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12 • OCTOBER 2020 - Senior Voice of Citrus County Health Connections
12 • OCTOBER 2020 - Senior Voice of Citrus County
Coping with Dementia
Coping with Dementia

Watch your Vitamin D

By Debbie breathing. He was so tired, “sunless!” When he realized Low Vitamin D had an
Selsavage there were days he could this, his depression suddenly extreme affect on my friend
barely find the strength to made sense. and attention to that deficit
I have a get out of bed. Breathing caused a quick recovery. It
friend who tests and CT scans showed I began to think about how leads me to make the simple
spent a 35- that his lung disease had not quarantine has affected people suggestion that care partners
year career progressed, but he felt so bad living with dementia. With everywhere at least look at
in a northern that he became convinced he memory care and assisted this issue and ask for D-level
state, was dying. living communities locked testing. It could result in an
and each year struggled down, we are seeing those improvement in quality of
with seasonal depression, When time rolled around for with dementia decline more life, and in the absence of a
especially in the gray months routine bloodwork, it was rapidly than usual. Isolation, cure, quality of life is the only

of January and February. discovered that his Vitamin loneliness, and separation gift we can give our loved
Once retired, he headed for D level was extremely low. from their loved ones is ones living with dementia.
sunny Florida. It was not just He started a daily Vitamin resulting in more rapid loss
the cold and snow he was D supplement, and soon of weight, verbal skills, Debbie Selsavage is a
tired of. It was those sunless his fatigue was gone, his cognition, and morale. Certified Trainer and
months when his spirits mood improved, and his I have begun to wonder Consultant in the Positive
crashed. breathing eased. He had to what extent Vitamin D Approach to Care, and
been experiencing severe a Certified Dementia
A few years after moving to depression, but how was this deficiency can account for Practitioner. Her company,

Florida, he was diagnosed possible in sunny Florida, and at least part of this decline. Coping with Dementia LLC,
with an autoimmune lung why now? Yes, I realize dementia is is dedicated to making life
disorder, which his doctor progressive by nature, but better for individuals living
has been able to manage Due to his lung condition, wouldn’t it be an interesting with dementia. Contact
with medication. Everything my friend self-isolated to the and simple solution if we Debbie at deb@coping.today
seemed to be going well until extreme when COVID-19 could eliminate at least part to learn about free support
this spring when suddenly he arrived last winter, and his of this decline with better groups on line.
became fatigued and began new quarantine-based lifestyle attention to Vitamin D?
to experience difficulty had become pretty much

Free, Discounted Mammograms

Available at CMH in October

Citrus Memorial Hospital will Local 4562, the first 33 Once the complimentary risk factors.
offer both free and discounted uninsured women to schedule mammograms are scheduled, Screening mammograms
3D mammograms to a screening mammogram for uninsured patients will be can be scheduled by calling
uninsured patients in October October will receive their offered $60 3D mammograms 877-351-7012. The Citrus

at its Breast Imaging Center 3D mammogram free of through the month of October. Memorial Breast Imaging
of Excellence in Inverness. charge. These mammograms Annual mammograms are Center of Excellence is
are funded by the fire
As part of a partnership union’s 2019 Breast Cancer recommended beginning located at 131 S. Citrus Ave.,

with the Citrus County Awareness Month t-shirt sale. at age 40 for average risk Inverness.
Professional Firefighters patients or earlier based on