LIVING WITH ALZHEIMER'S

How is living with Alzheimer’s feels like?

We often witness our old relatives suffer from memory loss, it is known as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological condition that affects the memory of an individual.

It causes brain cells to die and degenerate , death of brain cells leads to severe memory loss and cognitive decline. It usually worsens over time.

People experiencing Alzheimer’s feel lonely and perhaps confused.

The disease was first discovered by Alois Alzheimer, a German neurologist. It was first diagnosed in an American woman in her early fifties experiencing low memory power or complete memory lost.

He examined her brain after her death to learn more about the disease, its cause, etc.

Causes of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is most common among people above the age group of 60’s. The actual causes of alzheimer’s haven’t been fully understood by scientists yet, but they think it probably includes age-related changes in the brain, genetic and environmental causes.

Neurons and their connections in the brain are lost as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.

This results in deterioration in the person’s ability to remember, think and eventually function day to day works.

Old age alone may not cause alzheimer’s but it is definitely the most known factor for the disease. Almost one-third of the age group 85 and above may have alzheimer’s.

It’s quite rare for a young individual to have alzheimer’s, however, it is not impossible.

Symptoms The most common and early symptom of Alzheimer’s is memory loss. Forgetting dates or other events, or repeating the same things are signs of the disease and hence should not be ignored.

Especially if these symptoms continue for a long time. Sometimes they forget names or events but remember them later.

These are also signs of Alzheimer’s.

Hence, more than the patient themself, families play a bigger role in identifying these symptoms and diseases.

Stages of Alzheimer’s disease

Even though symptoms or signs of the disease appear from the early stage, changes in the brain that leads to Alzheimer’s begins years before called the preclinical Alzheimer’s disease.

There are three stages of Alzheimer’s. It is during these stages that symptoms come into view. The disease progresses in these three stages.

Early-stage of Alzheimer’s– in this stage the person starts forgetting small details like names, dates , etc. Symptoms in this stage might not be clearly differentiated but with medical help it can still be diagnosed. During this stage people can still function independently and carry on their regular lives. Common difficulties include remembering the right word or name, performing regular tasks in work settings, losing things etc. The disease can be controlled in this stage by taking care of one’s health and focusing on important things like finance. This is the time one should make decisions related to inheritance and financial plans.

Middle stage of Alzheimer’s– In this stage symptoms worsen and more care needs to be given to the patient. It is the longest stage and lasts for years. During this stage memory deteriorates and the patient shows extreme mood swings. They might act in surprising ways like refusing to eat or shower. This is when the disease starts affecting the patient’s life and constant care is needed. Symptoms include forgetting personal details like address and even one’s own identity, being forgetful of events, forgetting their closed ones and facing disruption in their daily functions etc. during this stage the person can still live a regular life and take part in social activities with assistance. It is not safe to leave an Alzheimer’s patient alone since they forget their identity and address, and might get lost.

Late-stage of Alzheimer’s – In this stage the disease takes its worst form. People completely lose their ability to respond or have a conversation. It’s hard to talk to them since they don’t have a sense of reality. Most of their memory is lost and can hardly recognise their family. During this stage, one cannot function normally or carry on their daily tasks. They need around-the-clock assistance and cannot be left alone. They also get vulnerable to infections. Alzheimer’s patients on an average lives four to eight years, can sometimes live up to twenty years, after diagnosis.

Treatment

Alzheimer’s disease cannot be completely cured. The treatment focuses on slowing down the symptoms like maintain mental functions, control behavioral symptoms, etc. treatment is usually given to patients in the early and middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Through treatment, they can slow down their symptoms and have control over their life for a little longer. However, these treatments cannot stop the disease or cure it completely. People have to live with Alzheimer’s till the end.

Caring for an Alzheimer’s patient

if you have a closed one who has Alzheimer’s disease, first thing you need to do is learn about the disease. This is the first step. Understanding the disease and its symptoms will help aid the patient and plan for it.

You also need to make the patient feel comfortable. This will make the patient familiar to you. Their diet and health need to be maintained too. Alzheimer’s patients don’t have a sense of their health so it is the responsibility of the caregiver to look after them.

Psychological care is also needed, like boosting self esteem and motivation. Alzheimer’s patients can get very lonely at times, thus they need a friend and not just a caregiver.

Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is not easy but it is certainly not worse than actually going through it. To conclude, Alzheimer’s disease is a serious condition and it affects the lives of the patient and the patient’s family.

Since it cannot be cured completely we should try to slow down the symptoms and provide all the help to make it easier.