Billionaire Richard Rainwater Dies with PSP

Local support group member Lynn forwarded me a link to this article about the death on Sunday of billionaire Richard Rainwater, who had PSP.  Several years ago Mr. Rainwater began the Tau Consortium, which funds PSP and tau research at UCSF among other places.  Tau is the protein involved in PSP and CBD.  It is also one of two proteins involved in Alzheimer’s Disease.

As part of the obituary in the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, there’s a 3-minute video from January 2015 featuring Mr. Rainwater’s son and Bruce Miller, MD, of UCSF’s Memory & Aging Center.  They note that the PSP research may also benefit Alzheimer’s Disease plus CTE, the disease that football players get.

Here’s a link to the obituary:

www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article36766056.html

Fort Worth billionaire Richard Rainwater dies
by Judy Wiley
September 27, 2015
Star-Telegram

Robin

“Caregiver Dementia: Oh Yea, It’s Real.” (US News)

Someone in our local support group recently sent me this June 2015 article from US News (usnews.com) about “caregiver dementia.” The author suggests that the condition is reversible. “Until caregivers are able to take proactive steps to overcome feelings of hopelessness resulting from the stress of caring for another person,” the symptoms of disorientation, forgetfulness, and depression will continue, she says.

I’m not so sure this is true but here’s one point of view…

Here’s a link to the article:

health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/articles/2015/06/19/caregiver-dementia-oh-yea-its-real

Caregiver Dementia: Oh Yea, It’s Real.
There’s an overlooked type of dementia, and it’s more common than Alzheimer’s.
By Brenda Avadian, Contributor
June 19, 2015, at 10:50 a.m.
US News

Robin

 

“Living with Lewy Body Dementia” (US News, 9-22-15)

Today, Margaret, one of BSN’s brain donation case managers, shared this terrific article in US News & World Report on Lewy Body Dementia with me.  She knows that many of our local support group members are dealing with LBD.

Here’s a link to the article:

news.yahoo.com/living-lewy-body-dementia-164708586.html

Living With Lewy Body Dementia
US News By Samantha Costa
September 22, 2015 12:47 PM

Robin

“The Underbelly of Grief”

This article in the Huffington Post about one woman’s grief at the loss of a spouse (of 47 years) may be of interest to some of you.

There were several thought-provoking things said in this blog post — not all of which I agreed with.  Here are a few excerpts:

* “What fascinates me is that women today are more open about the pain of childbirth than they are about the pain of grief.  Grief is the new taboo. Few people openly talk about the agony of grief.”

* “I get daily calls from well-meaning folks asking how I am. I have learned never to ask a widow or widower how they are doing.”

* “There should be a pain barometer for grief. Doctors inquire about your back pain all the time. Is it a five or a seven today?”

* “I was amazed when a friend said to me, ‘I know exactly what you are going through. My mother died six months ago.’ What people don’t realize is that the loss of a spouse is different. When you lose a parent, you have siblings or family members to comfort you. When you lose a spouse, you lose your life partner and are alone.”

* “No one should look at grief before they must face it. But we should be prepared for its effect on our life. Maybe if we talk about it more, it will lessen the pain when it happens?”

Here’s a link to the article:

www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-burrows-grad/pain-of-losing-a-spouse_b_8173264.html

DEMOTED TO LUNCH: The Underbelly Of Grief
by Laurie Burrows Grad
Huffington Post
Posted: 09/22/2015 8:00 am EDT

Robin