Laura Bramly, “Getting Alzheimer’s Diagnosed Early” on Oct. 6th, 9AM pacific

Laura Bramly, “Getting Alzheimer’s Diagnosed Early” on Oct. 6th, 9AM pacific.   Call in to listen live at or listen online at blogtalkradio.com/kindethics.com

Laura lives in Gilbert, Arizona with her husband and two children.  Her mother died at age 87 of vascular dementia in June 2008.  Her mom had been losing her short term memory for at least 7 years before that, but refused to be properly diagnosed.  Her mom had a major stroke in 2006 and lost most of her short term memory abilities, along with use of her legs and one arm. Laura had one week to find a nursing home.   Her mom was moved to the memory care unit of the facility in January 2007.

Laura created the book Life Scenes 1 out of desperation for a stimulating cognitive activity for her mother.  She liked to look through coffee table books and Laura would tell a story about each photo. These books were cumbersome and had no discussion questions for the weary mind who just can’t think of another thing to say to make conversation. So Laura created her own book with photos, large text and discussion questions. The book has many “access points” so that the reader can connect with the book in the way that appeals to them and their abilities best.  Laura was able to read the six-page prototype with her before she died and they spent a wonderful hour just going through those pages. The book was published in November 2008 (self-published) and Laura is putting together the next one: Sports Scenes. The book is a cognitive activity; it stimulates the ability to read (which many people think is lost when in fact it’s just that the reader can’t take in all of the information on the page or can’t read the small print, gets frustrated and gives up) and provides material for discussion and reminiscing.

Laura is a member of Aging With Grace’s (www.agingwithgrace.net) “Ask an Expert” panel. People can contact us for a free consultation on such topics as Alzheimer’s, senior strength-building, insurance, reverse mortgages, care situations… it’s quite diverse!). She is focusing in on diagnosis and activity, and living with dementia.

Laura’s blog:  http://eldercaretalk.blogspot.com

You can purchase Laura’s book on her website:   http://www.eldercareread.com

Have a kind and respectful day.