Forgetting

• Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often goes undiagnosed in adults — including parents — but it has a significant impact on family life.
• A parent with ADHD may struggle with time management and staying focused.

Understanding ADHD in adults

ADHD involves patterns of inattention (forgetfulness, being easily distracted), hyperactivity (fidgeting, restlessness) and impulsivity (interrupting conversations or speaking out of turn). ADHD is highly heritable, which mean parents with ADHD will often have a child with ADHD.

• An estimated eight per cent of children worldwide have ADHD, while only three per cent of adults meet criteria for ADHD.
• One reason for this difference may be that symptoms of ADHD become milder as individuals age, especially hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms.

ADHD’s impact on parenting

• Research has found that ADHD symptoms in parents are associated with harsher parenting behaviours (like yelling at a child, overreactive and severe punishments) and more lax parenting practices (like inconsistent discipline or providing few or no boundaries).
• Together, these symptoms can make it more difficult for parents to remain calm and consistent when interacting with their child.
• However, research also indicates that parents’ ADHD symptoms do not appear to impact their ability to be warm, caring, and loving.

Practical strategies for parents with ADHD

• These strategies can be difficult to maintain for parents dealing with their own ADHD.
• Here are some practical strategies that may be helpful to parents who have ADHD, or believe they might have ADHD: 1.
• Seek professional support when needed for your own symptoms of ADHD If you suspect you have ADHD but have not been diagnosed, consult a health-care professional.
• Also, parenting is a hard job that’s made even harder when you are experiencing symptoms of ADHD and/or when your child has ADHD.
• Research shows that, for individuals with high levels of ADHD symptoms, using these types of compensatory strategies was associated with fewer negative parenting practices.

• Consider how you think about your child Research suggests that parents with ADHD tend to attribute more blame to children (for instance: “my child spilled the milk on purpose”) compared to parents without ADHD.
• Remember your strengths Adults with ADHD are fully capable of being warm, loving and highly engaged parents.
• By implementing effective strategies for managing ADHD, and seeking out resources when needed, parents with ADHD can create a positive and fulfilling family life, and be a strong supportive source for their children who may be struggling with similar issues.

Sheri Madigan receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, an anonymous donor, and the Canada Research Chairs program. André Plamondon and Joanne Park do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Ōmcare is collaborating with senior care providers, like Minnesota-based Ecumen and Ohio-based Continental Senior Communities, to accelerate their home care strategy.
• "Ōmcare exists due to the rapidly aging population; high rate of medication nonadherence; a shortage of family and professional caregivers; continued increase in health care costs; the need for in-home care and aging in place;" remarked Lisa Lavin, the CEO of Ōmcare.
• Ōmcare allows health care and senior care organizations to rapidly deploy a home care strategy while simultaneously customizing the provider and patient experience to fit their brand.
• For senior care providers like Ecumen and Continental Senior Communities—the Ōmcare Home Health Hub serves as a portal for new services that help people maintain independence in their homes longer.

• Research finds 40% of organizations have experienced a cybersecurity incident, yet 48% did not disclose those incidents to the appropriate authorities
  CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Keeper Security , the leading provider of cloud-based zero-trust and zero-knowledge cybersecurity software protecting passwords, passkeys, secrets, connections and privileged access, today released findings of its Cybersecurity Disasters Survey: Incident Reporting & Disclosure.
• The findings reveal widespread shortcomings in reporting cybersecurity attacks and breaches, both to internal leadership and external authorities.
• Keeper's survey shows a lack of policies for cyber incident reporting, despite the growing risk of cyberthreats.
• Keeper characterizes 'cybersecurity disasters' as any event that severely impacts the confidentiality, integrity or availability of an information system.

• News reports this morning describe how shocked doctors removed a live worm from a woman’s brain in a Canberra hospital last year.
• In the case study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, doctors describe removing the live 8cm-long nematode (roundworm) from the brain of the 64-year-old woman who was immunosuppressed.
• The woman may have come into contact with worm eggs via snake faeces while foraging for Warrigal greens to eat.

Common parasites and how they get in

• Giardia (Giardia duodenalis) is also very common and can contaminate food, water and surfaces.
• This water-borne parasite is associated with poor sanitation and causes stomach symptoms like diarrhoea, cramps, bloating, nausea and fatigue.
• Fortunately, these very common parasites do not infect the brain.
• The parasites can remain in the body for years as tiny tissue cysts.
• Read more:
  One in three people are infected with _Toxoplasma_ parasite – and the clue could be in our eyes

Then there are tapeworms and amoebas

• Tapeworms can infect different parts of the body including the brain.
• It is more likely in locations where pigs have contact with human faeces via sewerage or waterways.
• Brain tissue can provide a home for larvae because it is soft and easy to get to via blood vessels.

Yikes! 4 ways to avoid parasitic infection

• And we know being infected by a snake parasite is very rare – finding one alive in someone’s brain is even rarer.
• To minimise your risk of infection you can: 1. avoid uncooked or raw pork.
• Avoid pork if you are travelling in places with poor sanitation 2. avoid jumping or diving into warm fresh bodies of water, especially if they are known to carry Naegleria fowleri.