The Obama administration declared Alzheimer's one of the country's biggest health challenges and adopted a national strategy that sets the clock ticking toward a deadline of 2025 to finally find effective ways to treat, or at least stall, the mind-destroying disease. The strategy includes help for suffering families today with a one-stop website for easy-to-understand information about dementia and where to get help.
"What we know is a lot more needs to be done and it needs to be done right now, because people with Alzheimer's disease and their loved ones and caregivers need help right now," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in announcing the first National Alzheimer's Plan. "These actions are the cornerstones of an historic effort to fight Alzheimer's disease," "There's a sense of optimism" thanks to some new discoveries, Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told scientists at the Alzheimer's Research Summit.
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A personal account by Yehudit Channen, activity director at Melabev Beit Shemesh
This will be my first Mother’s Day without a mother. When my mom died two months ago, I understood that when you lose your mother, you lose the first person you ever loved. I am so grateful that I was with her during the last weeks of her life; that I was right beside her when she died. It was incredibly painful yet felt so right.
As my mother got older, her health started to give way. She suffered several strokes that left her with dementia and she needed to be placed in a nursing home. She lived in Maryland and I live here in Beit Shemesh, where I work at Melabev as an activities director.
By caring for the elderly of Beit Shemesh, I felt I was dedicating myself to my mom. If I couldn’t be there for my own mother, I could take care of someone elses. I prayed that my kindness to these elderly Jews would be rewarded measure for measure. I prayed that God would make sure my mom’s caregivers were kind to her in return. That was the spiritual reckoning that motivated me to get up early each morning and greet a roomful of confused, lonely and displaced people.
I always assumed that after my mother died, my job at Melabev would be over. I figured I wouldn’t want to work there anymore as it would be too painful a reminder of my loss.
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Today is Mother's day in America. The staff at Melabev Beit Shemesh asked the elders who attend the center to tell about their own mothers. Below you will find a compilation of articles from clients, staff, and volunteers of the Melabev center.
It is titled - “What I Learned From My Mom". Whether it is Mother's day or just a regular Sunday, any day is a good day to call your mom and thank her for everything she has done for you.
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Want to learn more about Alzheimer's care, memory improvement, healthy living, updates on Alzheimer's disease and much more. Sign up for Melabev's e-newsletter by sending an e-mail to melabev1@gmail.com requesting to be added to the mailing list.
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We are now between Yom HaAzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim when the city streets are still festooned with blue and white flags flapping in the wind. But what about those elderly people who don't have much opportunity to leave their homes. How can they enjoy this festive time? How can they be proud to see the flag of the country they helped to establish flying high above?
Melabev's "Moked 109" takes care of them as well whether with phone calls during the week to ask "How are you today" or special activities for holidays these elders feel that someone cares. This year for Yom HaAzmaut students from the youth organization "Acharei"-Kiryat Yearim were organized to bring flags to the elders in their own homes. Below you can read more about the project as well as a thank you note from the representative of the students.
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