Time is so difficult to understand. The feeling of time. Sometimes, time feels like all oceans on earth. Sometimes, time feels like it does´t even exist. A big challenge in life, at least for me, is to make a balance between both extremes. That is why I just like to spend a Friday evening at home doing nothing. Have something good to eat, talk with family, watch tv, listening to music. Collect new energy. Be present.
One of my interests is to catch moments in life when I walk. The above photo is from one of my walks. This summer has been unusually warm in Sweden, and the good weather is actually still present. Now when it has become a little chilly, it is easier to exercise. Not only walks.
I have told you that my mother suffers from Alzheimers disease. This is a disease that affects the family a lot. It takes a lot of energy. My opponent when I defended my thesis was Professor Agneta Nordberg. She is actually both a physician and a pharmacist. She has very good knowledge in Alzheimers Disease and dementia diseases in general. She has helped to introduce new tools for early diagnosis in Alzheimers disease. You can actually see, by using various imaging techniques (eg PET), how the brain undergoes changes. If accurate diagnosis is established at an early stage, pharmacological treatment can be introduced to hamper the memory loss symptoms.
My feeling today is that we have quite a lot of information how to hamper the dementia symptoms. There is always an interaction between environment and the body/brain. For instance, simple tasks like listening to music, make a cake, caress a dog or cat, increases the brain activity, and thereby also the resistance for further development of the disease.
There are a lot of scientific studies supporting the view that pharmacological treatment has the best turnout in combination with social support.
I have been in contact with Professor Agneta Nordberg during summer. She sent me some literature to read with special regard to Alzheimers disease. On Monday I will attend a symposium where dementia diseases are in focus. I am looking forward to meet Agneta and also to listen to the political debate. Politicians have a lot to do when it comes to helping families to support a difficult role. It is a tragedy to watch a family member change. This is not how we would like to remember a family member. At least I care.
I wish you all a pleasant weekend with lots of love,
Anna