“Marcy Sherman-Lewis is the primary caregiver for her husband, Gene Lewis, who has Alzheimer’s.” – Credit Christopher Smith for The New York Times

by Paula Spahn

“For years, Marcy Sherman-Lewis went to a beauty salon in St. Joseph, Mo., every few weeks for a haircut and highlights.

“It had become something of an ordeal to prepare her husband, Gene Lewis, for this outing; he has Alzheimer’s disease, at 79, and helping him shower and dress, insert hearing aids and climb into the car was a very slow process.

“But she could no longer leave him at home alone. And once at the salon, ‘he just sat, watched TV, slept — didn’t bother anybody,’ said Ms. Sherman-Lewis, 62. Her stylist kindly trimmed his hair, too.

“Then last month, the salon owner took Ms. Sherman-Lewis aside. ‘Marcy, he makes my other patrons awfully uncomfortable,’ she said.”

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“People with dementia may actually die sooner if their family caregivers are experiencing mental stress, research shows.

“Researchers tracked the mortality of 176 patients with neurodegenerative diseases that are corrosive to brain function from 2007 to 2016. They also measured the mental health of the family members who took care of them.

“The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicate that patients tended by caregivers with depression, anxiety, and other symptoms of mental illness typically died about 14 months sooner than those being looked after by caregivers in good mental health.”

Read this article in its entitety at Futurity.org, click here.

“many of the symptoms he experiences have clear links to the disease — things like rage, paranoia, depression and incontinence.”

Greg O’Brien and his wife, Mary Catherine, recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Both say the disease has changed their marriage. – Amanda Kowalski for NPR

by Rebecca Hersher

“The first problem with the airplane bathroom was its location.

“It was March. Greg O’Brien and his wife, Mary Catherine, were flying back to Boston from Los Angeles, sitting in economy seats in the middle of the plane. ‘We’re halfway, probably over Chicago,’ Greg remembers, “and Mary Catherine said, “Go to the bathroom.”’

‘It just sounded like my mother,’ Greg says. So I said ‘no.’

“Mary Catherine persisted, urging her husband of 40 years to use the restroom. People started looking at them. ‘It was kind of funny,’ says Greg.

“Mary Catherine was more alarmed than amused.”

Read this NPR article in its entirety here.