Corrections officer charged in jail smuggling

A corrections officer has been arrested and charged with smuggling drugs and cigarettes to inmates inside the Nassau County jail, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced Friday.

The district attorney said the officer, Luke Holland, 42, of Levittown, was arraigned last week in First District Court in Hempstead, where he pleaded not guilty and was released on bail. He is scheduled to appear again on Feb. 27.

He has been suspended without pay by the Nassau County Sheriffs Department, Rice said.

The corrections officer was one of four people -- a jail visitor and two inmates also were arrested -- charged in two separate probes into smuggling operations at the facility. Officials said drugs, cigarettes and a cell phone were among the items smuggled into the jail between December 2006 and August 2007.

"I find these allegations against the corrections officer appalling," Rice said in a prepared statement released Friday. "He's a public servant sworn to protect us all.

"He violated the public trust and he put making a buck for himself ahead of the public."

Neither Holland nor his attorney could immediately be reached for comment.

Rice said Holland was paid directly, in cash, as well as by the transferring of commissary funds to others who then wired payments to him, for smuggling marijuana, the painkiller OxyContin and cigarettes to inmates.

The district attorney alleged Holland received "in excess of $9,000" over a nine-month period for the goods.

He was charged with second-degree receiving reward for official misconduct, a Class E felony carrying a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

A separate probe also led to the arrest of former inmates John Thompson, 25, of Roosevelt, and Michael Price, 28, of Brentwood, Rice said.

A Roosevelt woman, identified as Sherri Martin, 22, the girlfriend of Thompson, also was arrested in the probe.

All were charged with first-degree promoting prison contraband, a Class D felony carrying a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison.

Officials said Martin smuggled a cell phone into the Nassau County Correctional Facility, giving it to Thompson as he awaited sentencing on a drug possession conviction.

Before being sent to upstate Franklyn Correctional Institute to serve a 42-month sentence, Rice said Thompson gave the cell phone to Price -- a federal prisoner who was awaiting sentencing on a felony weapons possession charge. The phone was discovered before Price was transferred to Schuylkill Federal Correctional Institute in Pennsylvania last April.

He is serving an 80-month sentence.

Thompson was arrested in jail on Monday, Rice said, and was scheduled to be arraigned Friday. Price was arrested Jan. 9 and is scheduled to be transferred to Nassau County on Feb. 5, officials said.

Martin surrendered Friday.

Springfield Police Arrest High-Ranking Latin Kings Member

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (abc40) -- The Springfield Police Department's Street Crime Unit arrested a high-ranking member of the Latin Kings gang on Thursday.

Sgt. John Delaney said police found Joseph N. Belliveau, 21, of 54 Silver Street Springfield hiding out at 249 Garnett Street

Belliveau, known as "King Joe", was recently released from Ludlow Jail and had already committed crimes and had warrants for his arrest. Police received information on where he was hiding and responded. The officers found him carrying Oxycontin, which he admitted that he chews daily.

Belliveau also had default warrants for assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, possession of heroin, possession of cocaine and possession of Oxycontin.

Confidence

Want to feel good about your work, your family . . . yourself? Try picking up that chin and pulling back those shoulders.

That's right -- carry yourself with confidence. Studies have found that people who consciously improve their posture actually end up improving their self-esteem. And it's one of the keys to

Confidence Carry-Over
When you carry yourself with confidence, not only do you feel better about yourself, but you make a better impression on other people, too. You know, like that new boss you're dying to impress.

The Surround-Sound Life
Another key to standing tall on life's tilt-a-wheel ride? Living a balanced, 360° life, says Cathie Black, president of Hearst Magazines and mom of two. That means maintaining equilibrium between work and everything else. Sure, you can constantly pull 80-hour work weeks, but you won't produce your best stuff if you do. Spending time with family, meeting new people, taking trips -- having a life outside the office -- is necessary in order to fuel your creative energies and recharge yourself.

You also need to ask yourself what you want most out of life, says Black -- not once, but often, because the person you are at 21 is very different from the person you are at 35, 47, or 61. Priorities, dreams, and goals change. Refocus and go after yours!



RealAge Benefit: Taking care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge up to 16 years younger.

Opiate Treatment

Opiate Treatment:

Freedom from addiction and dependence is the goal of any opiate treatment. A wide range of in-patient and out-patient programs, services and treatments are available for people who are addicted to opioids including heroin and prescription painkillers such as morphine, OxyContin, Fentanyl, Lorcet and Lortab.

New advancements in the field of addiction are always on the horizon, as researchers, doctors and detox programs try to find solutions to the growing problem. Because of their addictive nature, opiates can lead to dependence, tolerance and addiction if used persistently. Opiates are considered the most effective in terms of pain relief. Oftentimes, people can take them safely in the prescribed amount. Prolonged, persistent use can lead to tolerance, dependence and addiction. Because opiates have a high rate of relapse, medically-supervised treatment is often necessary.
Drug Detox

Opiates can have severe withdrawal symptoms for those who use continuously. Because of this, most patients need to undergo detoxification to rid the system of opiates. Often the first step in a drug rehab program, detox could include any number of intervention strategies aimed at ridding users of addictive substances. Whatever detox process is used, the goal is to lessen the drugs’ physical effects on users.

Detox itself isn’t designed to target the other complex aspects of addiction, including psychological, social and behavioral health. Detox is often paired with other therapies to address these issues. Most detox programs begin by evaluating the patient to see if the drug is present in the body and whether there are other medical or psychological issues to address.

In some cases, stabilizing the patient requires medication to ease the physical and mental symptoms common with many drugs. Many programs offer “substitution therapy,” where opiate addiction is treated by other opiate-based drugs including Suboxone and Subutex. Because some of these replacement opiates can be addictive, patients often need to be weaned a second time.
Rapid Drug Detox

Researchers are always looking for a new way to treat an old problem. Programs that offer rapid detox do so in the hopes that quickly treating the addiction will have a better outcome in terms of patient abstinence. Not all rapid detox programs are designed the same or offer the same results. The Waismann Method of Accelerated Neuro-Regulation launched in 1997 and has treated thousands of patients world-wide with much success. Patients sleep comfortably under light anesthesia while special medications cleanse the drugs from their opiate receptors. With this in-hospital procedure, patients can return to a normal life within days.

Accelerated withdrawal symptoms occur within hours instead of days, as with traditional methods. Once patients wake up, they are no longer physically dependent on opiates and they are unaware of the withdrawal that occurred during the procedure. After-care is closely monitored and patients are prescribed a daily dose of non-addictive Naltrexone, an opiate inhibitor to eliminate physical cravings for opiates. The procedure helps patients detox from opiates including Vicodin, Norco, heroin, LAAM, Dilaudid, Darvocet, Percocet, Percodan, MS Contin, Stadol, Suboxone, Buprenorphine and Tramadol.
Get Help Now

Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Team can free you from your dependency and get your life back.

* Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353

Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com

Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine.

Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine.

McDowell authorities arrest three, confiscate quantity of oxycodone

CARETTA — A strike force made up of deputies of the McDowell County Sheriff’s Department, the Southern Regional Drug & Violent Crime Task Force and officers of the Appalachian HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) executed a search warrant on a McDowell County residence and recovered illegal drugs, cash and made three arrests.

“We started at about 1:30 a.m. Friday morning,” Chief Field Deputy Mark Shelton of the McDowell County Sheriff’s Department said. “We had investigated the group and their operations for a while, obtained a search warrant for a residence at No. 5 Hollow in Caretta, and executed the warrant.

“We found a large quantity of oxyContin, about 700 pills,” Shelton said. “We also recovered $5,500 in cash and made three arrests including two people from Miami, Fla. Through the investigation, we believe that the people from Miami set up shop at the Caretta residence.”

Police arrested Eddie Kennedy, 38, of Caretta, Jeremias Johnson, 33, and Katricia Cravatt, 20, both of Miami and charged each suspect with conspiracy and possession of illegal drugs with the intent to deliver.

All three suspects appeared before McDowell County Magistrate Steve Cox who set bond for each at $100,000 per person. The three were being held in McDowell County Friday morning, awaiting transport to Southwest Regional Jail, according to Shelton.

— Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com

Police: White Jetta seen at robberies

The robber responsible for at least two of the armed robberies carried out at pharmacies in the Rutland area may have been driving a white Volkswagen Jetta, State Police said Wednesday.

In robberies at the Rite Aid in Rutland on Dec. 31, and drug stores in West Rutland and Whitehall, N.Y. on Jan. 5, witnesses reported that a lone gunman in his early 20s entered the stores and demanded OxyContin and oxycodone — powerful painkillers — before fleeing on foot.

But police investigators have long suspected that the gunman relied on more than fancy footwork to get away.

On Wednesday, State Police reported that the gunmen may have been driven away from the CVS drugstore robbed in that community by another man behind the wheel of a white Jetta circa 1993 to 1998.

State Police in Vermont reported that a man who was in the area of the Whitehall robbery saw a white Jetta with two men in the vehicle parked "suspiciously" on a street directly next to the pharmacy in a loading dock area.

Police believe the gunman responsible for robbing the CVS in Whitehall is the same assailant who later held up the Rite Aid pharmacy in West Rutland on the same night.

State Police said the Jetta seen at the Whitehall robbery was square shaped with no aftermarket body add-ons and no outstanding marks or rust.

The man behind the wheel of the Jetta was tanned with dark mid-length hair that curled at the ends, clean shaven and possibly in his early to mid 20s.

The gunman involved in the Whitehall and West Rutland robberies is described as roughly 18 to 20 years old, clean shaven with a baby face. Witnesses told police the gunman is between 5 feet 11 inches and 6 feet 3 inches tall with closely cropped dirty blond to brown hair.

Anyone with information about the car or the suspects is asked to call Detective Sgt. Albert Abdelnour at 773-9101.

Task force taking group approach to opiate problem

With the abuse of prescription drugs like oxycontin on the rise, a community task force has been established to address the problems arising from the increasing amount of opiate addiction in Rainy River District and First Nations’ communities.
OPP Insp. Dave Lucas, who last week was appointed as the new detachment commander of the Kenora OPP, informed delegates at the Ontario Association of Police Service Boards Zone 1 semi-annual meeting here in Fort Frances that representatives from pharmacies, aboriginal agencies, counselling services, dental offices, prevention programs, police services, and health care have come together to discuss the problem—and are trying to find both short-term and long-term solutions.

Inspector Lucas admitted he didn’t know much about this kind of opiate abuse until two years ago, when it became very clear it was a problem in Rainy River District.
“I asked myself, ‘Why didn’t I know about this if it is such a huge issue?’” he remarked, adding it quickly became evident there are no regulations to control how these drugs are prescribed.

“I was very dismayed when I saw hundreds of communities in North America where there had been epidemics, and here we are, we finally catch up, and we really haven’t learned anything from what has already happened,” added Insp. Lucas. “I was pretty disappointed with that.

“So we asked ourselves, ‘At what point do you say we have a problem?’
“Every community has a drug problem, there’s drugs in every community,” he stressed. “But at what point do you say, ‘This has become such an epidemic that we have to have community integrated response?’”

Inspector Lucas said that in early 2008, he met with Lori Maki, vice-president of clinical services at Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc., and they decided to get together community partners to see if everyone was experiencing strong indicators of opiate addiction here.

From a law enforcement perspective, police saw a rash of break-and-enters, both real and staged by people who were prescribed drugs, sold them, and then reported their drugs stolen so they could get more.

They also had problems with prisoners who claimed to be on oxycontin for a real medical condition, but if given the chance would crush and snort it like an addict.
Pharmacies have reported problems with stolen prescriptions, forgery, and people trying to get a prescription filled at one pharmacy and then trying to get it filled at another, as well.

Pharmacists also have had to deal with the question of whether their customers are taking their drugs—or selling them.

Police also have been called to pharmacies when suspicious people have been reported there around closing time, potentially endangering staff.

Insp. Lucas said the emergency department at the hospital has seen “pregnant women, addicted newborns, and a lot of trauma related to the use of this drug,” adding that because of this, emergency physicians no longer will administer oxycontin because of the desperate antics of addicts.

He noted doctors and dentists also have seen a rise in the number of patients asking for oxycontin prescriptions, and the number of people seeking methadone treatment continues to increase here—with the latest numbers estimated at nearly 100.

Inspector Lucas also said there has been a marked increase in the demand for drug counselling, especially for those under 18 years of age. One counsellor indicated 80 percent of their clients were opiate addicts.

Inspector Lucas said the problem also has prompted the formation of Parents Against Illicit Narcotics (PAIN), a group lobbying for drug treatment for youths.

Meanwhile, social services have reported child neglect issues associated with opiate abuse while the Canadian Mental Health Association has reported clients, who are legitimately on medications, being harassed by drug dealers.

With opiate abuse clearly identified as a problem here, Insp. Lucas said the task force has since come together and currently consists of about 30 members working together for an integrated community response, with room for growth.

The task force currently is focusing its attention on four “pillars,” including law enforcement, prevention, education, and treatment, with various community members assigned to each pillar.

For example, goals under law enforcement include education of the judiciary and police, revamping court case management to “red flag” drug offenders causing the most harm to the community, work with probation and parole services, getting a member of the OPP drug enforcement section to join the pillar, and contributing to an opiates task force pamphlet.

The task force’s next meeting is in February, at which time the various pillars will report what they think needs to be done.

“[The task force] is kind of in its inception, but I feel it is going to be very successful once we start working together,” said Inspector Lucas, adding he feels it is possible to make a difference.

Kim Metke, owner of Pharmasave and the Fort Frances Clinic Dispensary, agreed opiate abuse is a big problem here, adding he’s aware of at least one dealer in his own neighborhood.

“It is right here, right now,” he stressed.

As reported in last week’s Times, Metke still is planning to open a methadone treatment centre in Fort Frances this spring (it will be located at the former Home Suite Home furniture store on Scott Street).

He explained that methadone treatment is essentially replacing one opiate with another, but the difference is methadone is a slow release opiate and the patient does not get high off it.

The purpose of the treatment is not so much to cure the addict as it is about reduction of harm, noted Metke, adding addicts have described withdrawal as having the worst case of the ’flu multiplied by a hundred and they will stop at nothing to get their next fix.

“We are trying to stop these people from going into withdrawal and therefore not have to involve themselves in these drug-seeking activities, which are mostly break-and-enters,” he noted.

“Will they do muggings? Will they do purse snatchings? Will they do just about anything you could name of?

“Yeah, and some I couldn’t even think of,” remarked Metke.

As such, he’s putting in a methadone clinic not so much as a treatment facility but to help protect the community at large.

While many asked why doctors continue to write prescriptions for oxycontin when it is so addictive and prone to abuse, Metke said one of the problems is there currently are no strong guidelines to monitor who is getting these drugs.

He suggested communities get together and lobby the Ontario Medical Association to make changes.
On the same note, Insp. Lucas said that while the police continue to investigate other types of drug trafficking here, what makes oxycontin and the like so frustrating to deal with is it is a prescription drug.
“We should be able to control this,” he noted.
Held at La Place Rendez-Vous, 40-50 delegates from police services boards from Marathon to the Manitoba border met for registration and a mix-and-mingle last Wednesday evening, then attended workshops and underwent training all day Thursday and Friday morning.
These included a presentation by U.S. Customs regarding the Department of Homeland Security, one on Safe Communities Rainy River District, another on Treaty #3 police operations, and how the Treaty #3 Police Service interacts with other police service boards and the OPP.
Other presentations included one on dealing with students by local OPP community services officer Cst. Anne McCoy, one regarding the relationship between police services boards and municipal councils, and another covering parents taking an active role in their children’s online safety.

Pre-Teen Menstration

When you first get your period, you may feel happy about entering womanhood, scared about how to deal with it, relieved or worried about the timing, or all of the above. This is perfectly normal. Usually, girls start getting their period (menstruating) between ages 10 and 13, or at the same age their mom or other relatives got theirs, though it can also be younger or older than this. If you have an older sister, it can give you a clue about when you'll get yours. If you are worried about when you got your period or when you'll get it, you should talk to your mom and/or your doctor.

* Menstrual Cycle
* PMS
* Feminine Products
* Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)
* Conclusion

Menstrual Cycle

Your menstrual cycle usually lasts about 28 days, give or take a few. This means that you should get your period about every 3 1/2 or 4 weeks. When you first get your period it can be a little wacky, like skipping a month or coming after only 21 days. After a while, your cycle will probably become more predictable.

Your menstrual cycle:

* Your cycle technically begins on the day you start bleeding
* This "bleeding" is your body shedding the lining of the uterus, which was not needed because you were not pregnant.
* The bleeding (your period) lasts on average two to seven days.
* The second day is sometimes heaviest.
* You only lose about 1/4 cup blood during your period (although it can seem like more).
* During your cycle, between your periods, your ovaries release an egg. If the egg isn't fertilized (pregnancy), it is released during your period and your cycle starts all over again.
* About 28 days after you got your period, you'll get it again

You may notice that before your period you are cranky or achy, or just feel sick. This is because of the changing levels of hormones in your body and is called premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
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PMS

PMS can include:

* Cramps in your lower stomach and or back
* Feeling nauseous
* Migraines or headaches
* Oilier skin or more acne
* Feeling moody or irritable
* Bloating -- feeling puffier or heavier than usual (because your body retains more water before your period)

How to deal with PMS:

* Exercise -- you'll feel better, even if you have cramps or don't feel like exercising
* Eat fewer foods with salt, caffeine or sugar (salt makes you retain more water; sugar and caffeine just give you more highs and lows, which can make mood swings worse)
* Try yoga, stretching or massage
* Take a warm shower or bath, or just rest and relax
* If you feel really bad and the tips above don't help much or at all, talk with a parent about taking painkillers

If you miss your period it could just be because your cycle is irregular. A missed period could also be caused by moderate weight loss, an eating disorder, over-exercise or pregnancy. If you miss your period, talk to your parents, another trusted adult or your doctor.
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Feminine Products

FlowersWhile you have your period, you want to absorb the flow of blood in order to stay clean. There are different options, and your mom, sister or other older female friend/relative can help you decide what's best for you.

Pads
Pads (sometimes called sanitary napkins) stick to your underwear and absorb the flow of blood once it leaves your body. The come in many sizes, thicknesses and widths, so you may have to experiment to find the best one for you. Dried menstrual blood can start to smell after a while and after it has dried, so depending on how strong your flow is, you should change your pad every few hours (just use a thicker one at night and it should last you all night).

Tampons
Tampons are inserted into the vagina with a plastic or cardboard applicator or with a finger. They absorb the blood before it leaves the body. Tampons have a string attached so they can be pulled out. When you insert a tampon, you shouldn't be able to feel that it's there. If it's uncomfortable, you probably inserted it incorrectly. It usually takes a few tries, but it's okay to ask your sister, mom or older female friend/relative for help.
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Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)

Tampons have a few advantages over pads -- you can swim with them in, they are less messy and there's less odor. It is very important to change tampons often, meaning every few hours, or when they are full. You shouldn't sleep in a tampon. Leaving a tampon in for too long can cause bacteria to grow inside your body and lead to toxic shock syndrome (TSS), an infection that can feel like the flu but become dangerous. It can be deadly if you don't get treated right away.

The symptoms of TSS include:

* Peeling skin
* Fever
* Feeling like you have the flu (nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, feeling confused or disoriented)
* Body aches (muscle pain, headaches)
* Sore throat
* Pale skin

Talk to your parents or your doctor if you have these symptoms and have been wearing a tampon.
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Conclusion

In conclusion, your period will probably come when your body is ready, which is different for everybody. You can know when to expect it and how to deal with it when it comes by talking with your friend(s), parent(s), sister(s), relatives or doctor. It is important to ask someone if you are worried or concerned.
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Girls in a boat
By Katie Ransohoff, High School Student Writer


Sources:
"Periods: Menstrual Cycle," PAMF.

Caring for your Aging Parent

What is healthy aging?

Getting older is a natural part of life. How you will feel as you get older depends on many things, including what health problems run in your family and the choices you make. If you take good care of your body and learn positive ways to deal with stress now, you can slow down or even prevent problems that often come with getting older.

It’s never too early or too late to change bad habits and start good ones. No matter when you start, a healthy lifestyle can make a difference in how you feel and what you can do.
What determines how healthy you will be as you get older?

The changes you'll go through as you get older depend on a number of things. One is your family history (genetics). If your family members have diseases or ongoing (chronic) health problems like high blood pressure or diabetes, then you may have a greater chance of having those problems yourself. But just because your risk is higher, it doesn't mean you will definitely have the same problems. In fact, the lifestyle choices you make can help reduce your chances of getting illnesses that run in your family. And even if you do get a family illness, choosing to exercise, eat right, and learning to deal with stress can keep the illness from destroying your ability to enjoy your golden years.
What kinds of changes should you expect as you age?

Changes as you get older are usually gradual. Certain physical changes are common. Your metabolism (how fast your body can burn calories) slows over time, which means that your body needs less food energy than before. Also, most people start needing reading glasses between ages 40 and 50, and many have some hearing loss later in life. Starting in your 50s, bone aging increases. Also starting around age 50, you may notice changes in sexual function—it's normal to have a slower sexual response.

Most vital organs gradually become less efficient with age. The kidneys are less able to keep enough water in your body. And the heart can start to show signs of wear and tear caused by years of eating the wrong foods and not exercising. So as you get older, it’s important to exercise, drink plenty of water, and eat the right foods. Doing these things will help your body work well for a longer period of time.
What do you need to do to feel your best as you age?

One of the most important things you can do for your health at any age is exercise. Exercise keeps your body strong, and it helps with how you feel. People who stay active are less likely to get depressed. Exercise can be anything from walking to gardening to working out at the gym. The important thing is to be active almost every day. No matter what your age or condition, there is a type of exercise that's right for you. Always ask your doctor whether it is safe for you to start an exercise program.

Your mental and emotional health are also important. Protect or improve your emotional health by staying in touch with friends, family, and the community. People who feel connected to others are more likely to thrive than those who are not. And try to keep stress at a minimum. In addition to getting regular exercise, you can take charge of how stress affects you by taking 20 minutes a day to just relax.

Protect or improve your memory and mental sharpness by keeping your brain active through learning, doing crossword puzzles, or playing cards or strategy games. Depression can be a serious problem for older adults. If you think you may be depressed, seek help—antidepressant medicine and counseling can help treat depression.

Other good health habits can help you stay at your best:

* Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Avoid salty foods and foods with a lot of fat in them, such as fried foods.

* Remember that sexually transmitted diseases can affect anyone at any age, so safe sex is a must.

* If you smoke, try to quit.

* Don't abuse alcohol or drugs.

Memory Exercises

Memory loss is a fact of life for people with Alzheimer's disease. It's also quite common in people who've had traumatic brain injuries. Some of the memory training techniques used with brain-injured people are also proving helpful to people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) — a disorder that often precedes Alzheimer's disease.

What types of memory training techniques are you studying?

We're using monthly pocket calendars, small enough to fit in a man's pocket or a woman's purse. Each day on the calendar is divided into scheduled events, things to be done today but at no particular time, and then notes on anything — like the weather forecast or the fact that grapes are on sale at the supermarket.

This type of memory training system has been successful with people who have had memory loss from brain injuries. We're testing it with people who have mild cognitive impairment. While the physical causes of their memory problems are different, the practical outcome is the same. And the system seems to work for both.
What's the difference between mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's?

Mild cognitive impairment is a transition stage between the cognitive changes of normal aging and the more serious problems caused by Alzheimer's disease. It often includes the memory loss problems common to Alzheimer's, but doesn't meet the qualifications for full-blown dementia.

While many people who have mild cognitive impairment go on to develop Alzheimer's, others don't. So a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment doesn't necessarily mean you will certainly develop Alzheimer's.

Because the cognitive problems are less severe in MCI, there is greater opportunity to use non-memory skills to compensate for memory problems.
How do people with memory problems remember to use the calendar?

We work with them for six weeks, so that it becomes a habit. It's kind of like driving a stick shift or typing on a computer keyboard. You don't think about all the motions involved in the process. You don't say to yourself, "OK, now I'm going to depress the clutch with my left foot and move the shifter with my right hand." You just do it. One of our participants compared it to golfing. He doesn't think about how to position his head or his hips. He just does it.

In addition to writing things in the calendar, we also ask our participants to look at their calendars at least twice a day. Three times is even better. At breakfast, they can look over what they're supposed to do that day. They need to check the day before, too, to see if there are any unfinished tasks that need to be carried forward.

We also tell them to check things off right when they do it. So even if they don't remember doing something — if it's checked off, they must have done it.
Does just writing things down help people remember?

Writing it down helps it stick in your memory. Saying it out loud as you're writing it down also can help cement it in your memory. I tell people to use all their senses to help jog their memory. I had a big test to study for recently, and I said things out loud and had color-coded reminder notes. I even drew pictures. The good thing about this calendar is that it can encompass whatever works for you.
This sounds helpful even for people who don't have memory loss problems.

This can benefit all sorts of people. I personally never kept a calendar until this. I got a planner and followed right along with the study participants. Lots of people need something like this. For example, they'll get a phone call and then jot a phone number on the newspaper and then throw the paper away.

One of our participants came in with a big stack of Post-it notes and scraps of paper, all bound together with a rubber band. We've just translated that into one system, so people can find what they need easily when they need it.
Is it working for the people in your study?

Almost every person in the study has said that it has helped them. That has been very satisfying. Some people are still at it after more than a year. That's really something, to have people change the way they do things and have it stick.

Every person who participates in this study is accompanied by a support person, usually a spouse or child. And these support people often say, "It's so nice not to have to answer the same question over and over."
Are there other benefits?

It helps make our participants feel a little bit more independent — that they don't have to rely on other people to remember things for them.

This system also gives them a way of feeling they are doing something pro-active. Many people feel the control slipping out of their fingers. By giving them back some personal responsibility and control, it's really making a difference in that individual. It's hitting both needs at the same time.
How long does this technique hold off the types of memory lapses that lead to loss of independence?

We don't know yet. In my mind, it's a "use it or lose it" scenario. You need to keep your brain engaged in attending to these things, or they're gone.

This is basically a holding maneuver. Some people may think they don't need it now, that they're functioning OK. But it's like muscle memory. If they get it to become a habit, it will help them be prepared for that day when they really do need it.