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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2007)
Page 8 The INDEPENDENT, January 18, 2007 Wondering about Alzheimer’s? Check out these warning signs The Alzheimer’s Association offers these 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease: 1. Memory loss. Forgetting recently learned information is one of the most common early signs of dementia. A person be- gins to forget more often and is unable to recall the information later. What’s normal? Forget- ting names or appointments oc- casionally. 2. Difficulty performing famil- iar tasks. People with dementia often find it hard to plan or com- plete everyday tasks. They may lose track of the steps involved in preparing a meal, placing a telephone call or playing a game. What’s normal? Occa- sionally forgetting why you came into a room or what you planned to say. 3. Problems with language. People with Alzheimer’s dis- ease often forget simple words or substitute unusual words, making their speech or writing hard to understand. They may be unable to find the tooth- brush, for example, and instead ask for “that thing for my mouth.” What’s normal? Some- times having trouble finding the right word. 4. Disorientation to time and place. People with Alzheimer’s disease can become lost in their own neighborhood, forget where they are and how they got there, and not know how to get back home. What’s normal? Forgetting the day of the week or where you were going. 5. Poor or decreased judg- ment. Those with Alzheimer’s may dress inappropriately, wearing several layers on a warm day or little clothing in the cold. They may show poor judgment, like giving away large sums of money to tele- marketers. What’s normal? Making a questionable or de- batable decision from time to time. 6. Problems with abstract thinking. Someone with Alzhei- mer’s disease may have un- usual difficulty performing com- plex mental tasks, such as for- getting what numbers are for and how they should be used. What’s normal? Finding it chal- lenging to balance a check- book. 7. Misplacing things. A per- son with Alzheimer’s disease may put things in unusual places: an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl. What’s normal? Misplacing keys or a wallet temporarily. 8. Changes in mood or be- havior. Someone with Alzhei- mer’s disease may show rapid mood swings – from calm to tears to anger – for no appar- ent reason. What’s normal? Occasionally feeling sad or moody. 9. Changes in personality. The personalities of people with dementia can change dra- matically. They may become extremely confused. suspi- cious, fearful or dependent on a family member. What’s normal? People’s personalities do change somewhat with age. 10. Loss of initiative. A per- son with Alzheimer’s disease may become very passive, sit- ting in front of the TV for hours, sleeping more than usual or not wanting to do usual activities. What’s normal? Sometimes feeling weary of work or social obligations. Make your resolutions last, learn how at free Evening Chat session Lifestyle Changes That Last is the focus of a discussion on Wednesday, January 24, at 6:00 p.m. that will take place at Tuality Health Education Cen- ter, 334 SE Eighth Ave., Hills- boro. This is a free, no registra- tion required, 90-minute ses- sion. You really can make your resolutions last! Join Lauren Stillman-Smith, M.S. W., LCSW, and Elaine Merryfield, health and wellness education, for a fun and casual discussion about how to identify the priori- ties that count and how to stay on track by learning to manage stress in any situation. Jazzercise announces new winter schedule and Presidential awards The Presidential Council has programs available to promote active lifestyles. The Active Lifestyle program shows how to make a commitment to staying active and how to stick to it by helping each person set realis- tic goals to encourage fitness for a lifetime. The rules are sim- ple. Choose from all kinds of activities. They’ll give you a personal activity log use as a guide. Because hard work should- n’t go unrecognized, you can also earn awards. You can earn the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) by performing regular activity beyond your daily activity goal of (30 min- utes a day for adults/60 min- utes a day for youths under 18) at least five days per week, for six weeks. As an alternative, you can count your daily activi- ty steps using a pedometer. That means if you stick with the program, you can earn an award in a little over a month. So what are you waiting for? Go to www.presidentschalleng e.org for more information. Locally, Jazzercise instructor Penny Costley is offering Ver- nonia the opportunity to dance its way to a Presidential Sports Award through Jazzercise, the world’s largest dance-fitness program. The President’s Council de- veloped the Presidential Sports Award Program in 1972 in con- junction with national sports or- ganizations and associations. Its purpose is to motivate all Americans to become more physically active. The award recognizes those who have ac- cepted this challenge and have invested time and effort to meet personal fitness goals. Partici- One Week Free & $25 OFF (savings toward registration or joining fee on your first visit only) Valid for new customers or those not attending since 9/15/06. At participating locations only. Other restrictions may apply. Offer expires 1/22/07. 503-429-0196 jazzercise.com • (800)FIT-IS-IT pants will earn a Presidential Sports Award when they partic- ipate in 50 hours of Jazzercise classes within a four month pe- riod and record the hours in their Personal Fitness Log. The 60-minute Jazzercise class includes a warm-up, high- energy aerobic routines, mus- cle-toning and cool-down stretch segment. Jazzercise combines elements of dance, resistance training, Pilates, yoga, kickboxing and more to create programs for people of every age and fitness level. Al- ternative formats include Jazzercise Lite, Jazzercise Body Sculpting, Jazzercise Step, Jazzercise Plus, Jazzer- cise Circuit Training, Jazzercise Personal Touch, and Junior Jazzercise. Vernonia Jazzercise instruc- tors have announced their schedule of winter classes, in- cluding the addition of 8:00 a.m. Saturday classes, bringing the total to thirteen classes of- fered per week as of January 2007. Jazzercise instructor Penelope Costley has added the classes to accommodate new participants and to provide current participants with a greater choice of convenient class times. “I’m excited about the growth of Jazzercise locally,” said Costley. “Jazzercise offers a unique blend of fitness and jazz dance that Vernonia residents have discovered is a lot of fun. The new classes will just make it easier for participants to en- joy a workout where and when it’s convenient for them.” Costley, Burghard and Ped- ersen will teach the following Jazzercise classes: 5:45am Monday, Wednesday and Fri- day; 8:00am Saturday; 9:30am Monday thru Friday (Jazzercise Lite on Monday and Wednes- day); 7:15pm Monday thru Thursday (Jazzercise Body Sculpting on Wednesday) at The First Baptist Church 359 A Street, Vernonia. For other information on Jazzercise contact Costley at 503-429-0196. For worldwide information, go to jazzercise. com or call 1-800-FIT-IS-IT.