Sweetie, your husband’s been dead for 10 years...

"A Discussion on the Etiology, Treatment, and Social Impacts of Alzheimer’s"
—hosted by Carla, Director of the Lone Jack Institute on Aging, and cleaning lady at my office

Carla: I shouldn’t complain...My cousin’s out there in Lone Jack with my aunt. She’s got the Old Timer’s disease. We think she got it from the pesticides. It’s just terrible.

Mabel: I’m not sure, but I think it’s actually pronounced Alzheimer’s.

Carla: Oh, that’s right. It’s the Latin or somethin’.

Mabel: Um...actually, I think it’s the name of the doctor. Dr. Alzheimer.

Carla: What? He invent it or somethin’?

Mabel: Once again, I’m not a 100% on this, but I think he may have been the first to recognize the symptoms as part of a disease.

Carla: Ahhh...So did it use to be called Old Timer’s?

Mabel: I don’t think so, but I guess it’s possible.

Carla: Well, whatever it’s called, it’s not good. They’ve got her on some medications that make her pee a lot. And they want her to do these mental exercises—crosswords, jumbles, and what not. But I’ll be honest with ya, she wasn’t all that good with words before she got it. I don’t know that it’s gonna do her any good now.

Mabel: You’re probably right.

For more information on Alzheimer’s, visit www.alz.org. For more information on the history of Old Timer’s, catch Carla on one of her smoke breaks (on the 8s of every hour).