To joke about your mother having dementia

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What I joked about was the possibility of my getting it. Unlike my mother who refused to accept her diagnosis and turned a blind eye to it, I accept that it is a possibility in my life. Sure, I joke about losing my car keys, losing my glasses, even writing notes to my 5 yo child (who cannot even read a note about LTC, duh), but I hope to keep my sense of humor, even if this dialouge is testing that patience more than my life circumstances are.

I could pick you apart right now for your insensensitivity, but I chose to feel sorry for your lack of neuroprocessing abilities and will let it go. Next time you see a sign to commit a random act of kindness, I suggest you not waste the opportunity to build up your karma bank.

Hi all. I just want to start off by saying that whenever I post on here I always get kind responses, and I may not always get a chance to say thank you. Wanted to let you know that I do appreciate it.

Here is my latest challenge. I have an uncle who is in his early 70's who I believe is in the early stages of vascular dementia. I grew up watching my grandmother, his mother, go through the stages of this horrid disease. I have a pretty good grasp of what we are up against. Thing is, I was a child when my grandmother started her decline, and boy things are different when you are an adult. I honestly don't know where to turn, who to ask for advice, what to do next.

Here is what complicates the situation. My uncle is divorced, has been for some time. He has no children. He has three sisters, my aunts, living. One is in her 80s, one is two hours away and not in great health, and the third is 12 hours away. The oldest cannot help, given her age, the one that is two hours away has told me that she really doesn't know what to do and that we are pretty much on our own, and the one that is 12 hours away would probably be the most able to help, but she is 12 hours away and has issues with her own family.

It gets a little more complicated. My uncle is a hoarder. He also has been notoriously bad about managing his finances for many years. His house is in a very bad state of disrepair. He is at the stage where he really needs someone to look over him, not live with him but maybe go in once or twice a week and help him with bills, meds, etc. However, his house is so bad that I truly fear it is going to fall down around him.

My questions: I know that he needs help, but I also know that he has to ask for that help (up to a certain point, which would be where we would then go to court and ask for a conservatorship). He is not at that stage yet. If something happens to him, no one has legal medical proxy, he does not have a will, he does not have an advanced directive. We have talked to him about the importance of doing this, but he does not want to listen, even though he admits he needs to do something. He also has not been formally diagnosed. I think he is afraid to get confirmation that he is suffering from the same disease as his mother. How do we help him? What should we do? What is the procedure here? I honestly am at my wit's end. I don't want to pressure him into making a will and other legal documents and have him thinking that we are wanting anything. I don't want his stuff. It is his. But something has to be done. I want him to be taken care of when the time comes.

Just last weekend on Friday night we parked in a public parking area. As we drove away I noticed a sticker on the rear window of the car. When I took it off after I got home, it was a receipt for gas. Luckily my friend told me not to stop as it could be someone waiting for me to get out of the car. Then we received this email yesterday:

'WARNING FROM POLICE - BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE--NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS (NOT A JOKE)'

Heads up everyone! Please, keep this circulating... You walk across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside. You start the engine and shift into Reverse. When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the m iddle of the rear window. So, you shift into Park, unlock your doors, and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically mow you down as they speed off in your car. And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car. So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are now compromised!

If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just drive away. Remove the paper later. And be thankful that you read this e-mail. I hope you will forward this to friends and family, especially to women. A purse contains all kinds of personal information and identification documents, and you certainly do NOT want this to fall into the wrong hands.

This is my favorite. I heard about it from a friend and tried it on my DH. I left him a pretend message with the phone number and a lady named Myra Maynes. The number was to our local funeral home. This is what happened:

Funeral lady: Well, I don't know a Myra Maynes but let me go ask one of those IRS people. They are here today doing my audit.

Then she comes back on the line: Hon, those IRS people say that you're doing an April Fools joke! I just don't get it though.

This is totally true and totally not planned with the funeral home. DH still didn't get it either until I explained MY REMAINS. He was really mad at me, but I laughed so hard my bladder leaked!

1 hour, 53 minutes ago

Lack of folate, also called vitamin B-9, may triple the risk of developing dementia in old age, according to a study published Tuesday.

Researchers in South Korea measured naturally occurring folate levels in 518 elderly persons, none of whom showed any signs of dementia, and then tracked their development over 2.4 years.

At the end of the period, 45 of the patients had developed dementia, including 34 diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, said the study, published by the British Medical Association's Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

When the researchers, led by Jin-Sang Yoon of Chonnam National University in Kwangju, South Korea, remeasured folate levels, they uncovered a strong link with the dementia.

Even after other factors were taken into account -- including age, disability, alcohol consumption, weight change -- "the onset of dementia was significantly associated with an exaggerated decline in folate," the researchers concluded.

Folate and folic acid, another form of the compound, are essential for the creation of new cells in the body.

The compound occurs naturally in leafy vegetables such as spinach, turnip greens, lettuces, dried beans and peas and in certain fruits.

An study published last year in The Lancet showed an improvement in short-term memory, mental agility and verbal fluency among persons over 50 who took a daily dose of 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid. The US recommended daily dose is 400 mcg.

Taking folic acid before conception and throughout the first trimester helps a mother ensure that her child will not develop certain brain and spinal cord defects, including spina bifida, according to previous research.