Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease

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By now, everyone is familiar with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), a progressive disease of the brain that causes thinking and memory to become seriously impaired. However, despite the awareness of Alzheimer’s, the disease is still a little misunderstood.

More than just memory loss

In the early stages, the disease manifests as nothing more than mild forgetfulness, a problem that most people shrug off as a natural (and at times almost humorous) consequence of growing old. Soon, however, a person’s ability to understand, think and even communicate is affected. Behaviors may change and so too may emotions and mood. Topping it off, physical coordination and mobility may suffer, affecting an individual’s ability to perform even the simplest of daily tasks. The result can place a ton of pressure on the affected person’s family or caregiver.

Family burden -- the unseen

As many as 5.3 million people in the United States are currently living with Alzheimer’s. With more than 95% of those with AD being 65 or older, round-the-clock care is almost a necessity nowadays. This type of care, however, translates into one of two things, and more often both: stress and money.

The average lifetime cost of caring for someone with AD is $174,000. Broken down by year, this can amount to anywhere from $18,000 to upwards of $36,000, depending on the severity of symptoms. While the health care system will absorb some of these costs, look to the family to foot about 75% of that bill. But there’s more than just cold hard cash to consider when caring for someone with Alzheimer’s --  there’s stress, there’s tension, there’s conflict, and more. These are the unseen consequences of mental disease.

What to expect

While the burden of Alzheimer’s remains largely unseen, having a grasp on what to expect can go a long way toward lessening the impact of this disease.

Although early symptoms are manageable, as the disease progresses activities that most of us can easily perform on a day-to-day basis may become challenging to an AD patient. Daily tasks like bathing, dressing, eating, going to the bathroom, and falling asleep may require assistance. Even simple visits of someone with Alzheimer’s can quickly become a nightmare. Just imagine how you would feel having a loved one be unable to recognize who you are. It’s not just forgetfulness --- hostility, confusion and even hallucinations or delusions can afflict the typical patient.

Moving beyond issues regarding simple care, difficult decisions will undoubtedly creep to the forefront. Case in point: driving. At some point, the decision will need to be made that someone with AD can no longer drive; such a decision will likely fall on the shoulders of the family. Times like these will require communication, planning and honesty to prevent a meltdown.   

For many caregivers, however, there comes a point when they are no longer able to take care of loved ones at home. Choosing the best residential or nursing home then becomes a priority -- a decision that no one enjoys.

Despite the somewhat gloomy outlook portrayed above, with each passing day, hope for a cure becomes stronger.

Future cure?

A while back, AM introduced you to the notion that there may soon be treatments that will actually reverse the disease progression of AD as opposed to merely delaying the onset of symptoms like current treatments do. In the next five to seven years we may even see a vaccine. Yep, that’s right, a vaccine for Alzheimer’s. Given the current advancements in brain research and the speed at which this field of research is progressing, AD may one day be a thing of the past.

Since AD is a commonly occurring disease, thankfully there are a ton of resources online. If a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, be sure to do some upfront research. Keep the family calm and willing to share responsibilities if in fact you choose to care for the affected person at home.

SOURCE :  ASKMEN.COM