Happy New Year 2021

I had to take a break from blogging and other activities in mid-December as my home was in need of some repairs.

Moreover, my  PC has to be replaced ( haven't done that yet) as its old operation system XP gets no technical support any more. I definitely have to have Windows 10.

Now, we've entered third Lockdown for a period of at  least two weeks . 

Hopefully, new mutations won't make covid -19  vaccine a joke, as in the case of the flu- vaccine. The later has to be administered to people every year according to the virus mutation of that year. There are still many deaths in the world following flu complications with or without the vaccine, and yet pharma companies get richer and richer with their product.

Anyway, right now the covid-19 vaccines seem to be the only ray of light at the end of the dark tunnel, at least on the medical front. (So far, two  mutations of the virus have been spotted: in Britain, and in India).

No idea what's going to happen on the other major fronts: economic, social, educational. Not good things, I'm afraid.  Coronavirus has revealed to us the true face of so-called democracy: utter lack of discipline on one hand  (citizens) versus total incompetence on the other hand (governments).

Not a matter of human rights here, but of human greed and stupidity.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Duta

Two Women

 

No, it's not about the famous italian movie 'Two Women' with Sophia Loren (widow), and her daughter, who had to leave Rome during the war.

My post is about two former neighbors of mine (rip), mother (widow) and daughter who had both Alzheimer.

What I've learned from their sad case is that genetics, even though it is inescapable,  can nevertheless  be delayed  -  provided the other two  factors on the pyramid, stress and nutrition, are kept under control. Nutrition is the easy part. We definitely can control it. Stress, is another matter; it  is not entirely in our hands. Sometimes, people have to leave home and/or work, , in order to survive, as stress in these places is too much for them; it kills.

The mother , a widow, lived alone in a small flat. Was of a calm nature and led a quiet, uneventful life. She got diagnosed with Alzheimer in her mid-seventies.When the disease progressed, she was placed in an adequate facility, where she was taken good care of. She was well over 90 when she passed.

The daughter lived with her husband and two teenage girls in an adjacent building. She had a stressful life, especially because of conflicts with her husband. Unfortunately for her, he retired early from work, and was constantly at home, doing nothing but criticizing her.

She was diagnosed with Alzheimer in her mid sixties, some ten years earlier than her mother. After getting diagnosed, she was given a live-in home carer.

Sometimes, I used to see her  with the carer outside , and it broke my heart. I 'd known her as a tall, talkative, active person - and there she was - her head down, not recognizing anyone, not talking, a fragment of the original person. With her, the disease progressed rapidly.

It seemed her two daughters (who'd left home but not the town) gave up on her. If they would have been there  to hug her, cuddle her, talk to her, maybe she would have felt something, reacted to love and attention, retained some form of humanity.

 * 

We come into the world alone and we leave it alone, even though there are people around us, at birth and at funerals. Those with Alzheimer not only come and leave alone, but also live alone, in a world completely their own.