Children of Gastric Bypass Patients at Risk for Eating Disorders
As parents who’ve had gastric bypass we face many challenges raising a family. Perhaps an unexpected challenge is when a child develops an eating disorder that may be exacerbated by the parents dieting habits. It turns out as our children observe us diet and fail (repeatedly) before having gastric bypass, then they watch us lose weight in an almost obsessive excitement after weight loss surgery (WLS), some panic and vow “this will not happen to me.” A descent into an eating disorder may follow.According to AnorexiaBulimaHelp “Dieting or restriction of certain foods, or excessive dieting from parents” is a contributing factor in teen and pre-teen eating disorders. In addition “The appearance obsessed society most people live in can contribute to eating disorders . . . When combined with a low self-esteem, feelings of depression or anxiety or isolation, the effects can be devastating. Eating disorders commonly erupt as a coping mechanism, as a way for people to feel more “normal” and in control in a society that isn’t really normal to begin with.”Wow. Are you worried? Growing up I watched my mother work her way up and down the scale many times. No need to name the diets she tried: we all tried them. I believe I learned from her that diet equals failure. It seems like every time she’d get to the benchmark, “this is the lowest weight I’ve been since having my first child” suddenly her weight loss would stop and back up the scale she’d climb at a rapid rate. She is morbidly obese today and no longer attempts dieting. Who can blame her?Did she know that was the lesson she was teaching me? That eventually I’d "diet" myself into morbid obesity? I don’t think so, and I don’t blame her. She didn

Wireless Broadband and IP Telephony
The advent of wireless broadband has put a new twist on people's mobility and communications. Wireless broadband connections can take many different forms. From an extension of conventional wired networks in your home or office, to wireless coverage of entire metropolitan areas, to the proliferation of WiFi hotspots all over the world - the Internet truly makes the world a global place.Wireless Broadband and IP TelephonyCompanies like Clearwire and Mobilepro Corp are connecting college campuses, even whole cities to the Internet wirelessly. Using fixed point to point, point to multipoint, and Non-Line-of-Site (NLOS) technologies, these companies can eventually cover areas of dense population that will rival the cellular networks.Worldwide, even in remote locations, WiFi hotspots only need a little electricity and a satellite uplink to connect to the world.Wireless broadband and IP telephony have the most potential in the small business and traveling community. A small business with branch offices spread around the country (or the world for that matter) could save considerably on their telecommunication expenses utilizing VoIP. As would the traveling salesperson staying at a far away hotel, more and more of which have their own wireless networks. Just pick a provider, find a hotspot and watch your phone bill drop.IP Telephony over wireless broadband is emerging as a viable alternative to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and is even encroaching on the cellular communications industry. Whereas the big cellular networks put in place by companies like Sprint and Verizon have done

When and Why Should you Secure Multiple Domains
There are many different reasons for purchasing multiple domain names, and each reason has its own set of benefits and uses.I’ve written quite extensively before about how to select the best domain name for your business. It is also a good idea to secure alternate versions of your primary domain name as a means to prevent competitors from trying to squeeze in on your name and branding efforts. Buying multiple domain names is a great strategy that can be used to capture additional type-in traffic, secure other branding avenues you may wish to pursue, or simply to prevent your competitors from securing them.Type-In TrafficMany URLs are purchased simply to capture type in traffic. Type-in traffic is when someone goes to the address bar of their web browser and types in keywords.com instead of performing a keyword search on a search engine. Securing domain names with a fair amount of type-in traffic can be a great boost to sales. If you sell bean bags, your main URL might be BarrysBeanBags.com. To capture potential type-in traffic you might also secure and redirect the following:KidsBeanBags .com BeanBagChairs .com BeanBagFurnture .comMisspellingsIt is always a good idea to secure potential misspellings of your domain name. I recently did a radio interview and at the end of the interview I provided my domain name. Unfortunately I did not take the time to actually spell it out. Upon realizing my error, I immediately went out and purchased multiple spellings of my URL to redirect to my main site.PolPositionMarketing .com PullPositionMarketing .com PollPositionMarketing .com your limitations but constantly disavow their impact on caregiving or your won well-being as a caregiver, you are likely to compromise both your own well-being and that of the person with Alzheimer’s disease. Challenge yourself to tackle things you think you cannot do, but learn to know when you are pushing too far and you and your caregiving will suffer as a result.

At the same time, know your strengths. If you are prone to expecting failure before you begin, you will experience failure. It is just as important to acknowledge your strengths as it is your weaknesses, and to capitalize on your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.

One of the toughest challenges you will face is assessing your situation realistically and adjusting your expectations accordingly. The expectation that you will be able to care for the person with Alzheimer’s disease by yourself throughout the course of his or her illness may or may not be realistic for you. It is unrealistic for most people. This does not mean that nursing facilities are the only options. You do have options, but you must be willing to avail yourself of them. If you doggedly adhere to your elevated expectations despite evidence that they are unrealistic and not working, you are damaging both yourself and your loved one who has Alzheimer’s.

Try to understand where your unrealistic expectations spring from. Perhaps you know someone who was able to independently care for a person with Alzheimer’s disease and you believe you should be able to do the same. This is a mistake. No two individuals are the same, nor are their situations. And you did not live in the house with that person – there may well have been problems with caregiving that you are not aware of and the person is not telling you about.

You may expect that it is your duty as a spouse or responsible family member to shoulder the responsibility on your own. Again, this is a mistake. Part of being a responsible and loving family member is to do what is best for everyone involved, and that includes both you and the person with Alzheimer’s. Often, caring for this person on your own will not be the best for either of you. Caregiver burnout is common and it will affect your well-being, as well as that of your loved one. It is much easier to avoid burnout when you have assessed your situation realistically, thrown the phrases “I should be…..” or “I should do…….” out the window, and set a realistic standard for yourself and the people around you.

If you find yourself caught up in a cycle wherein you feel as if you have nothing but failures, you need to find ways to break out of that cycle. Talk to friends and family members who may be able to help you engage in a reality check, including helping you to see your successes and adjust your expectations. People who have dealt with Alzheimer’s in their own family may be particularly helpful. Support groups may also be an invaluable resource at these times – either online support groups or one available in your community. People who have filled shoes similar to yours have often felt the same emotions and can be adept at helping you to achieve a greater balance in how you view your situation.

If you have faced reality and really are in a situation where failures are destined based on the circumstances, reevaluate the whole environment and the circumstances that are continually causing problems. Take a realistic look at things that you can change and what needs to be done to affect changes. This may require making difficult decisions and enlisting the help of others to help you make changes, but it may be necessary. If you are, indeed, evaluating accumulating problems realistically, the aggregation of difficulties may be an indication that significant changes are in order.

Expectations of the Person with Alzheimer’s Disease

Educate yourself about Alzheimer’s disease. Read the chapters in this book that provide information about Alzheimer’s behaviors, problems that often arise during the course of the disease, and what happens to the brain afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. Read, also, about solutions to frequently encountered problems.

Encourage the individual with Alzheimer’s to independently undertake tasks they are able to, help with those that require assistance, and learn to recognize when you must step in and do things for the person with Alzheimer’s. This may take time and some trial and error and it will change over time. If, however, your expectations do not change, you will find the individual increasingly unable to meet those demands. Make flexibility your rule.

No one wants to appear incompetent and, particularly early in the course of the disease, people cover up their defic

despite evidence that they are unrealistic and not working, you are damaging both yourself and your loved one who has Alzheimer’s.

Try to understand where your unrealistic expectations spring from. Perhaps you know someone who was able to independently care for a person with Alzheimer’s disease and you believe you should be able to do the same. This is a mistake. No two individuals are the same, nor are their situations. And you did not live in the house with that person – there may well have been problems with caregiving that you are not aware of and the person is not telling you about.

You may expect that it is your duty as a spouse or responsible family member to shoulder the responsibility on your own. Again, this is a mistake. Part of being a responsible and loving family member is to do what is best for everyone involved, and that includes both you and the person with Alzheimer’s. Often, caring for this person on your own will not be the best for either of you. Caregiver burnout is common and it will affect your well-being, as well as that of your loved one. It is much easier to avoid burnout when you have assessed your situation realistically, thrown the phrases “I should be…..” or “I should do…….” out the window, and set a realistic standard for yourself and the people around you.

If you find yourself caught up in a cycle wherein you feel as if you have nothing but failures, you need to find ways to break out of that cycle. Talk to friends and family members who may be able to help you engage in a reality check, including helping you to see your successes and adjust your expectations. People who have dealt with Alzheimer’s in their own family may be particularly helpful. Support groups may also be an invaluable resource at these times – either online support groups or one available in your community. People who have filled shoes similar to yours have often felt the same emotions and can be adept at helping you to achieve a greater balance in how you view your situation.

If you have faced reality and really are in a situation where failures are destined based on the circumstances, reevaluate the whole environment and the circumstances that are continually causing problems. Take a realistic look at things that you can change and what needs to be done to affect changes. This may require making difficult decisions and enlisting the help of others to help you make changes, but it may be necessary. If you are, indeed, evaluating accumulating problems realistically, the aggregation of difficulties may be an indication that significant changes are in order.

Expectations of the Person with Alzheimer’s Disease

Educate yourself about Alzheimer’s disease. Read the chapters in this book that provide information about Alzheimer’s behaviors, problems that often arise during the course of the disease, and what happens to the brain afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. Read, also, about solutions to frequently encountered problems.

Encourage the individual with Alzheimer’s to independently undertake tasks they are able to, help with those that require assistance, and learn to recognize when you must step in and do things for the person with Alzheimer’s. This may take time and some trial and error and it will change over time. If, however, your expectations do not change, you will find the individual increasingly unable to meet those demands. Make flexibility your rule.

No one wants to appear incompetent and, particularly early in the course of the disease, people cover up their defic

phrases “I should be…..” or “I should do…….” out the window, and set a realistic standard for yourself and the people around you.

If you find yourself caught up in a cycle wherein you feel as if you have nothing but failures, you need to find ways to break out of that cycle. Talk to friends and family members who may be able to help you engage in a reality check, including helping you to see your successes and adjust your expectations. People who have dealt with Alzheimer’s in their own family may be particularly helpful. Support groups may also be an invaluable resource at these times – either online support groups or one available in your community. People who have filled shoes similar to yours have often felt the same emotions and can be adept at helping you to achieve a greater balance in how you view your situation.

If you have faced reality and really are in a situation where failures are destined based on the circumstances, reevaluate the whole environment and the circumstances that are continually causing problems. Take a realistic look at things that you can change and what needs to be done to affect changes. This may require making difficult decisions and enlisting the help of others to help you make changes, but it may be necessary. If you are, indeed, evaluating accumulating problems realistically, the aggregation of difficulties may be an indication that significant changes are in order.

Expectations of the Person with Alzheimer’s Disease

Educate yourself about Alzheimer’s disease. Read the chapters in this book that provide information about Alzheimer’s behaviors, problems that often arise during the course of the disease, and what happens to the brain afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. Read, also, about solutions to frequently encountered problems.

Encourage the individual with Alzheimer’s to independently undertake tasks they are able to, help with those that require assistance, and learn to recognize when you must step in and do things for the person with Alzheimer’s. This may take time and some trial and error and it will change over time. If, however, your expectations do not change, you will find the individual increasingly unable to meet those demands. Make flexibility your rule.

No one wants to appear incompetent and, particularly early in the course of the disease, people cover up their defic

enlisting the help of others to help you make changes, but it may be necessary. If you are, indeed, evaluating accumulating problems realistically, the aggregation of difficulties may be an indication that significant changes are in order.

Expectations of the Person with Alzheimer’s Disease

Educate yourself about Alzheimer’s disease. Read the chapters in this book that provide information about Alzheimer’s behaviors, problems that often arise during the course of the disease, and what happens to the brain afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. Read, also, about solutions to frequently encountered problems.

Encourage the individual with Alzheimer’s to independently undertake tasks they are able to, help with those that require assistance, and learn to recognize when you must step in and do things for the person with Alzheimer’s. This may take time and some trial and error and it will change over time. If, however, your expectations do not change, you will find the individual increasingly unable to meet those demands. Make flexibility your rule.

No one wants to appear incompetent and, particularly early in the course of the disease, people cover up their deficits. While it preserves dignity, it also leads people to expect more of the person with Alzheimer’s than he or she may be able to handle. Abilities also fluctuate, sometimes from minute to minute. This may be due to a number of factors, including brain damage that is only partial and allows sporadic transmission of information. In addition, skills in various areas of functioning will be impaired or preserved to different degrees – an ability to tackle one task successfully does not mean that a task that requires slightly different skills can be accomplished. You will need to learn through some trial and error, through careful observation, and via learning about Alzheimer’s disease in general what your affected family member can safely accomplish independently and when you will need to step in and help.

Overwhelmingly the behavior problems that arise during the course of Alzheimer’s disease are due to the effects of the disease and the brain damage it causes. This is not to say, though, that a person’s characteristics are erased when they have Alzheimer’s. For example, stubbornness in an individual who is characteristically stubborn may persist. Early in the course of the disease, some behavior problems may be due to her preexisting stubbornness, to psychological factors, or may be compounded by new disease variables. Even early in the course of the disease, she will be far less able to guide and choose her behaviors than she was prior to the onset of Alzheimer’s, so you must always take the disease variable into account even very early in the disease. You will need to learn how to tell the difference between willfulness and behaviors that are more rooted in the disease. Although it is next to impossible to be right all of the time when forced to make these distinctions, it will help both you and the person with Alzheimer’s if you are as sensitive as possible to the differences between disease-based problems and the individual’s own characteristics.

In the early stages of the disease, the problems that arise may be due to more of a mixture of the person’s preexisting personality and the disease process. As the disease progresses, it is increasingly the disease that is causing problems, and during the middle and later stages, it is essentially entirely Alzheimer’s that causes the behaviors and psychopathologies that are so problematic.

Keep treating the person with Alzheimer’s in a respectful and loving way. This may seem axiomatic, but it is all too easy to talk down to a person with Alzheimer’s disease. Being treated with respect and dignity is as important to someone with Alzheimer’s as it is to anyone else, perhaps more as the disease begins to rob them of abilities. Too often people with Alzheimer’s are treated in infantile ways and it is demoralizing. Your expectations must constantly be adjusted and at times the person’s behavior will be reduced to childlike levels, particularly as the disease progresses. You will need to find a balance between empowering the person with Alzheimer’s, treating him or her with respect and dignity, and still guiding and caring for that person in ways that are similar to how you might care for a young child. Throughout, think about how you would like to be treated were you in the same position: the golden rule is a good rule of thumb.

Expectations of Others

You may believe that your friends and family will be involved in your loved one's care and in many cases they will be. Here, too, you will fare best if you throw your “should” thoughts out the window – people often do not behave as we think they “should,” and expecting people to participate in care in ways we think they “should” often leads to disappointment and anger.

As early as can be managed in your loved one's illness, it is important to put plans in place that detail what role others will play in your loved one's care. If possible, hold a family meeting to outline how each family member will contribute, the limitations to the contributions individual family members can or will make, and how to capitalize on individual strengths most effectively. Be flexible as needs may change over time. It is imperative that you tell people specific things they can do to help you when help is offered. The offer may not be repeated as time goes on. If you are the spouse of an Alzheimer’s patient, you will find the jobs that were filled by your spouse now fall on your shoulders. Regardless of how busy you become your grass will grow, gutters will clog, dust will fall, and finances will need to be handled. Seemingly unimportant little things can become major stressors if you have no one to help you.

If you are the adult child of a person with Alzheimer’s, your roles will also shift