Page 14 - 060120 Senior Voice Citrus24 proof 4

14 • OCTOBER 2020 - Senior Voice of Hernando County Health Connections
14 • OCTOBER 2020 - Senior Voice of Hernando County
Coping with Dementia

Watch your Vitamin D

By Debbie barely find the strength to quarantine has affected people and attention to that deficit
Selsavage get out of bed. Breathing living with dementia. With caused a quick recovery. It
tests and CT scans showed memory care and assisted leads me to make the simple
I have a that his lung disease had not living communities locked suggestion that care partners
friend who progressed, but he felt so bad down, we are seeing those everywhere at least look at
spent a 35- that he became convinced he with dementia decline more this issue and ask for D-level
year career was dying. rapidly than usual. Isolation, testing. It could result in an
in a northern loneliness, and separation improvement in quality of
state, When time rolled around for from their loved ones is life, and in the absence of a
and each year struggled routine bloodwork, it was resulting in more rapid loss cure, quality of life is the only
with seasonal depression, discovered that his Vitamin of weight, verbal skills, gift we can give our loved
especially in the gray months D level was extremely low. cognition, and morale. ones living with dementia.
of January and February. He started a daily Vitamin
Once retired, he headed for D supplement, and soon I have begun to wonder Debbie Selsavage is a

sunny Florida. It was not just his fatigue was gone, his to what extent Vitamin D Certified Trainer and
the cold and snow he was mood improved, and his deficiency can account for Consultant in the Positive
tired of. It was those sunless breathing eased. He had at least part of this decline. Approach to Care, and
months when his spirits been experiencing severe Yes, I realize dementia is a Certified Dementia
crashed. depression, but how was this progressive by nature, but Practitioner. Her company,
possible in sunny Florida, and wouldn’t it be an interesting Coping with Dementia LLC,
A few years after moving to why now? and simple solution if we is dedicated to making life
Florida, he was diagnosed could eliminate at least part better for individuals living
with an autoimmune lung Due to his lung condition, of this decline with better with dementia. Contact

disorder, which his doctor my friend self-isolated to the attention to Vitamin D? Debbie at deb@coping.today
has been able to manage extreme when COVID-19 to learn about free support
with medication. Everything arrived last winter, and his Low Vitamin D had an groups on line.
seemed to be going well until new quarantine-based lifestyle extreme affect on my friend
this spring when suddenly he had become pretty much
became fatigued and began “sunless!” When he realized
to experience difficulty this, his depression suddenly
breathing. He was so tired, made sense.
there were days he could I began to think about how

B ay front Health

Urgent Care Opens

Bayfront Health Urgent Care, located in Timber Pines Plaza
just off Commercial Way in Spring Hill at 2703 Forrest Rd., is
now open.

Bayfront Health Urgent Care offers convenient, professional
walk-in medical care. Treatments are available for a wide
range of injuries and illnesses and both imaging and lab
services are onsite. The clinic offers extended hours, is open
on the weekend and an appointment is never needed.

To learn more, visit BayfrontBrooksville.com/urgent-care.