerous potential hazards. Plus in the previous episodes, Kara mentioned sometimes the cape gets in the way, only for her to turn that around and learn how to use the cape offensively. I really hope they use the cape grappling technique often because it’d be a shame for her only to use it on the worldkillers and forget about it.

Am I the only one who notices that Mon-El’s, and thinking about it Superman’s, capes are proportionally longer than Kara’s? The guys’ cape goes down to about their ankles while Supergirl’s goes to just under her knee? Is there functional reason behind the difference or just for looks?

Okay, ranting done.

It was a bit strange seeing Lena being cold-blooded and direct for the sake of making Sam realize her identity of Reign. Like James said though, sometimes you’ve got to hold up a mirror. Normally agitating someone is not a productive way of getting them to admit to a personal problem but considering the special nature of the situation, desperate times call for desperate measure. Keeping Ruby away from Sam is the best thing for everyone. No child wants to see their parent locked up and no parent would want to put their child in a potentially dangerous situation, especially if it’s the parent that is the danger.

Speaking of parents being a danger, it can’t be easy seeing an older family member slowly become more dependent on their child, even if they don’t want to admit it. I see Myr’nn J’onnz suffer through his oncoming dementia and unintentional psychic backlash and it makes me realize that as humans we need to learn to accept that we won’t always be mentally alert. I’m all for doing whatever one can to retain proper cognitive function but we can only do so much. It’s worse for My’rnn and possibly martians as a whole who have gone centuries being mentally fit so that’s more memories they lose. I wonder if there were any martian traditions or practices that dealt with dementia. Based on how My’rnn gave it a name in the previous episode, it’s not an uncommon occurrence so they had to have some way of managing it..

Though I am glad Kara and Mon-El have come to accept the past for what it was, I really pray we don’t go back to any potential romance between them. For one thing, it would be insulting to Imra and also to this Mon-El, who accepted he and Kara wouldn’t be together and moved on from that. If they can keep things at a friendship level then I’d prefer that.

Next Time: Pestilence rises.

Thanks for reading! Likes, reblogs, comments, questions, and followings are all appreciated. Until next time.

Bluefanguy, out.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Joe Biden entered national politics as one of the youngest people to ever serve in the Senate. Today, at 76, he’s considering a run for president which, if he clinches the nomination, would make him one of the oldest major-party nominees to vie for the office. But he wouldn’t even be the oldest candidate this election cycle. With 77-year-old Bernie Sanders also seeking the Democratic nomination and 72-year-old President Trump in the White House, Americans are looking at a veritable Boca Raton of septuagenarian candidates. Some media outlets are starting to ask — how old is too old to be president?

To which this media outlet responds: You can ask, but good luck finding a straight answer.

We’ve written before about old candidates; during the 2016 election, we looked at what age could portend for the physical health and life expectancy of the people vying to occupy the White House. We spent less time on how age affects the brain. Everybody experiences some amount of cognitive decline as they enter their final decades. We think a little more slowly. We have a little more trouble remembering facts, or filtering the things we want to say but shouldn’t. Doctors can measure these losses, but what those measurements should mean for a presidential candidate is harder to pin down.

Getting older definitely changes the way we think. And while the risks of diagnosable dementia go up with age, it’s the changes that fall short of real illness that are more likely to create ethical dilemmas in a work environment, said Paul Moberg, a professor of neuropsychology at the University of Pennsylvania. The grey area between “senior moments” and the early stages of Alzheimer’s is wide enough to encompass people whose impairments might be tough to spot unless you’re a close friend (or a doctor performing a cognitive function test). Often, Moberg said, the person themselves is the last to know that anything has changed in their brain.

Meanwhile, there’s no universal standard for how much change a single person can experience before it starts to get in the way of doing their job.

As a result, it’s normal for people working in high-stakes professions to undergo routine cognitive testing once they’re over a certain age. Moberg’s team administers tests like these, which evaluate things like verbal skills, memory, concentration and visual-spatial understanding. They’re designed to spot low levels of cognitive decline — a level of change that could affect the work of an aging doctor, pilot or lawyer. Moberg himself will have to take one someday. “Once you pass 70, [the University of Pennsylvania] requires a cognitive assessment to continue,” he said.

Because of tests like these, we know that it’s very normal to lose some brain power as you age. Average losses differ by demographic factors — in general, the more education you have, the better you’ll do compared to people of the same age range. But across the population as a whole, everybody’s scores decline as they get older. For example, in a 2011 study of more than 2,500 people taking the Montreal Cognitive Assessment — a 10-minute test that measures brain function by having subjects draw clocks, remember lists of words and perform other simple tasks — 30-somethings with at least a few college credits under their belt had an average score of 25.81 out of 30. In contrast, the average score of a septuagenarian with the same education level was 23.6.

But knowing that age comes with a slow-but-significant decline in your score on an abstract test isn’t the same thing as knowing how old is too old to be president, said Jacob Appel, a professor of psychiatry and medical education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who studies both bioethics and the mental health of past presidents.

There are a couple of problems here, Appel told me. A test score can give a neurologist some idea of how to help a patient live their best life, but it can’t tell anyone whether they’re qualified to hold public office. And if the test scores were made public, it would be very easy for laypeople to misinterpret numbers as hard, universal cutoffs. “You’d have to send the public to medical school to get them to understand,” he said. “And I’m not even sure whether a 26 or 25 would make you unfit for the presidency.”

Likewise, Appel said, by the time someone is highly educated and skilled enough to run a plausible campaign for the White House, they also could conceivably experience a little decline in function without it affecting their overall assessment score. Someone who scored a 30 on the cognitive assessment test at age 40 could still be hitting a 28 at age 70. They might be fuzzier than they used to be, but their version of fuzzy might still be sharper than most people. Whether you’re OK with that in your presidential candidate is a subjective judgment, not an objective one.

There are other complications as well, Moberg said. Like the fact that some age-related deficits can be compensated for with a little help, depending on the demands of the job. While you wouldn’t want a forgetful surgeon, you might be able to tolerate it in your beloved family doctor — if she compensated by hiring a note-taker or relying more on electronic medical records.

And being an advanced age might help some presidents, since those years could come with skills that make up for a cognitive decline. The knowledge, political savvy and wisdom of a lifetime in office could be a decent tradeoff for a president who needs a little more help from aides to take notes.

Or … it might not be. That’s really the trouble, Appel told me. The tests can tell you how a person’s brain is functioning, but they can’t tell you how to value that score as a voter. (Or as a member of Congress who has to work with that president.) It’s a piece of objective data with a subjective interpretation. Ultimately, while both Appel and Moberg thought it made sense to run cognitive tests on members of high-stakes professions, like the presidency, Appel said the final judgement was really the election itself. “I mean,” he said, “there are probably [candidates] who everyone can agree clearly fall below the floor — but nobody is voting for them.”

[benrleeusa]

[Ilya Somin] Should We Let Children Vote? The Troubling Implications of Standard Reasons for Rejecting an Admittedly Flawed Idea

Few will agree with Cambridge political scientist David Runciman's proposal to lower the voting age to 6. But standard reasons for rejecting the idea raise serious questions about many adult voters, too.

Prominent British political scientist David Runciman argues that the voting age should be lowered to six, in order to correct what he considers to be a serious age bias in modern democracy, where children's interests are increasingly neglected in favor of those of the elderly, who wield vastly greater political power:

The head of politics at Cambridge University has called for children as young as six to be given the vote in an attempt to tackle the age bias in modern democracy.

Prof David Runciman said the ageing population meant young people were now "massively outnumbered", creating a democratic crisis and an inbuilt bias against governments that plan for the future.

In the latest episode of his podcast, Talking Politics, he said lowering the voting age to 16 was not radical enough to address the problem.

He said: "I would lower the voting age to six, not 16. And I'm serious about that. I would want people who vote to be able to read, so I would exclude reception [age-children].

"What's the worst that could happen? At least it would be exciting, it would make elections more fun. It is never going to happen in a million years but as a way of capturing just how structurally unbalanced our democracies have become, seriously, why not? Why not six-year-olds?

Runciman added: "Old people are currently the coalition that have a huge inbuilt advantage in representative democratic politics.

"Young people are massively outnumbered because the voting age is 18, whereas there isn't a cutoff point at the other end. You don't lose the vote when you get to be 75. You can carry on voting until the day you die and there is no test. You could be frankly demented and still get to vote, which is as it should be. So young people are the losers here...."

He argued that if the voting age was not lowered, politics would be left to "people who aren't going to live into the future and can just care about the present."

It's easy to mock Runciman's idea and dismiss it out of hand. Even he himself admits that it "is never going to happen in a million years." There are a number of flaws in his reasoning. For example, it is far from clear that older voters care less about the future than very young ones. Many of the elderly have children and grandchildren whose future welfare they likely care about a great deal. By contrast, very few children - especially those as young as six - have children of their own. In addition, Runciman's implicit assumption that voters make decisions based on narrow self-interest is largely wrong. For what it's worth, I too reject the idea that we should let six year olds vote. Ditto for most other children.

But when we try to explain why children should not be allowed to vote, it turns out that all the plausible answers have disturbing implications: they all imply that a good many adults also should be excluded from the franchise. Despite some mistakes in his reasoning, Runciman has a point. He is not wrong to suggest that children have a strong interest in electoral outcomes, and that standard democratic theory implies all citizens with such an interest should - at least presumptively - have a say in deciding who controls the government.

Consider the most obvious justification for denying children the vote: that they are too ignorant to make good decisions. This is likely true, at least for the majority of them. But it also true of large numbers of adult voters. Political ignorance is widespread among the latter. A 2017 Pew survey found that only 26 percent of adult Americans can even name the three branches of government. Another recent study finds that only 36 percent could pass the simple civics test immigrants must take to become citizens.

And these examples are just the tip of a vast iceberg of adult voter ignorance. A large percentage of adult voters probably know less about government than a smart grade schooler who remembers what she learned in a basic history or social studies class. Indeed, given the very low likelihood that any one vote will influence electoral outcomes, it is actually rational for most people to devote little time and effort to acquiring political information.

Perhaps the real reason why children should be denied the franchise is not lack of knowledge, but their poor judgment and immaturity. Of course many adults also have poor judgment and lack maturity. Consider the current president of the United States, who is "undisciplined" and "doesn't like to read," and whose own staff often manage him as if they are babysitting an unruly toddler. If children should be denied the vote because they lack judgment and maturity, why not the many adults who lack those same qualities?

Maybe the problem with child-voters is that they don't have the benefit of various adult experiences, such as working at a job, raising a family, paying taxes, or running a business. I am actually skeptical that these are as important for making good voting decisions as knowledge of government and public policy. But if I'm wrong about that, then we have to reckon with the fact that numerous adults also lack these experiences. Conversely a good many children do in fact have some of them, most notably working at jobs, or even - in some cases - helping to run a family business.

Another standard justification for denying children the vote is that they are too easily influenced by adults. Many might just vote whichever way their parents tell them. Of course, the same thing is true of many adults. Their political views are also heavily influenced by friends or family members. Historically, one of the standard justifications for denying women the vote was that they would just follow the dictates of their husbands or fathers.

More recently, Hillary Clinton famously claimed that she lost the 2016 election in large part because many white women voted against her as a result of pressure from their spouses. Some scholars argue that social science evidence supports her claims. Regardless, it's hard to deny that many people's political views and voting decisions are influenced by parents, spouses, and other family members, and that this influence is strong even with many adults.

Finally, it is sometimes argued the disenfranchising children is no big deal, because it is only temporary. They will get the vote as soon as they turn 18 (or whatever the minimum voting age is). But children who were denied the vote in 2016 and this year, are going to be massively affected by the decisions made by the winners of these elections, often in ways that are difficult or impossible to reverse. And, of course, the exclusion of adults who lack necessary political knowledge or don't have some form of relevant life experience might also be temporary. It could be ended as soon as they show they have met minimum levels of political knowledge or obtained the right type of life experience.

With respect to most of these potential criteria for the franchise, children are, on average more likely to fall short than adults. But if statistical aggegates are enough to deny the vote to all children (including those who are exceptions to the pattern), why not to subsets of the adult population that also have an unusually high likelihood of falling short of our standards? Runciman, for example, points out that the elderly have a higher incidence of senile dementia than younger people, which might in turn reduce the average quality of their voting decisions. Data suggest that the poor, on average, have lower levels of political knowledge than more affluent voters. And so on.

Some political theorists argue that the quality of voters' decisions don't matter, or at least not enough to justify denying anyone the franchise. All that is important is that citizens have the right to exercise the franchise freely. They are then entitled to decide as they wish, regardless of whether their choices are well-informed or otherwise reflect good judgment. I disagree. But if such "pure proceduralist" justifications for democracy are valid, then we really have no good reason to deny children the franchise. If quality of decision-making is irrelevant for adult voters, why not children, as well?

The easiest way to reconcile standard justifications for denying the vote to children with the way we treat adult voters is to subject both children and adults to the same standards: before being allowed to vote, all should be required to prove they have a minimum level of political knowledge, judgment and maturity, or whatever other qualities are essential to being a good voter. This idea leads to something like Jason Brennan's theory of "epistocracy" - the "rule of the knowers." Competence, not age, would determine eligibility for the franchise. And that franchise need not be reserved to just a small elite. Depending on what kinds of standards are set, many millions of people would still be able to vote, including some children who are currently barred.

Unfortunately, I doubt that real-world governments can be trusted to either come up with good criteria for an epistocratic franchise, or apply them in an unbiased fashion. That's why I am skeptical of proposals to establish a knowledge test for voters, even though I do not reject all such ideas as a matter of principle. At most, I am open to potentially expanding the franchise by including knowledgeable children. But I oppose the establishment of a universal testing system, which would create a much higher risk of abuse.

At least for a long time time to come, we are likely stuck with a system under which we deny children the vote for reasons that (often rightly) call into question the competence of numerous adult voters. This may be unavoidable. But it should make us more skeptical about the desirability of giving so much power to a political process heavily influenced by public ignorance. And it should lead us to be more open to proposals to limit and decentralize government power, so that more decisions can be made in a framework where people have better incentives to become informed and exercise good judgment.

[lifenetinsurance]

6 Early Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

We all occasionally misplace our belongings or have problems remembering a new acquaintance's name. Infrequent lapses like these aren't unusual in the course of modern life.

What isn't normal, however, is memory loss that regularly impacts daily life. If an older loved one is routinely forgetting important appointments or getting lost in familiar places, it might be a sign of something more serious, such as Alzheimer's disease.

How Common is Alzheimer's Disease?

According to the Alzheimer's Association, the most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's. The disease affects one in ten adults over the age of 65.  Because it is a degenerative illness, symptoms will worsen over time.

In the middle and late stages of the disease, the symptoms aren't difficult to spot. But the early signs of Alzheimer's are easy to miss. These are the red flags to be aware of if you are concerned a senior loved one might be developing Alzheimer's.

6 Common Symptoms of Early Alzheimer's

Memory problems: Short-term memory loss is the symptom most people are familiar with. An older adult who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's might be unable to recall information they have just learned. It might be a meeting or appointment they just scheduled, or the name of a new neighbor.  You might notice your loved one is asking you to repeat answers to the same questions over and over.

Withdrawing from favorite pastimes: Another early sign something might be wrong is when the senior's habits and pastimes begin to change. They might suspect something is wrong but not know what. Because they are embarrassed, they might withdraw from social clubs and their favorite hobbies.

Mistakes with money: Seniors with Alzheimer's might pay some bills twice while neglecting others completely. They often have trouble maintaining their checkbook and managing household expenses. Some make questionable financial decisions, such as buying an expensive car they can't afford or giving away money. These behaviors are concerning for all seniors, but they can also be signs of early Alzheimer's.

Misplacing belongings: Have you found your senior loved one's keys in the freezer or their wallet in the microwave? Placing personal belongings in strange places is a red flag for Alzheimer's. When a senior in the early stages of the disease loses something, they might not be able to remember where they were during the day and be unable to retrace their steps. 

Getting lost in once familiar places: An adult with Alzheimer's disease may get lost easily, even in places they have visited many times. Among the earliest signs of the disease is a senior getting confused about how to get to or from a familiar destination like the grocery store or post office.

Communication problems: Older adults with early stage Alzheimer's may struggle with written and verbal communication. They might have problems forming sentences to write a letter or email or forget everyday words. Sometimes, a senior with Alzheimer's will call objects by the wrong name.

Facing the thought that a family member may have Alzheimer's disease is daunting. Denial among loved ones is common. But an early diagnosis is important for many reasons, ranging from exploring symptom management options to planning for future care needs.

We invite you to visit a Sunrise Reminiscence neighborhood to learn more about dementia care planning for a loved one.

[buynewsoul]

Understanding Dog Dementia — Signs, Treatments and How to Stave It Off

Advances in veterinary medicine mean that our dogs are living longer than they used to in decades past. This is, of course, a great thing, but with old age comes aging-related diseases like dog dementia (referred to as canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, or CDS, in the veterinary world). Canine CDS is similar to Alzheimer’s disease in people. We’re seeing more of it than ever before — simply because so many dogs are living to age 12, 14 or even older.

“Today, 25 percent of dogs aged 10 show at least one symptom of aging of the brain or canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome,” says integrative veterinarian Carol Osborne, DVM, of the Chagrin Falls Pet Clinic in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. “Interestingly, it’s more common in medium or large dogs, as opposed to small dogs.”

Signs of Dog Dementia

The signs of dog dementia are different than human dementia. Photography ©Monica Click | Thinkstock.

A senior dog with dementia isn’t going to forget his bank password or where he parked the car, but signs of CDS include disorientation or confusion, less interaction with family members and other pets, changes in behavior (stops greeting you at the door), abnormal sleep-wake cycles (sleeping all day and up all night), housetraining accidents, excessive barking or barking for no reason, becoming less active than he used to be, and anxiety.

CDS is hard to diagnose since symptoms of dog dementia can also be symptoms of other diseases like arthritis, cancer, diabetes, incontinence, kidney disease or vision or hearing loss. For instance, is your dog less interested in going for walks because of dementia or because he is suffering from joint pain from arthritis? Is he having housetraining accidents because of dementia or because he’s drinking more water and simply can’t hold it very long (which could indicate kidney disease or diabetes)? If you suspect your dog might be suffering from dementia, it’s important to see your veterinarian for a complete physical to rule out these other diseases before landing on a diagnosis of CDS.

What Can Your Dog Take for Dementia?

If your vet determines that your senior dog is suffering from canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, don’t despair. You can do many things to help maintain or even improve his cognitive function. First, your vet might prescribe anipryl (selegiline hydrochloride), a drug that is intended to help control the signs associated with CDS.

Supplements that support brain health might also help. Talk to your veterinarian about SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) and Senilife (Ceva Animal Health), which contain a combination of brain-supporting ingredients, including ginko biloba, vitamin E and a phospholipid membrane stabilizer. Dog food manufacturers even offer foods that aim to boost brain health. Some require a prescription (available from your vet) and others are sold at pet-supply stores

How Exercise Helps Dog Dementia

Even a brisk walk can help fight dementia in dogs. Photography by angi71/Thinkstock.

A free and easy way to improve your dog’s cognitive function is exercise. “It turns out that exercise affects the dog and the human brains very similarly, positively in both cases,” Dr. Osborne explains. “Increasing physical activity can help strengthen the brain to help offset the effects of aging. Brisk walking increases the blood circulation, and oxygen and glucose can reach the brain’s tissue. A brisk walk is considered a moderate exercise, not a strenuous one, so the muscles won’t steal the extra oxygen — the brain will get that.”

To double down on the beneficial effects of exercise, change things up on your daily walks to stimulate your dog’s brain. “Make sure to visit new areas — dog parks, forests, city areas, different people’s homes — instead of walking down the exact same path every day,” Dr. Osborne advises. “Make sure your pet experiences new places on a weekly basis, including social things with other people and pets.”

On your walks, allow your dog to stop and sniff all the various smells he comes across — smelling new, interesting scents can be as stimulating to the brain as the exercise itself. Fight the urge to yank on the leash to hurry your dog along. Let him linger and enjoy this olfactory exercise.

Interactive Play Can Help Stave Off Dementia in Dogs, Too

Engage your dog in interactive activities as much as you can. Teach him new tricks, play with puzzle toys, try a low-impact dog sport like nose work or canine freestyle (also known as dancing with dogs). When it comes to the brain, the old adage “use it or lose it” applies as much to pets as it does to people. Help your dog use his brain and he will reap the benefits.

Thumbnail: Photography ©Akchamczuk | Thinkstock. 

Read more about senior dogs on Dogster.com:

6 Things to Love About Senior Dogs

What Inspired One Woman to Adopt an ‘Unadoptable’ Senior Dog

How a Pet Hospice Vet Can Help Your Senior Dog

The post Understanding Dog Dementia — Signs, Treatments and How to Stave It Off appeared first on Dogster.

[jeffreyrwelch]

Understanding Dog Dementia — Signs, Treatments and How to Stave It Off

Advances in veterinary medicine mean that our dogs are living longer than they used to in decades past. This is, of course, a great thing, but with old age comes aging-related diseases like dog dementia (referred to as canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, or CDS, in the veterinary world). Canine CDS is similar to Alzheimer’s disease in people. We’re seeing more of it than ever before — simply because so many dogs are living to age 12, 14 or even older.

“Today, 25 percent of dogs aged 10 show at least one symptom of aging of the brain or canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome,” says integrative veterinarian Carol Osborne, DVM, of the Chagrin Falls Pet Clinic in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. “Interestingly, it’s more common in medium or large dogs, as opposed to small dogs.”

Signs of Dog Dementia

The signs of dog dementia are different than human dementia. Photography ©Monica Click | Thinkstock.

A senior dog with dementia isn’t going to forget his bank password or where he parked the car, but signs of CDS include disorientation or confusion, less interaction with family members and other pets, changes in behavior (stops greeting you at the door), abnormal sleep-wake cycles (sleeping all day and up all night), housetraining accidents, excessive barking or barking for no reason, becoming less active than he used to be, and anxiety.

CDS is hard to diagnose since symptoms of dog dementia can also be symptoms of other diseases like arthritis, cancer, diabetes, incontinence, kidney disease or vision or hearing loss. For instance, is your dog less interested in going for walks because of dementia or because he is suffering from joint pain from arthritis? Is he having housetraining accidents because of dementia or because he’s drinking more water and simply can’t hold it very long (which could indicate kidney disease or diabetes)? If you suspect your dog might be suffering from dementia, it’s important to see your veterinarian for a complete physical to rule out these other diseases before landing on a diagnosis of CDS.

What Can Your Dog Take for Dementia?

If your vet determines that your senior dog is suffering from canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, don’t despair. You can do many things to help maintain or even improve his cognitive function. First, your vet might prescribe anipryl (selegiline hydrochloride), a drug that is intended to help control the signs associated with CDS.

Supplements that support brain health might also help. Talk to your veterinarian about SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) and Senilife (Ceva Animal Health), which contain a combination of brain-supporting ingredients, including ginko biloba, vitamin E and a phospholipid membrane stabilizer. Dog food manufacturers even offer foods that aim to boost brain health. Some require a prescription (available from your vet) and others are sold at pet-supply stores

How Exercise Helps Dog Dementia

Even a brisk walk can help fight dementia in dogs. Photography by angi71/Thinkstock.

A free and easy way to improve your dog’s cognitive function is exercise. “It turns out that exercise affects the dog and the human brains very similarly, positively in both cases,” Dr. Osborne explains. “Increasing physical activity can help strengthen the brain to help offset the effects of aging. Brisk walking increases the blood circulation, and oxygen and glucose can reach the brain’s tissue. A brisk walk is considered a moderate exercise, not a strenuous one, so the muscles won’t steal the extra oxygen — the brain will get that.”

To double down on the beneficial effects of exercise, change things up on your daily walks to stimulate your dog’s brain. “Make sure to visit new areas — dog parks, forests, city areas, different people’s homes — instead of walking down the exact same path every day,” Dr. Osborne advises. “Make sure your pet experiences new places on a weekly basis, including social things with other people and pets.”

On your walks, allow your dog to stop and sniff all the various smells he comes across — smelling new, interesting scents can be as stimulating to the brain as the exercise itself. Fight the urge to yank on the leash to hurry your dog along. Let him linger and enjoy this olfactory exercise.

Interactive Play Can Help Stave Off Dementia in Dogs, Too

Engage your dog in interactive activities as much as you can. Teach him new tricks, play with puzzle toys, try a low-impact dog sport like nose work or canine freestyle (also known as dancing with dogs). When it comes to the brain, the old adage “use it or lose it” applies as much to pets as it does to people. Help your dog use his brain and he will reap the benefits.

Thumbnail: Photography ©Akchamczuk | Thinkstock. 

Read more about senior dogs on Dogster.com:

6 Things to Love About Senior Dogs

What Inspired One Woman to Adopt an ‘Unadoptable’ Senior Dog

How a Pet Hospice Vet Can Help Your Senior Dog

The post Understanding Dog Dementia — Signs, Treatments and How to Stave It Off appeared first on Dogster.

[stiles-wtf]

Understanding Dog Dementia — Signs, Treatments and How to Stave It Off

Advances in veterinary medicine mean that our dogs are living longer than they used to in decades past. This is, of course, a great thing, but with old age comes aging-related diseases like dog dementia (referred to as canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, or CDS, in the veterinary world). Canine CDS is similar to Alzheimer’s disease in people. We’re seeing more of it than ever before — simply because so many dogs are living to age 12, 14 or even older.

“Today, 25 percent of dogs aged 10 show at least one symptom of aging of the brain or canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome,” says integrative veterinarian Carol Osborne, DVM, of the Chagrin Falls Pet Clinic in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. “Interestingly, it’s more common in medium or large dogs, as opposed to small dogs.”

Signs of Dog Dementia

The signs of dog dementia are different than human dementia. Photography ©Monica Click | Thinkstock.

A senior dog with dementia isn’t going to forget his bank password or where he parked the car, but signs of CDS include disorientation or confusion, less interaction with family members and other pets, changes in behavior (stops greeting you at the door), abnormal sleep-wake cycles (sleeping all day and up all night), housetraining accidents, excessive barking or barking for no reason, becoming less active than he used to be, and anxiety.

CDS is hard to diagnose since symptoms of dog dementia can also be symptoms of other diseases like arthritis, cancer, diabetes, incontinence, kidney disease or vision or hearing loss. For instance, is your dog less interested in going for walks because of dementia or because he is suffering from joint pain from arthritis? Is he having housetraining accidents because of dementia or because he’s drinking more water and simply can’t hold it very long (which could indicate kidney disease or diabetes)? If you suspect your dog might be suffering from dementia, it’s important to see your veterinarian for a complete physical to rule out these other diseases before landing on a diagnosis of CDS.

What Can Your Dog Take for Dementia?

If your vet determines that your senior dog is suffering from canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, don’t despair. You can do many things to help maintain or even improve his cognitive function. First, your vet might prescribe anipryl (selegiline hydrochloride), a drug that is intended to help control the signs associated with CDS.

Supplements that support brain health might also help. Talk to your veterinarian about SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) and Senilife (Ceva Animal Health), which contain a combination of brain-supporting ingredients, including ginko biloba, vitamin E and a phospholipid membrane stabilizer. Dog food manufacturers even offer foods that aim to boost brain health. Some require a prescription (available from your vet) and others are sold at pet-supply stores

How Exercise Helps Dog Dementia

Even a brisk walk can help fight dementia in dogs. Photography by angi71/Thinkstock.

A free and easy way to improve your dog’s cognitive function is exercise. “It turns out that exercise affects the dog and the human brains very similarly, positively in both cases,” Dr. Osborne explains. “Increasing physical activity can help strengthen the brain to help offset the effects of aging. Brisk walking increases the blood circulation, and oxygen and glucose can reach the brain’s tissue. A brisk walk is considered a moderate exercise, not a strenuous one, so the muscles won’t steal the extra oxygen — the brain will get that.”

To double down on the beneficial effects of exercise, change things up on your daily walks to stimulate your dog’s brain. “Make sure to visit new areas — dog parks, forests, city areas, different people’s homes — instead of walking down the exact same path every day,” Dr. Osborne advises. “Make sure your pet experiences new places on a weekly basis, including social things with other people and pets.”

On your walks, allow your dog to stop and sniff all the various smells he comes across — smelling new, interesting scents can be as stimulating to the brain as the exercise itself. Fight the urge to yank on the leash to hurry your dog along. Let him linger and enjoy this olfactory exercise.

Interactive Play Can Help Stave Off Dementia in Dogs, Too

Engage your dog in interactive activities as much as you can. Teach him new tricks, play with puzzle toys, try a low-impact dog sport like nose work or canine freestyle (also known as dancing with dogs). When it comes to the brain, the old adage “use it or lose it” applies as much to pets as it does to people. Help your dog use his brain and he will reap the benefits.

Thumbnail: Photography ©Akchamczuk | Thinkstock. 

Read more about senior dogs on Dogster.com:

6 Things to Love About Senior Dogs

What Inspired One Woman to Adopt an ‘Unadoptable’ Senior Dog

How a Pet Hospice Vet Can Help Your Senior Dog

The post Understanding Dog Dementia — Signs, Treatments and How to Stave It Off appeared first on Dogster.

[daddyslittlejuliet]

Understanding Dog Dementia — Signs, Treatments and How to Stave It Off

Advances in veterinary medicine mean that our dogs are living longer than they used to in decades past. This is, of course, a great thing, but with old age comes aging-related diseases like dog dementia (referred to as canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, or CDS, in the veterinary world). Canine CDS is similar to Alzheimer’s disease in people. We’re seeing more of it than ever before — simply because so many dogs are living to age 12, 14 or even older.

“Today, 25 percent of dogs aged 10 show at least one symptom of aging of the brain or canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome,” says integrative veterinarian Carol Osborne, DVM, of the Chagrin Falls Pet Clinic in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. “Interestingly, it’s more common in medium or large dogs, as opposed to small dogs.”

Signs of Dog Dementia

The signs of dog dementia are different than human dementia. Photography ©Monica Click | Thinkstock.

A senior dog with dementia isn’t going to forget his bank password or where he parked the car, but signs of CDS include disorientation or confusion, less interaction with family members and other pets, changes in behavior (stops greeting you at the door), abnormal sleep-wake cycles (sleeping all day and up all night), housetraining accidents, excessive barking or barking for no reason, becoming less active than he used to be, and anxiety.

CDS is hard to diagnose since symptoms of dog dementia can also be symptoms of other diseases like arthritis, cancer, diabetes, incontinence, kidney disease or vision or hearing loss. For instance, is your dog less interested in going for walks because of dementia or because he is suffering from joint pain from arthritis? Is he having housetraining accidents because of dementia or because he’s drinking more water and simply can’t hold it very long (which could indicate kidney disease or diabetes)? If you suspect your dog might be suffering from dementia, it’s important to see your veterinarian for a complete physical to rule out these other diseases before landing on a diagnosis of CDS.

What Can Your Dog Take for Dementia?

If your vet determines that your senior dog is suffering from canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, don’t despair. You can do many things to help maintain or even improve his cognitive function. First, your vet might prescribe anipryl (selegiline hydrochloride), a drug that is intended to help control the signs associated with CDS.

Supplements that support brain health might also help. Talk to your veterinarian about SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) and Senilife (Ceva Animal Health), which contain a combination of brain-supporting ingredients, including ginko biloba, vitamin E and a phospholipid membrane stabilizer. Dog food manufacturers even offer foods that aim to boost brain health. Some require a prescription (available from your vet) and others are sold at pet-supply stores

How Exercise Helps Dog Dementia

Even a brisk walk can help fight dementia in dogs. Photography by angi71/Thinkstock.

A free and easy way to improve your dog’s cognitive function is exercise. “It turns out that exercise affects the dog and the human brains very similarly, positively in both cases,” Dr. Osborne explains. “Increasing physical activity can help strengthen the brain to help offset the effects of aging. Brisk walking increases the blood circulation, and oxygen and glucose can reach the brain’s tissue. A brisk walk is considered a moderate exercise, not a strenuous one, so the muscles won’t steal the extra oxygen — the brain will get that.”

To double down on the beneficial effects of exercise, change things up on your daily walks to stimulate your dog’s brain. “Make sure to visit new areas — dog parks, forests, city areas, different people’s homes — instead of walking down the exact same path every day,” Dr. Osborne advises. “Make sure your pet experiences new places on a weekly basis, including social things with other people and pets.”

On your walks, allow your dog to stop and sniff all the various smells he comes across — smelling new, interesting scents can be as stimulating to the brain as the exercise itself. Fight the urge to yank on the leash to hurry your dog along. Let him linger and enjoy this olfactory exercise.

Interactive Play Can Help Stave Off Dementia in Dogs, Too

Engage your dog in interactive activities as much as you can. Teach him new tricks, play with puzzle toys, try a low-impact dog sport like nose work or canine freestyle (also known as dancing with dogs). When it comes to the brain, the old adage “use it or lose it” applies as much to pets as it does to people. Help your dog use his brain and he will reap the benefits.

Thumbnail: Photography ©Akchamczuk | Thinkstock. 

Read more about senior dogs on Dogster.com:

6 Things to Love About Senior Dogs

What Inspired One Woman to Adopt an ‘Unadoptable’ Senior Dog

How a Pet Hospice Vet Can Help Your Senior Dog

The post Understanding Dog Dementia — Signs, Treatments and How to Stave It Off appeared first on Dogster.

[grublypetcare]

Understanding Dog Dementia — Signs, Treatments and How to Stave It Off

Advances in veterinary medicine mean that our dogs are living longer than they used to in decades past. This is, of course, a great thing, but with old age comes aging-related diseases like dog dementia (referred to as canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, or CDS, in the veterinary world). Canine CDS is similar to Alzheimer’s disease in people. We’re seeing more of it than ever before — simply because so many dogs are living to age 12, 14 or even older.

“Today, 25 percent of dogs aged 10 show at least one symptom of aging of the brain or canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome,” says integrative veterinarian Carol Osborne, DVM, of the Chagrin Falls Pet Clinic in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. “Interestingly, it’s more common in medium or large dogs, as opposed to small dogs.”

Signs of Dog Dementia

The signs of dog dementia are different than human dementia. Photography ©Monica Click | Thinkstock.

A senior dog with dementia isn’t going to forget his bank password or where he parked the car, but signs of CDS include disorientation or confusion, less interaction with family members and other pets, changes in behavior (stops greeting you at the door), abnormal sleep-wake cycles (sleeping all day and up all night), housetraining accidents, excessive barking or barking for no reason, becoming less active than he used to be, and anxiety.

CDS is hard to diagnose since symptoms of dog dementia can also be symptoms of other diseases like arthritis, cancer, diabetes, incontinence, kidney disease or vision or hearing loss. For instance, is your dog less interested in going for walks because of dementia or because he is suffering from joint pain from arthritis? Is he having housetraining accidents because of dementia or because he’s drinking more water and simply can’t hold it very long (which could indicate kidney disease or diabetes)? If you suspect your dog might be suffering from dementia, it’s important to see your veterinarian for a complete physical to rule out these other diseases before landing on a diagnosis of CDS.

What Can Your Dog Take for Dementia?

If your vet determines that your senior dog is suffering from canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, don’t despair. You can do many things to help maintain or even improve his cognitive function. First, your vet might prescribe anipryl (selegiline hydrochloride), a drug that is intended to help control the signs associated with CDS.

Supplements that support brain health might also help. Talk to your veterinarian about SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) and Senilife (Ceva Animal Health), which contain a combination of brain-supporting ingredients, including ginko biloba, vitamin E and a phospholipid membrane stabilizer. Dog food manufacturers even offer foods that aim to boost brain health. Some require a prescription (available from your vet) and others are sold at pet-supply stores

How Exercise Helps Dog Dementia

Even a brisk walk can help fight dementia in dogs. Photography by angi71/Thinkstock.

A free and easy way to improve your dog’s cognitive function is exercise. “It turns out that exercise affects the dog and the human brains very similarly, positively in both cases,” Dr. Osborne explains. “Increasing physical activity can help strengthen the brain to help offset the effects of aging. Brisk walking increases the blood circulation, and oxygen and glucose can reach the brain’s tissue. A brisk walk is considered a moderate exercise, not a strenuous one, so the muscles won’t steal the extra oxygen — the brain will get that.”

To double down on the beneficial effects of exercise, change things up on your daily walks to stimulate your dog’s brain. “Make sure to visit new areas — dog parks, forests, city areas, different people’s homes — instead of walking down the exact same path every day,” Dr. Osborne advises. “Make sure your pet experiences new places on a weekly basis, including social things with other people and pets.”

On your walks, allow your dog to stop and sniff all the various smells he comes across — smelling new, interesting scents can be as stimulating to the brain as the exercise itself. Fight the urge to yank on the leash to hurry your dog along. Let him linger and enjoy this olfactory exercise.

Interactive Play Can Help Stave Off Dementia in Dogs, Too

Engage your dog in interactive activities as much as you can. Teach him new tricks, play with puzzle toys, try a low-impact dog sport like nose work or canine freestyle (also known as dancing with dogs). When it comes to the brain, the old adage “use it or lose it” applies as much to pets as it does to people. Help your dog use his brain and he will reap the benefits.

Thumbnail: Photography ©Akchamczuk | Thinkstock. 

Read more about senior dogs on Dogster.com:

6 Things to Love About Senior Dogs

What Inspired One Woman to Adopt an ‘Unadoptable’ Senior Dog

How a Pet Hospice Vet Can Help Your Senior Dog

The post Understanding Dog Dementia — Signs, Treatments and How to Stave It Off appeared first on Dogster.

[redabiz2]

Stem Cells Medication An Important Desire For Alzheimer People

By Joe Batista

Senile dementia is not really an unique illness, yet symptoms that will influences the mind which they interfere with the everyday capabilities in the affected particular person. This generally comes about inside older age between 65 and 70 years. This affects 2% within the people and are generally prolonged, definitely not reversible. Illnesses which include vascular dementias, posttraumatic dementias, beer neglect dementias, metabolic , and conditions induced from a virus including meningitis, intracraneal procedures or maybe despair will be the reversible styles. Dementia is expounded along with difficulties that impact as a minimum two mind characteristics for instance memory parting or maybe complicated to discussions, as well as the lack to do a number of the weekly things to do, for example definitely not being competent to make purchases as well as being misplaced while you are generating your vehicle. Despite the fact that dimentia in most cases leads to memory reduction, this particular indication on its own does not indicate want you to possess dementia. A number of people encounter some type of degree regarding ability to remember , interestingly it is piece of getting older instead of regarding various condition. Also, with virtually all dementias, essentially the most standard is usually Alzheimer's. Often once the loved ones that lives with the person start off to see modifications inside conduct which usually persist for a lot of years is whenever they will discover that maybe their very own relation member suffers of dementia. Alzhimers disease together with other kinds of dementia become worse with time. Initial examination hands the actual patient an opportunity to organize their particular near future, as you are currently currently being qualified to try to make selections. What is Alzheimer's sickness? Alzheimer's illness is really a create associated with pre-dementia dementia, a result with the aging progression, materializing with people along with a average age of 55 years, providing a accelerating coupled with degenerative cerebral affection which usually has an effect on a mind, the particular thought plus the conduct. To be able to respond to the question what is Alzheimer's? It is crucial for want you to realize that, Alzheimer is usually a neurodegenerative sickness which often degenerates all of the neurons of the mind them dead. Moreover, it happens to be a good solid progressive and serious sickness that will may cause deterioration of one's performing of the affected individual from the private, perform, family members as well as interpersonal. Alzheimer one among the repeated dementia and then can certainly last among 3 along with 20 years at the time of which will the infected person deteriorates, and likewise have an impact on the actual caregiver along with the family unit. Furthermore, every time a unique individual goes through from Alzhimer, he undergoes microscopic changes within typically the tissue of certain areas in the man human brain including a progressive or even continuous losses of your chemical called acetylcholine which can be fundamental for the purpose of mind characteristic. The particular acetylcholine lets nerve cells in order to start conversations with each other, in addition to it is included regarding psychological activities connected with discovering, power to do not forget as well as thinking. The actual sensation of every single particular person that have Alzheimer's sickness or even dementia is without a doubt varied. Nevertheless, a few warning signs are generally frequent not to mention normally progress through predictable periods, originally from mild to essential, via many years. Azheimer signs embrace storage losses, difficulties selecting phrases, disorientation, along with character along with actions alterations. You should talk to a suitable physician if you or possibly a loved one ordeals sincere ability to remember issues or another problems of Alzheimer. A few curable environments can easily generate problems related to those regarding dementia, so it happens to be necessary for any medical professional to find all the correct contributing factor. Even with all the scarce possibility involved with curative treatment plan, a suitable examination is definitely good inside initially phases of Alzheimer's the task given that it enables projet the particular insurance of your individual along with the relatives, minimises attached pitfalls and also excessive medicalization, improves regard for affected individual autonomy and additionally ability of choice in critical condition. The analysis is manufactured thru a range of exams to leave outmany other conditions who have medication, and may comprise actual as well as neurological checks. Essentially the most frequent Alzheimer experiment certainly is the cognitive test that may aid identify in the event that sufferers are usually persevering this particular sickness. Many dementias are generally incurable, whilst the development connected with alternative dementias are usually late, together with reversed with medication. Nowadays, there isn't an efficient treatment solution in this sickness and all sorts of efforts are actually focused to apply normal measures in which, on one side, deal with typically the patient's signs and symptoms by way of medicines which unfortunately relieve the issues. At the same time, so that you can handle this specific sickness, it actually is vital to understand just what the causale aspects are actually and consequently make an effort to eradicate them or maybe control the particular signs and symptoms. Therapies might be started to aid when it comes to sufferer actions, reduction associated with opinion, or perhaps confusions. And for that reason, Alzheimer's study has verified that there are actually some medicine as well as Remedie such as the use of stem cells that help to master various indicators and in some cases eliminate them. Our corporation provide a good solid stem cell treatment method yourself to can easily merge this having nutritional vitamins which can assist you to fortify your treatment method. Having our company's stem cell treatment, the particular affected individual may well get started to actually feel considerably better considering that it providesa good solid vitamin and mineral aid for the body. Besides, the cure is incredibly simple to administrate from the ease and comfortinvolving patients' home considering that it is usually designed with blisters and even ampoules. It is easy to call us or perhaps write us via email for much more related information.

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