#types of dementia care

[abcshomecare]

ABCS Home Care

ABCS Home Care provides compassionate and reliable non-medical care services to seniors throughout Texas. We understand the desire for older adults to maintain their independence and live comfortably in their own homes. Our dedicated caregivers offer a helping hand with everyday tasks, ensuring your loved ones feel safe, supported, and respected.

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Owner Name: Melanie Allen/Christopher Allen

Contact Info:

ABCS Home Care

Address: 307 S. Main Street, Ste 110, Bryan, TX, USA 77803

Phone: +1 979-599-8825

Business Email: info@abcshome.com

Website: http://www.abcshome.com

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[defective-and-effective]

My general rule of thumb is that if your head kind of feels like your butthole, it’s usually because of one of five things: A) you have drank *maybe* two drops of water all day, B) you’ve eaten *maybe* one cracker, C) you smell and need to take a shower, D) you need to communicate with somebody outside of your dwelling/you need to return to your dwelling and not communicate with anyone for the next 12 hours, or the very rare option E) something is actually genuinely wrong

[perfecthearing]

This blog helps you to learn about hearing loss, its causes, and available treatments, including the latest hearing aids. They seek guidance on the impact of untreated hearing loss, its connection to brain health, and how hearing care professionals can help. Whether looking for the best hearing aids, understanding different types of hearing loss, or exploring hearing tests, readers find valuable insights to improve their hearing health.

🔊 Get the Best Deals on Hearing Aids! Looking for high-quality hearing aids at the best prices? Perfect Hearing and Speech clinic offer a wide range of options to suit your needs. Schedule a hearing test and trial session with us today!

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Follow us on: - Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/perfecthearingclinic Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/perfect_hearing_speech_clinic/ Quora- https://perfecthearingandspeechclinicsspace.quora.com/ YouTube-https://www.youtube.com/@perfecthearingclinic

Location: Perfect Hearing and Speech Clinic, Janakpuri East, Delhi and Perfect Hearing and Speech Clinic, Sec 51, Ocus Quantum Gurugram

[gallusrostromegalus]

I was raised agnostic and tend to remain ambiguous on theological matters.

-but my house has a porch on the second story that affords me a terrific view of my neighborhood and the Colorado Front Range and I was partaking of some peace before the 4th Of July Finger-Loss Festivities begin, and I have had a

~*Spiritual Experience*~

I just watched my neighbor try to unload an actual wooden pallet that had to have been forklifted into the back of his insecurity pickup worth of fireworks.

Except that he does not have a forklift in his garage.

He does have so much sports memorabilia and cardboard boxes of unsold MLM Merchandise and patriotically themed camping gear and posters of women in bikinis and flags of suspect political organizations in his garage that there is only BARELY enough space for the fireworks and certainly none for his truck.

So he had to unload the individual boxes of recreational explosives from the back of his truck and stack them in the minimal space he had cleared by hand. This is a tedious and time-consuming process as this neighbor has purchased a wide variety of recreational and locally illegal explosives instead of many of just a few types, so the individual boxes are rather small.

He begins, and this is crucial to what happens next, by cutting apart the industrial-grade saran wrap his explosives dealer had so carefully wrapped his merchandise in, and discarded it unsecured on his lawn.

Where Outdoor Conditions sometimes happen.

His process for unloading the fireworks is to 1. Climb up through the gate into the bed of his pickup truck (a feat made unusually difficult due to the slope of his driveway, and this man's fascinating decision to wear the world's Siffest and least Flexible Denim Overalls. 2. Once in the pickup bed, he selects ONE (1) box from the pile He is apparently from a niche religious institution that doesn't believe in stacking things. 3. Carries it awkwardly around the palette that barely fits in the truck bed 4. His wife yells "Be careful!" when he nearly falls out of the pickup. 5. He Yells "SHADDUP!" back at her. 6. The Large German Shepherd barks from inside the house. 7. He yells "SHADDUP!" back at her too. 8. He sets the (1) box down on the gate 9. Slowly and awkwardly climbs out of the pickup bed 10. picks the box back up, and carries it into the garage.

Question: Aren't you going to help this poor man? Answer: Absolutely Not.

There's four military veterans, MANY dogs, and several people with dementia in this neighborhood, all of whom are terrified by this chicanery every year and many neighbors have repeatedly asked him to maybe do the fireworks somewhere else. (This is the Eighth Year Running he's held a major demolition event in his driveway, and for those of you who can do math, you may be able to guess the precipitating incident to this little ritual) Additionally, I live in Colorado, a state marginally less prone to spontaneous and catastrophic conflagrations than a rotting grain silo, but only marginally. Our recreational explosives laws are written accordingly.

I am in fact calling the Non Emergency line to report Fireworks violations, and reading off the brand labels to someone named Dorothy, who is gleefully totaling up a SPECTACULAR fine for my oblivious neighbor.

However, while I'm on the phone with Dorothy, I notice the wind begin to pick up. and by "Notice" I mean "The Industrial Saran Wrap he left on his Lawn earlier is suddenly swept up about 100 feet into the air by an updraft intense enough to make my ears pop" And by "Pick Up" I mean "I look up to see the sky has turned a fun and exciting shade of glass green, and the bottoms of the clouds are bumpy and rounded, and the overall effect is not unlike looking up through the bottom of the cup at God's Matcha Boba Tea."

For those of you who do not live in places with Inclement Weather, these conditions mean "You have about 30 seconds before a Major Meteorological Event Occurs."

I move under the eaves. "Hang on Dorothy." I say, nose filling with Petrichor. "The show is about to be cancelled." "Oh, that doesn't matter!" Dorothy cheerfully informs me. "It's illegal for him just to possess those, no matter if he actually gets to set them off or not." "Terrific, because he's gotten maybe five boxes out of a hundred inside."

Sometimes, the weather gods are Merciful and give you a verbal warning, typically in the kind of thunderclap that makes your ears ring.

The Gods were not merciful today.

It's not often that I am in the time, place, correct angle or in a properly observational frame of mind to see this, But I got to see it today. Huh. I thought. I've never seen a cloud just DIVE for the ground before. Oh. I realized as it got closer. That's RAIN.

Sometimes, a thunderstorm will form in such a way that the rain that would normally be distributed over an area of say, five to tent square miles, is instead concentrated into an area of say, my neighborhood exactly.

So today, I was granted the rare privilege of being able to actually see the literal wall of water descend from On High and DIRECTLY onto my porch, my street, and my neighbor's truck, and his pile of unwrapped fireworks.

The sheer impact force of the downpour immediately scatters the teetering pile of fireworks boxes in the back of the truck, like the wrath of God striking down the tower of Babel. Boxes tumble, then are washed out of the bed of the truck by the deluge. Smaller Boxes are carried down the road in a little line by the stream forming in the gutter, like little impotent explosive ducklings.

My neighbor was definitely yelling something, but I could not hear what over the DEAFENING noise several million gallons of water makes upon high-speed contact with the earth's surface, but there was a lot of arm-waving and faces turning red as he went looking for the saran wrap that had probably blown to Nebraska by now, while his wife started disassembling the complex three-dimensional puzzle of interlocking material goods in search of a tarp. They do not have a tarp. They have one of those wretched Thin Blue Line flags though, and my neighbor jogs out in a futile effort to cover what's left in the truck.

Which is when the hail begins.

"HELLO?" Yelled Dorothy. "HI!" I shouted. "WE'RE HAVING SOME WEATHER!" "OH GOOD!" she shouts back. "WE NEED THE MOISTURE!"

I watch for a minute longer, but the loss was immediate and catastrophic- the hail is the size of marbles and dense and cares not for your pitiful cardboard and cellophane, ripping the boxes asunder and punching holes in the few things covered in plastic. The colors on the Thin Blue Line Flag are seeping all over the remains of that it was supposed to protect in a particularly apt visual metaphor. Not even the few boxes that made it into the garage are spared, as the German Shepherd escapes from indoors, and in an attempt to assist her humans, jumps directly into the small stack of not-yet-ruined boxes, scattering them into the driveway and deluge. She even picks one up so her humans will chase her around the yard, before dropping it in the gutter to be swept away.

So. I was raised Agnostic -but even I can recognize when God slaps someone upside the head and shouts "NO!" at them.

---

(If you laughed, please consider supporting my Ko-fi or preordering my book of Strange Stories on Patreon)

[ghosts-and-glory]

Is Shamura training martial arts after being taken into Lamb's cult? If they enjoyed complexity and bloodshed of war than it'd be probably dissapointing for them if they had to... drop it all

Full under the cut because this turned out really long

Upon joining the cult Shamura was a shell of their former self. They join the cult dissenting, the long term effects of the crown still clawing at the edges of their mind, but after a few days they’re mortal, just themself. Without the crown to hold them together they suffer like their injury was yesterday.

The Lamb has the doctor, Puar, perform their usual tests on them. Shamura is hardly there. They don’t know their own name, can hardly speak, can’t stand or track movement.

There was no wisdom in their slurred words. No power in the way their hands shook.

The outlook is bad.

The Lamb doesn’t really want to help them, after everything, why should they. Shamura who had The Lamb’s entire race and family killed, who killed them aswell and countless of their followers. It would cost them so much, to try and help someone who spent so long just trying to destroy them and everything they had. The time, energy, resources it would cost and they didn’t even know if they could get better.

Deciding it wasn’t worth it was one thing, but getting the other ex bishops to understand was a whole other, even the doctor disagreed with them.

Dr Puar took on being their primary caregiver. They’d been a doctor for the past hundred years and seen concussions and dementia but nothing nearly as severe as this. They wanted to help Shamura but didn’t know how.

It wasn’t until Narinder joined the cult that The Lamb saw any reason to help Shamura. But there was something wrong with him and Shamura knew something, they just had to get to it.

Kallamar was the ex bishop Puar wanted the help from the most. He was scared of the lamb and red crown but he loved Shamura more.

The Lamb took Puar and Kallamar to the ruins of the temples in Anchordeep and Silk Cradle. They spent days digging through the decimated remains of the libraries for something, anything on this type of injury.

It seemed that they where looking down possible years of intense recovery. Needed herbs and medicines that may no longer exist, techniques Puar had never heard of. But they would try.

Puar took careful and detailed notes. Timed Shamura’s responses, wrote down everything they said, tracked eating, drinking, sleeping and every symptom they displayed. Improvements where slow and sometimes nonexistent at first. They took full minutes to respond and only in single words, barley moved, couldn’t feed themselves and suffered constant migraines.

The one thing that seemed to help them the most was their siblings. They didn’t remember them most days but every time one of they came to check in it raised their spirits. One of their faces was the only thing they could focus on sometimes.

Kallamar insisted he wasn’t a doctor but still worked around the infirmary, helping Shamura was the only thing he’d do without complaining. Heket spent hours sitting in silence with them, brought them food and flowers and changed their bandages. Leshy was the only thing that could get them to smile and they where the only person he would ever lower his voice for, he told them stories even though they hardly listened.

Improvements brought new challenges. They got better at speaking full sentences and following conversations but it revealed how fractured their memory was. Forgetting names, places and important events, how often they forgot where they where, they asked the same questions over and over again.

They complained of seeing and hearing things, phantom pains with seemingly no rhyme or reason. The sun hurt their eyes, rain gave them headaches, always sleeping but always tired. They would suddenly backslide constantly. One day could walk with minimal help and the next, couldn’t even hold a pen in their hand. Have a full conversation one day and hardly spit out their name tomorrow.

Until the day Puar looked Shamura in the eye and for once they saw him. Didn’t look past them with their blank stare but looked at them. They would ask to sit outside at night in the fresh air. They seemed to know now who they are, what they where, what they lost. A tinge of grief in their words.

Improvements brought frustration. On days they remembered who they where they were overcome with a mix of anger, guilt and despair. They where a god. They had bore down on armies, killed men with a twitch of a finger, brought other gods to their knees, and now they could hardly bring a cup to their mouth.

Emotionally, their siblings said they’d never seen them like this before. Before Shamura could be frustrated but their temper was cold and quiet. Now they wore a short fuse and suffered constant mood swings. It angered them that they couldn’t read, that their hands were numb, that they couldn’t walk without a cane, couldn’t go out in the sun, couldn’t string a full sentence together, couldn’t recognize their siblings faces, couldn’t feed themselves, couldn’t sleep without drugs, everything they lacked and lost wore them down.

Regardless, they where unusually steadfast. They would always pick back up. If they got frustrated they would try again in a few days. They tried anything Puar asked of them, anything for the smallest iota of improvement.

The outlook was better.

—————

This got out of control and took me like three days between the art and write up. I got really excited when I saw this ask cause the answer is so devastating. If I was taking Narinder’s trauma seriously I’m not gonna just ignore Shamura’s traumatic brain injury.

As a side note, I’m very unsure how to write the medical stuff, my guess is that cotl is based around 1300’s-1700’s but that’s a wide net to cast. My excuse for the stronger understanding of medicine and trauma is magic.

[noirandchocolate]

RICE Alzheimer's Research Institute

Terry died on 12 March 2015, having given his PCA a run for its money.  Open about his diagnosis, he has helped to unlock the secrecy and stigma that often surrounds dementia.  His legion of fans is undoubtedly grateful that despite the inevitable progression of the PCA he was able to fight his ‘embuggerance’ and continue to produce a number of both well-received and well-reviewed books.  Terry was also a great example to me in emphasizing how important it is that, in caring for people with any type of dementia, we always look for what people with a condition like PCA can still do, rather than what they can’t: by maximizing what is possible, a person can still live well with dementia for a significant time.

–Professor Roy Jones, Director of RICE (taken from “Terry Pratchett: His World”)

I wanted to post something for the Glorious 25th about the Research Institute for the Care of Older People (RICE) in Bath, where Sir Terry Pratchett received treatment for Post-Cortical Atrophy, the type of Alzheimer’s disease that eventually took his life. From the organization’s website:

RICE established one of the first memory clinic services in the UK in 1987 – a service which has since been widely replicated and is now considered standard and best practice by the NHS. In fact, RICE now runs the NHS Memory Clinic in Bath and North East Somerset on behalf of the local clinical commissioning group and local authority through a sub-contract with HCRG Care Group. To date, we’ve assessed, diagnosed, treated and advised 12,000 people with memory problems and their families in our memory clinic. 

Most of RICE’s clinical services and research activities take place in our own purpose built, specialist centre located on the Royal United Hospital site. The building of the RICE Centre was possible as a result of generous donations from major donors, trusts and foundations, and members of the public. RICE moved into the ground and first floor of the centre in 2008. Following the success of the DementiaPlus Appeal and further generous donations from major donors, trusts and foundations and members of the public, RICE converted the attic floor in 2019 to create more office space. This has given us access to much needed additional rooms and offices which will enable us to grow and run more services and activities. We’ve worked hard to ensure that the areas of the centre visited by our patients meets their needs and we regularly receive feedback on how much our patients enjoy their visit to our centre.

RICE not only provides clinical services to patients, but also conducts research into aging and dementia, including performing clinical trials for new drug treatments for memory-related diseases and developing other “techniques for diagnosing, managing, treating and understanding dementia and memory changes in older adults.”

Lady Lyn Pratchett is the patron of the organization, and the website includes a page about how people can donate funds or volunteer at the clinic and participate in fundraising events.

SO, if you’d like to help fund Alzheimer’s research on this Glorious 25th of May–or at any time–in honor of the Man in the Hat, take a look!

[nmellis]

I'M OPENING EMERGENCY COMMISSIONS!!

My current job is falling through and I'm unable to get a new one at the moment due to taking care of my father with dementia full-time. You can message me on Tumblr or Discord!

All payments are through Paypal.

Typed out prices below:

SKETCH:

Head: $5 USD Bust: $10 USD Full: $15 USD

LINEART:

Head: $7 USD Bust: $15 USD Full: $25 USD

FLAT COLORS:

Head: $40 USD Bust: $50 USD Full: $70 USD

FULL ART:

Head: $15 USD Bust: $25 USD Full: $35 USD

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Fainting

Fainting - (also called syncope) a transient loss of consciousness and muscle control brought about by an inadequate amount of oxygen reaching the brain.

In all cases, the individual:

feels lightheaded and

briefly loses consciousness.

A person who faints temporarily loses consciousness and muscle control.

The period of unconsciousness may last a few seconds to a few minutes.

Recovery is spontaneous.

Fainting normally causes no permanent damage to the brain, although the individual may be injured by falling when losing muscle control.

Physicians distinguish several categories of fainting:

Cardiac fainting - (cardiac syncope) occurs because heart disease prevents the heart from pumping enough blood to the brain. A person with cardiac syncope tends to faint more than once. Cardiac syncope is a sign of a serious health problem.

Reflex fainting - occurs in response to events such as emotional stress, fear, or physical pain.

Situational fainting - occurs reproducibly when the individual assumes a certain posture or performs a specific act. [NOTE: Reflex and situational fainting are not life-threatening and rarely indicate the presence of serious disease.]

Orthostatic hypotension - occurs when a person rises from lying or sitting to standing. Changing position causes blood pressure to drop suddenly in some people, resulting in a feeling of lightheadedness or a brief faint. It can be caused by certain drugs (both prescription and illicit), heavy alcohol consumption, some diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, dementia) and decreased blood volume (e.g., dehydration, severe blood loss).

Fainting is caused by inadequate amounts of oxygen reaching the brain.

Cardiac syncope can be brought on by:

vascular disease,

congestive heart failure,

irregular heart rhythms (cardiac arrhythmia),

heart valve disease, or

disease of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy).

The causes of less serious types of fainting are based on:

emotional responses,

changes in blood pressure,

decreased blood volume, etc.

Treatment depends on the underlying cause of the fainting.

In cases of reflex and situational fainting, no treatment may be needed.

People experiencing orthostatic hypotension are counseled on how to move safely from lying or standing to prevent injury from fainting.

People with cardiac fainting continue medical care, most likely supervised by a cardiologist.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Realistic Injuries

[jaehaeryshater]

“Near the end, [King Jaehaerys] grew certain [Alicent] was his daughter Saera, returned to him from beyond the narrow sea.”

artist: @riotarttherite

I had the great pleasure of commissioning, in my opinion, one of ASOIAF fandom’s greatest artists on this gorgeous piece. I had never commissioned any artwork before and didn’t know what to expect, and this far exceeded my expectations. The attention to detail is beautiful and the overall piece conveys exactly what I was envisioning in my head, so I wanted to start off with a big thank you.

The idea for this art piece was originally a “what if” or AU where Saera either didn’t get caught at the brothel or was brought back from the Silent Sisters as was allegedly Jaehaerys’s plan (or if she had bonded with Balerion and gotten to stay! Would have loved that for her) so she stays in King’s Landing and becomes his caretaker in his old age instead of Alicent Hightower. As his daughter, she would have significantly more influence in being able to “speak for him” instead of a caretaker for another House, so although I do not take Saera as someone particularly obsessed with power, I do find it very interesting to imagine her deciding to cause chaos as the Old King’s mouthpiece. The streets of King’s Landing are burning as we speak! Even before Jaehaerys seemed to succumb to dementia, Saera did appear to have a strange influence over him, so once Alysanne passed away, it only makes sense that Saera would become the person in his ear. Not all that great for the smallfolk or even Lords of the realm, but great for drama and storylines. And Saera, of course! I’m sure she would have paraded everywhere, weighed down by jewelry and the finest wines. Perhaps she would have had a full menagerie, as she appeared to love animals. Definitely an elephant there somewhere.

As this piece was being worked on, however, I did think of a second meaning to the art that I also think is really neat. You could also view this as what Jaehaerys is seeing as Alicent is caring for him. He did believe her to be Saera in the end, as his mind was being lost. His Saera had come back to him, and although I do not like Jaehaerys and think he probably deserved worse, he most likely died happy at that thought, believing Saera was reading to him. So if you prefer to interpret this as viewing things through Jaehaerys’s mind, I welcome you because I love it at least equally to the first idea.

Lastly, the detailings are beautiful so I wanted to touch on them and give them the attention they deserve for the moment. I asked Riot to have a caring but sinister vibe, that she is caring for him for a plethora of reasons but certainly that includes self-serving reasons. I believe this was captured really well! I wanted it to be illustrated that Jaehaerys had lost his wits a while beforehand, so he has a vacant look, and Saera has the keys, showing that she is the real power behind the Crown. She has several expensive jewelry pieces (she has many from her lovers, but she doesn’t bother with them, leaving them to collect dust, only thinking gifts from the King are worthy to wear), but my favorite was one I specifically requested. Her jeweled bodice, which contains replicas of the King’s jewels that are present on his crown. Dare I say, she had her mother’s crown repurposed for herself? The intention is clear, Saera is effectively the Queen now, not in name, but Queen nonetheless. As for the general fashion, I told Riot that my favorite era of fashion was the Tudor era, more broadly 1300s- 1550s. As you can see, this was more than delivered and extremely beautifully inspired by historical fashion. GRRM doesn’t always describe his character’s outfits, and the GOT and HOTD outfits were often lackluster. This was exactly the type of beauty I was looking for. The dragon embroidery on Saera’s sleeves? Mwah!

Anyway, thank you so much for geeking out with me! The Saera/Jaehaerys dynamic is one of the most interesting dynamics to me. There’s simultaneously so little and so much there. It’s complex and layered, I can’t stop thinking about it. If you have been on my tiktok, you may have heard about my extensive theory regarding that dynamic, iykyk. If you ever want to talk about them, absolutely feel free to inbox me. More commission ideas coming this year definitely, at least a couple more of this dynamic, but I don’t know how a piece could be any more perfect <3

[palin-tropos]

is it bad to be disturbed by whatever Evrart’s plan with Marianne “The Pigs” LePlante was?? you have a scene that so sharply demonstrates the horror of social murder and police brutality and then you remember that Evrart arranged for the woman with dementia that makes her seem aggressive, to meet with a pair of cops, one of whom is armed and the other of whom is still much more physically capable than an old woman

you meet Marianne at a specific place and time. is this ludonarrative dissonance or was it very deliberately arranged? the only way it would be a cunning scheme is if Evrart wanted Marianne to get hurt or killed to turn the community against the RCM. of course it actually turns out better that you get the gun back, because Harry and Kim are unusually decent and side with the union over the mercs

I get that there’s a lot of reasons to like Evrart and I wish I could too but this shit makes me so uneasy. it’s not the same type of ruthless as the other stuff like assassinating a rival, although I think the Claires using Dros without helping him makes a pattern when it comes to their treatment of mentally ill old people. great that Evrart gives the old fascist a job because he Cares About The Community but there are members of the community that do get neglected and even instrumentalized in problematic ways

[doomhamster]

Okay so since my therapist is being no use: how would YOU deal with a situation where your brain isn't even allowing you to THINK about things that make you feel bad?

[Mental health stuff under cut: nothing obviously triggering but maybe avoid if you, too, are having a bad time.]

Let us posit that you have an impressive collection of things that make you feel bad. Even ones that shouldn't!

Family occasions? Make you think of previous family occasions that you've missed, and how you may miss this one because of your shitty mental health, and what a bad daughter/sister/aunt/in-law that makes you, and how your loved ones probably think you don't care about them at all. (And *do* you really? Wouldn't you be able to Find The Energy and Just Do This if you really loved them?)

The insurance payout you got a few months ago after years of poverty? Makes you think of the relentless flood of advice from your family, all of which amounts to "don't waste this on frivolous things like you always do". Makes you feel guilty because you bought that new bed, even though your back was starting to act up from how much the old one sucked. Makes you feel even *more* guilty because some of it went to living expenses during that one month recently when you literally did not manage to cook even once.

Let's not even get started on things that stress out even normal people, like bills and appointments and important phonecalls.

I've suffered from executive dysfunction all my life, so I'm no stranger to struggling with actually doing things, but now I can't even THINK about doing it. I set the alarms and I make the notes, and I hear them and I see them, and then I just... don't. Gone. I almost miss the old days of sitting for a whole day knowing you MUST do this thing and it really would only take five minutes, and not doing it, because at least then things didn't just get deleted from my awareness?

Does anyone have any advice on what to do about this? Books to read? Videos to watch? A clue about what the fuck is even going on, because at this point I'm starting to suspect some kind of stress-induced early dementia?

[Disclaimer: if you're going to type anything on the lines of "You really need to just pull yourself together and do it"? Don't. I can't brute-force this shit or I would have, and neither of us will enjoy my reaction to that kind of thoughtlessness.]

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

Not covid, but another great reason to keep masks on hand: Fine particulate matter increases all sorts of other health issues like asthma, high blood pressure, some cancers, and even strokes. Pollution is just as bad for you as covid in some senses.

By Alden Woods and Kiyomi Taguchi

As Baby Boomers hit retirement, about 1 in 6 Americans is now over the age of 65. The number of Americans living with dementia is projected to skyrocket — but the proportion of older Americans who develop dementia has actually decreased. The exact reason why is uncertain, but various lifestyle and environmental factors can influence a person’s risk of cognitive decline.

One recently discovered risk is air pollution. Studies have linked exposure to a type of air pollution called fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, with an increased risk of developing dementia, and researchers suspect that some sources of PM2.5 may pose a greater risk than others.

New research led by the University of Washington found that wildfire smoke is especially hazardous. An analysis of the health care records of 1.2 million Southern California residents found that higher long-term smoke exposure was associated with a significant increase in the odds that a person would be diagnosed with dementia.

The researchers presented their findings at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in July and published the full study Nov. 25 in JAMA Neurology.

“There have been studies that have found total PM2.5 is related to people developing dementia, but no one had looked specifically at wildfire PM2.5,” said lead author Joan Casey, a UW associate professor of environmental & occupational health sciences. “Wildfire smoke is a different animal, in that it’s much spikier. There are many days where there’s no wildfire smoke, and there are some days where exposure is really, really extreme.”

Researchers analyzed the health records of 1.2 million members aged 60 and older of Kaiser Permanente Southern California between 2008 and 2019, all of whom were free from dementia at the start of the study period. They estimated each person’s long-term exposure to both wildfire and non-wildfire PM2.5 as a three-year rolling average, and then identified people who received a dementia diagnosis.

Researchers found that for every 1 microgram per cubic meter (µg/m3) increase in three-year average wildfire PM2.5 concentration, the odds of a dementia diagnosis increased by 18%. Exposure to non-wildfire PM2.5 also increased a person’s risk of dementia, but to a much lesser degree.

“One microgram per meter cubed might sound fairly small, but we have to think about how people are exposed to wildfire smoke,” Casey said. “Most days they aren’t exposed at all, so this might represent a few days of exposure at a concentration of something like 300 µg/m3, where the AQI is over 200 in someone’s community. When you think about it, it’s actually a few really severe wildfire smoke days that might translate into increased risk.”

That risk further increased among racialized people and those living in high-poverty census tracts, following long-term trends in which vulnerable populations often experience disproportionate effects of environmental hazards. The authors suggested that disparities might be related to lower-quality housing, which can increase the amount of smoke that enters people’s homes, or lower-income families’ inability to afford air filtration systems.

The study period does not include the summers of 2020 and 2021, which produced the most extreme wildfire seasons recorded in California. The climate crisis has drastically increased the frequency and severity of wildfires across the American West, introducing “smoke season” in many West Coast regions The influx of smoke has chipped away at air quality improvements made over the last century.

“The main culprit here is climate change,” Casey said. “It’s a global problem. While individuals can protect themselves with air filters and masks, we need a global solution to climate change. It’s going to have to be many-pronged — many people have to be involved to solve this highly complex problem.”

Co-authors on this study are Holly Elser of the University of Pennsylvania; Timothy Frankland of the Kaiser Permanente Hawaii Center for Integrated Health Research; Chen Chen and Tarik Benmarhnia of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego; Sara Tartof and Gina Lee of Kaiser Permanente Southern California; Elizabeth Rose Mayeda of UCLA; Dr. Alexander Northrop of Columbia University; and Jacqueline Torres of UC San Francisco. This research was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences.

Study link: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2827124

[princesssarisa]

Auctober 7: Neuroscope

Studies show that autism is most likely caused by genes from both parents, but comes more from the father's DNA than the mother's.

Looking at my dad's family tree, I think I can see it.

My paternal great-grandfather: An odd man who was considered a "vagabond" and "the black sheep of the family." Was deemed unfit to raise his children alone after his wife died, although he loved them and they loved him – their grandfather took custody of them. Eventually developed early-onset dementia and spent the last years of his life in a psychiatric hospital.

My paternal grandfather (his son): A man of few words and even fewer social graces. Very blunt and informal, and usually spoke in a low, flat tone of voice. Awkward about interacting with women, despite having grown up with a sister. When I was little, he expressed his affection for me just by repeating "You're a pretty girl" over and over again. Smart and successful in his career, but less so in romantic and family relationships until he married his second wife. Had uncontrollable outbursts of temper, both verbal and physical, which thankfully I never saw, but which cost him his first marriage and distanced his older sons too.

My uncle Fred (his oldest son): A scientist – a marine biologist, to be exact – who's always "off in his own world" and doesn't talk much to any of his relatives, but depends on his wife to keep in touch for him.

My dad (the youngest son): Doesn't try to make friends or seek out much social interaction, but picks up friends through my mom's social circle or through work. Yet becomes very verbose about subjects that interest him, to the point of infodumping and dominating conversations too much. Makes a to-do list every day that he has to follow. Very specific about the type of clothes he likes to wear and foods he likes to eat, and is often reluctant to try new things. Struggles with anger management (just verbally, though, not physically like his own father), although it's gotten better over the years. A neat-freak who can't stand dirt or clutter. Despises crowded place. Has to sit outside for an hour at the same time every day, to smoke and to write poetry on his laptop. Constantly writes poems both for publication and just for himself; it's one of his ways of processing his emotions. Very smart and intellectual, with deep thoughts about the world. Can sometimes be blunt to the point of rudeness. Sometimes looks at football or baseball scores on his phone during dinner with company. Possibly little bit rejection-sensitive (he gets sulky when my mom doesn't want to do things with him, at any rate, and makes self-deprecating jokes about others not liking or caring about him, even when they clearly do). Loves animals.

And then there's me.

[yey56]

MORTIS WORK

Mortis sometimes works on the laboratory assisting Flug with chemicals or with the blueprints.

Mortis dad had a mortuary and sometimes he took them to work with him when she was younger, therefore, they know their way around a human body.

He prefers them dead than alive but oh well sometimes Flug cannot do the operations or the stitching because of lack of time so they do it for him.

Morts arm can sometimes get damaged so she goes to Flugs lab in the middle of the night to ask him to fix it. And whiles they're at it they talk and converse.

It happens more often than Mortis would like to admit. Since she doesn't feel pain, they are not used to actually taking care of their limbs so they got Flug to go it. 💪

Whenever Dementia expressed her undying love and adoration for BH, they basically start sleeping (probably due to insomnia but whatever) and then they wake up just before they finish so he can applaud and pretend she has been paying attention (somehow it always works) 🤔

Once they put their pajamas on, they don't take it off until it's specifically necessary. Like working hours or something like that. Mortis is the type of person that if they could they would stay all day in pajamas and a coat.

As I said, Mortis has terrible trouble sleeping so basically to try and distract themselves they start working late at night which causes her to fall asleep when working at daylight. (He survives on little naps and some walnuts 🫡)

They have tons of replicas of that turtle neck shirt. They refuse to change their signature outfit since then. It's been 5 years, Dementia is dying to make her a make over.

Mortis, at night, enjoys working on the library of the manor since it's very much secluded and desertic (being lil jack the only exception) so they tend to go there to work while also moping the dust. 📗📘

Mortis has an old ass phone that they absolutely refuse to change. Not for hate for technology or something like that, no. They refuse to change it because he has the philosophy that you should use something until it's completely and utterly useless. They won't let anything of theirs go until as long as she can find a use on it. 📱📞

Mort started working for BH Organization pretty young, (at 19) barely having a formal education and depending on her previous experience in life and what his grandfather had taught them while working for him.

Mort also had experience working in cemeteries, mainly digging because his father had one and worked there.

They learn most of the things in an autodidact way. Or through experience.

Mortis has worked on a bar as a bartender for 2 years when they got to America. They are basically the bartender by default in the mansion. He makes great drinks. 🥃🍸

She is banned from the cabinet of drinks because she gave one to Dementia once and it turned out pretty bad.

He almost never says their first name, Victoria. They always presents themselves as just Mortis and in documents she signs as V. Mortis Castillo.

They have an hyper fixation of gothic architecture but you will not hear her talking about it unless someone brings it up on a conversation, then she will talk nonstop until they get tired of it.

They always have a binder on his chest but sometimes they just forget to take it off or they use it while forgetting to put a new one or cleaning it which leaves weals on their back, collarbone and abdomen.

Mortis has the most horribly chapped lips because they are always biting them. She always has some kind on injury in their mouth just by biting it. Some times they suck the blood that comes out of it. 👄🫦

Has horrible migraine, but instead of feeling like something painful, it just feels like s big pressure on her head, making her feel uneasy and dizzy.

[cinnbar-bun]

One Piece Characters w/ an S/O who celebrates Ramadan pt. 2

Characters: Zoro, Ace, Mihawk (all requested, thank you <3)

Rating: SFW

Notes: Muslim!GN!Reader. So yeah, obvy talking about religious beliefs and practices- if those make you uncomfortable please feel free to skip <3

A/n: cultural notes at the bottom in case you didn't know/just curious about some of the terms here.

Part 1 here

Zoro 

At first, he’s confused why you would do such a thing, but when you explain the significance of the month, he’s pretty impressed. 

It’s a test of resolve, discipline, and reflection- and, well, Zoro’s always looking for a new way to test himself and get better. 

No eating and drinking water? Well, he can do that, no problem. It also makes him want to see how far he can push himself in his exercise regiment without having to drink. 

His drinking though, well, it definitely hits him a bit harder than he would like to admit. He does have the urge to just guzzle three barrels of rum but he’s tryna be good, so he’ll do something to manage. 

Honestly the type to sleep all day or be working out when fasting. I don’t think he’d bother to get up for suhur either, he just sleeps through it and says he’ll deal with it later. 

This month will be where he is very reflective and open about his feelings or emotions with you. He’s pretty good about clearing his mind and meditating usually, but especially now he will be even more conscious about his reflections. It actually surprised you how much he was holding in. 

Takes this very seriously, 10000%, doesn’t let anyone or anything break his concentration or yours. 

Ace

Similar to his younger brother, Ace doesn’t know much about Ramadan, and the idea baffles him. 

But, he’s way more open to learning and trying to understand it better. 

He’s still failing immediately, poor guy. 

If he’s not shoveling down food in the afternoon or falling asleep right in the middle of eating, he’s probably gonna be casually drinking and going ‘oops, I forgot’ all day. 

All day. Almost every thirty minutes. Marco is thinking of checking if Ace is suffering from early onset dementia. 

OKAY LISTEN, IT’S THE ATTEMPT. THE ATTEMPT WAS THERE!!!

And even if his ‘fasting’ is uh, pretty shoddy, he does do his best to take care of you and support you (even if he’s about to offer you food or water every few minutes). 

He’s very intrigued by the reasoning for it, so he often asks you questions. Sure, he truthfully doesn’t have the fortitude to resist eating until sunset, but your devotion does make him proud of you. He feels so lucky and grateful he’s got such a cool partner. 

Likes watching you pray or read. He often smiles when he watches you and thinks he’s starting to get into it when he realizes he actually is reflecting alongside you. Definitely makes him appreciate your relationship more and your strength. 

Mihawk 

Much like his protege, Mihawk is captivated by the concept of Ramadan. Sure, he’s heard of it or read about it in his books, but he never understood it. Having you there to explain it and give more insight and rules makes him appreciate it. 

As the greatest swordsman, Mihawk is always looking for ways to appease his boredom as well as continue his discipline. He’s incredibly strict on himself, so he will immediately go all in during Ramadan with you. 

The house husband in him truly shines this month, he’s extra careful about how he prepares your meals and makes sure you are getting more hydration and nutrition than before. Likes to cook you fulfilling meals that won’t make you sick after fasting all day. 

Yes, he is still farming while fasting. No, he will not admit he is about to die of thirst. But also, that makes him desire to overcome that weakness and work harder to not need water while working outside. So, uh… good for him? 

Mihawk is also a man who enjoys reading, so he takes the month of Ramadan seriously as a chance to read the Quran with you. (Omg, reading the nightly juz with him <3)

Mihawk will learn how to pray, nothing will stop him from doing so, like I said, he’s all in, you’re doing it, he’s doing it. I think he will end up becoming more strict and knowledgeable than you in a few days. 

Again like his protege, giving up alcohol was probably a bit of a challenge (but again, Mihawk loves one), but he tends to substitute his cravings for wine with either a simple glass of water, tea, or even regular grape juice. 

He won’t admit his reflections out loud majority of the time, but it’ll be subtle glances at you or his lips turning up into a smile while he mentally thinks how grateful he is to have you and to share this with you <3. 

Cultural Notes: 

Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, which is based on the lunar cycle- hence why you’ll often see debates on when Ramadan starts/ends or why it begins about a week or two earlier than before, since the lunar calendar is shorter than the solar calendar (or Gregorian, the one we normally use). 

Muslims fast for a month from dawn until sunset (there are restrictions of course) so no water or food from that time. 

Sahur/Suhur/Suhoor: the meal you eat before the dawn comes. 

Iftar: the meal you eat to break your fast at sunset. 

Juz: There are other words for it but basically, the Quran can be divided into 30 sections to be read in a month or so. Generally this how some people section it off, and during Ramadan, it's seen as a very good thing to read 1 juz a day. By the time Ramadan is done, you probably have read the full Quran.

[noirandchocolate]

RICE Alzheimer's Research Institute

Terry died on 12 March 2015, having given his PCA a run for its money.  Open about his diagnosis, he has helped to unlock the secrecy and stigma that often surrounds dementia.  His legion of fans is undoubtedly grateful that despite the inevitable progression of the PCA he was able to fight his ‘embuggerance’ and continue to produce a number of both well-received and well-reviewed books.  Terry was also a great example to me in emphasizing how important it is that, in caring for people with any type of dementia, we always look for what people with a condition like PCA can still do, rather than what they can’t: by maximizing what is possible, a person can still live well with dementia for a significant time.

--Professor Roy Jones, Director of RICE (taken from “Terry Pratchett: His World”)

I wanted to post something for the Glorious 25th about the Research Institute for the Care of Older People (RICE) in Bath, where Sir Terry Pratchett received treatment for Post-Cortical Atrophy, the type of Alzheimer's disease that eventually took his life. From the organization's website:

RICE established one of the first memory clinic services in the UK in 1987 – a service which has since been widely replicated and is now considered standard and best practice by the NHS. In fact, RICE now runs the NHS Memory Clinic in Bath and North East Somerset on behalf of the local clinical commissioning group and local authority through a sub-contract with HCRG Care Group. To date, we’ve assessed, diagnosed, treated and advised 12,000 people with memory problems and their families in our memory clinic. 

Most of RICE’s clinical services and research activities take place in our own purpose built, specialist centre located on the Royal United Hospital site. The building of the RICE Centre was possible as a result of generous donations from major donors, trusts and foundations, and members of the public. RICE moved into the ground and first floor of the centre in 2008. Following the success of the DementiaPlus Appeal and further generous donations from major donors, trusts and foundations and members of the public, RICE converted the attic floor in 2019 to create more office space. This has given us access to much needed additional rooms and offices which will enable us to grow and run more services and activities. We’ve worked hard to ensure that the areas of the centre visited by our patients meets their needs and we regularly receive feedback on how much our patients enjoy their visit to our centre.

RICE not only provides clinical services to patients, but also conducts research into aging and dementia, including performing clinical trials for new drug treatments for memory-related diseases and developing other "techniques for diagnosing, managing, treating and understanding dementia and memory changes in older adults."

Lady Lyn Pratchett is the patron of the organization, and the website includes a page about how people can donate funds or volunteer at the clinic and participate in fundraising events.

SO, if you'd like to help fund Alzheimer's research on this Glorious 25th of May--or at any time--in honor of the Man in the Hat, take a look!