Is anybody out there...

from L to R: Mom, Me, Sis and my brother's daughter (my niece)

Hello anyone out there.  If you're reading this, you'd probably like to know a little bit about me.  My name is Evana and I'm from deep South Texas. I'm in my 30's and I have a wonderful family.  I live about 30 miles from the Mexican border, so my city is what you'd call a melting pot of customs, cuisine, people and cultures.  Although near the border of Mexico, my region's claim for fame is citrus and our Rio Grande River, but the coolest thing about where I'm from is our invention of the Botana! A botana is a platter of fried corn tortilla chips piled high with re-fried beans, cheese, fajitas, guacamole and other delicious items (sort of like nachos).   I live in one of the most obese areas in the United States, and this is probably why!  Most of the food down here is deep fried loaded with sodium, although known for citrus, it's slowly dying off and attention has been placed on fast food chains, corporate restaurants and little attention on healthy food, parks and sidewalks.

Aside from this blog, I also manage a facebook page  titled "Life with Mom" My Life with Mom Facebook page  that I started just a few months ago.  I thought it was a good idea to journal some of my experiences as a caregiver and help create awareness for the disease and that is the main point of my blog; caring for my mother with Dementia.  About 3 years ago, my mother went through severe depression and I moved her in with me in fear that she was not eating and taking care of herself.  During that time, I was working a full time job as an Arts Coordinator for the City. After a year of living with me, doctor's diagnosed her with Vascular Dementia and I decided to resign to stay home and help  mom. Most people when they hear "Dementia" they think that it's a disease in which the patient "forgets".  Although that is true, it's only a very small piece of the disease in its entirety.  It's one of the saddest, darkest things I've ever experienced.

First, in my own words I will tell you what Vascular Dementia is: a series of mini-strokes detected from the brain, causing an anurism which leads to a blood clot that ultimately resulted in lack of oxygen causing damage to the brain. 

You can read more about VD here: Click Here to read more on Vascular Dementia. My mother's mother had Dementia, so when I moved my mother in with me, I had a feeling that she was suffering from early stages of the disease, sure enough I was right.  My mother was 64 when she was first diagnosed; she's now 66 and slowly deteriorating both physically and mentally.  My mother although the same person on the inside, is a different person. She still knows me and my family by name, but has problems remembering her other children that she doesn't see as often.  Mom went from running marathons to having trouble getting out of bed on her own.  There are good and bad days, so it's hard to sum up the past few years in a paragraph, especially since I'd rather deal with her condition day to day and not think of it as long term.

In this blog, I'd like to touch on how it is dealing with the disease from my point of view,plus also examine exercise, diet, and other things.  Vascular Dementia is a silent disease that people don't talk about; it's hard having a close family member suffering and living with the disease as it changes. Taking them out becomes a difficult task so planning daily activities to do at home is a must!   Most caregivers think they are alone, and on some levels, they truly are unless they speak out; I don't want to be alone.

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