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Alzheimer's or dementia?

2025-05-26T18:00:29+00:00

My husband Mike has a rare form of dementia. It's called logopenic progressive aphasia. This starts in the parietal and temporal lobes that control language. Memory is stored in many parts of the brain and memory loss goes along with LPA. Medical experts are not sure what causes LPA but it is characterized by the buildup of the same proteins that cause Alzheimer's.

Many things can cause dementia. Some are repeated concussions, blocked blood flow to the brain, the buildup of various proteins and Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's causes 60-80% of all dementia and the cause is unknown. Alzheimer's apparently did not cause Mike's dementia, but what did, is unknown. I have some theories that I discuss in my book Descent into Dementialand, but it is a rare dementia that begins in the parietal and temporal lobes of the brain and first affects memories of language and the ability to understand language. The buildup of the same proteins that occur in Alzheimer's characterize it. And like all dementias, it gets progressively worse...

Has someone in your life been affected by dementia? Are you worried that you or someone you love may have it or develop it? Let's discuss.

Descent into Dementialand

2024-08-05T22:06:17+00:00

Mike and I have been on a life journey ever since we met 58 years ago our sophomore year in college. For the past 10 years or so, we have been on an imaginary slide down into Dementialand. Dementia is the big catchall category that includes Alzheimer's, which is the most common cause of dementia. According to WHO and Dementia.org, there are over 55 million people worldwide living with dementia. This number is projected to almost double every 20 years, reaching 78 million in 2030 and 139 million in 2050. These statistics are staggering.

I am writing the story of our experience. It is about love, and acceptance with a dash of humor. If you or someone near and dear to you is on this journey, please feel free to share your story.

Democracy is Worth Preserving

2026-05-30T06:10:24+00:00

I was struck by a beautiful letter by Gordon Gibson that one of his sons recently found. It was published in the Las Vegas Review Journal- Lt. Gibson had written the letter home and included a detailed and stunningly picturesque account of the invasion of Normandy. The writing conveyed the magnificent awe of this historical event that I felt viscerally. This action, which cost the lives of so many brave young Americans, stopped Hitler in his tracks. My father, Mac, flew B-24s out of Guadalcanal in the Pacific War and B-29s out of Guam. The bombing of Japan stopped the Empire of Japan from future usurpation of territories and finally ended WWII. His biography, Mac-The Wind Beneath My Wings, includes his letters home.

As these members of the greatest generation are dwindling, it is critical to remember what they fought and sacrificed for. When dictators start to usurp land, absorbing former democracies, it is about more than just power and property and ego. It is also about people. These ruthless, power-hungry dictators murder millions of innocent people. The top four are: Mao-65 million, Stalin-40 million, Genghis Khan-40 million, and Hitler 35.2 million. Remember, as the admonition goes, "Those who don't heed history are doomed to repeat it." Democratic countries cannot remain isolationists. Democracy is worth saving.

One other story comes to mind. "When they came for the Polish, I did nothing because I wasn't Polish. When they came for the Jews, I did nothing because I wasn't Jewish. When they came for the Blacks, I did nothing because I wasn't Black. And then they came for me, and no one was left to help."

Some things are worth fighting for.

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