{"id":1097,"date":"2017-11-09T17:04:04","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T17:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/touchinghearts.com\/blog\/?p=189"},"modified":"2017-11-09T17:04:04","modified_gmt":"2017-11-09T17:04:04","slug":"continue-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/touchinghearts.com\/burlington\/blog\/continue-living\/","title":{"rendered":"Continue living!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Continue living \u2013 Dr. Suzanne Lesage emphasizes that an Alzheimer\u2019s diagnosis doesn\u2019t mean the person\u2019s life is over. She stresses that there can be significant quality of life, even later in the disease\u2019s progression. She notes that she has helped devise travel plans for families where a loved one has advanced Alzheimer\u2019s. \u201cEven if they don\u2019t remember the trip, they can enjoy the day,\u201d<\/strong> she said, adding that new memories are created for loved ones.<\/em><\/p>\n

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and Caregivers Month. Former President Ronald Reagan designated November as National Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Awareness Month in 1983. At the time, fewer than 2 million Americans had Alzheimer\u2019s; today, the number of people with the disease has soared to nearly 5.4 million.<\/p>\n

Alzheimer\u2019s is a confounding disease, even for doctors. Salida (Colorado) neurologist Dr. Suzanne Lesage ought to know. Through her role with the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, she sees new patients who may be concerned about memory loss. Dr. Lesage also counsel\u2019s others living with the diagnosis on how to best cope with a disease for which there is currently only treatment of symptoms but no cure.<\/p>\n

\u201cDementia is slow in developing,\u201d said Dr. Lesage. \u201cWe can offer a diagnosis based on symptoms, but even under the broad umbrella of dementia, there are multiple types, including Alzheimer\u2019s, vascular, Lewy body, frontotemporal and others, and some patients may be living with more than one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even with the uncertainty surrounding dementia, and specifically Alzheimer\u2019s, Dr. Lesage counsels her patients and their families that there are specific steps they should take to ensure the best care for loved ones who are either dealing with a dementia diagnosis or have concerns about the disease:<\/p>\n

Be proactive \u2013 \u201cAt the primary care level, people must be proactive with their doctors,\u201d said Dr. Lesage. \u201cThere is a huge spectrum among doctors regarding their comfort level with dementia. Some feel \u2013 because there\u2019s currently no cure \u2013 that there\u2019s not much they can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA diagnosis gives hope and clarity to the patient,\u201d Dr. Lesage said. \u201cAt least they know what they\u2019re dealing with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Free 24\/7 Helpline \u2013 A referral to a neurologist can lead to a proper diagnosis, she said. The Alzheimer\u2019s Association\u2019s free 24\/7 Helpline (800-272-3900) is another resource for direction.<\/p>\n

Rapid Referral \u2013 Dr. Lesage is a strong advocate for the Alzheimer\u2019s Association Rapid Referral program, which enables doctors to put the individual and their caregivers in touch with a full range of services \u2013 all at no charge \u2013 that physicians are not able to provide.<\/p>\n

Continue living \u2013 learn about what can be done with a diagnosis.\u00a0 When we know more, we tend to do more.\u00a0 When we know more, we can adjust accordingly and make decisions that are life giving.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cEven if they don\u2019t remember the trip, they can enjoy the day.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Great advice Dr. Lesage!!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ramona Hunt, M.S.\u00a0 Director of Leadership and Development, Touching Hearts, Inc.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Continue living \u2013 Dr. Suzanne Lesage emphasizes that an Alzheimer\u2019s diagnosis doesn\u2019t mean the person\u2019s life is over. She stresses that there can be significant quality of life, even later in the disease\u2019s progression. She notes that she has helped devise travel plans for families where a loved one has advanced Alzheimer\u2019s. \u201cEven if they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nContinue living! - Touching Hearts at Home of Burlington, WI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/touchinghearts.com\/burlington\/blog\/continue-living\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Continue living! - Touching Hearts at Home of Burlington, WI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Continue living \u2013 Dr. Suzanne Lesage emphasizes that an Alzheimer\u2019s diagnosis doesn\u2019t mean the person\u2019s life is over. 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