As I was reviewing my blog just now, I realized that I have not posted in quite a while. I am now a caregiver for a relative with Alzheimer’s Disease and have been quite busy. My new role has given me a personal view of what it is like to live with a permanent disability. Unfortunately it has left me little time to post on my blog. There has been a great deal of news in the legal world of Social Security Disability and I have many items to write about so I hope to be returning soon on a more regular basis to post.
In the meantime, I would like to mention two items of interest to people who may be caring for an individual with Alzheimer’s. First, the Social Security Administration processes claims for an individual who has “early-onset Alzheimer’s disease” under the compassionate allowance policy. This means that the Social Security Administration acknowledges that the individual has a serious disability and will process the claim quickly and with minimal medical evidence. If you are caring for someone with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, you should assist him or her as soon as possible to apply. The income will no doubt be beneficial.
Second, from personal experience, I highly recomend joining a caregiver support group. The Alzheimer Association is a wonderful organization and can assist you in locating a group. I am pleased that I can also recommend a new online caregiver support group on Second Life©. On Monday, August 30, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. (SL time), Zsuzsa Tomsen (RL: Susan Toth-Cohen, PhD, OTR/L) will discuss best ways to manage difficult situations when caring for persons with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Zsuzsa will first summarize and discuss key strategies found most helpful for caregivers in a research study using examples from the best-selling book, The 36 Hour Day. Then, participants will be asked to share their experiences about their own “best practices” for successful negotiating and managing challenging situations in caregiving. The discussion will take place at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fatimas%20Cherished/232/85/26
I hope you will join us. If you have any questions about how to log onto Second Life and finding our group, please feel free to contact me.
