Dealing with a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Disease

There are a few tasks which are more difficult when dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease while at the same time maintaining balance in one’s own life. As Alzheimer’s Disease progresses, the victim finds communication increasingly difficult. Further, personality is affected as well. They will become frustrated, sometimes angry, and occasionally physically aggressive. To say the least, this conduct will be extremely upsetting to you. Try to be patient. The anger, the frustration, is not directed at you. It is felt by that person who knows that things are changing within for the worse. Sometimes the anger is prompted by the person’s inability to communicate effectively. You can help by paying attention to non-verbal cues. If you raised children, think back to the times before your child started speaking – the wants, the needs, even the demands were expressed in non-verbal ways. To the extent that your loved one realizes that you are not only trying to understand him or her, but are actually doing so should have a calming effect. 

It is a natural reaction to think that you must devote every waking moment to caring for your loved one. But, that is an impossible task. You will certainly burn out before long if you do not set aside time for yourself. There are resources in the community such as respite care or adult daycare, etc., that will allow you to take a break from these responsibilities that you understandably feel so intensely. It truly is all right to feel selfish at times. If you are not, rest assured that you will shorten the time during which you are able to be of real help to your loved one. And it is highly likely that you will shorten your own life. Stress, indeed, does kill.

Are There Any Cures for Alzheimer’s?

Not yet. The best that can be done medically is, in some patients, to slow the onset of symptoms with drugs such as Donepezil (Aricept), Rivastigmine (Exelon) and Galantamine (Razadyne). Drug trials have indicated that for many patients on such medications, the benefits are barely noticeable if at all. Some studies have suggested that exercise, both mental and physical, might have a role in warding off the disease. There is some evidence that vitamins B6 and B12 as well as vitamin E may slow the progression of the disease as well.

How Long Can One Live with Alzheimer’s Disease?

Typically, a person with Alzheimer’s will live for 10 years after it begins, but the range can be as short as 3 years to as long as 20 years. You may recall that Ronald Reagan disclosed in 1995 that he had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He died 10 years later.

What Causes Alzheimer’s Disease?

Medical science has found the answer to this question quite elusive. Apparently, there are both genetic and environmental factors involved. Genetics appears to carry a very strong role in what is termed early-onset Alzheimer’s (the dementia is clearly evident before the age of 60). The factors involved in dementia that appears at a later age are less clear-cut. Thus, the fact that a family member (a parent, for instance) is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s while in their 80’s, is NOT a strong indicator that that person’s child will also experience Alzheimer’s.

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Basically, Alzheimer’s Disease causes progressive loss of brain function. For reasons yet unknown, the disease involves what are termed ‘tangles’ in the brain that eventually spread throughout the brain causing, at first, memory difficulties, personality changes and, at the end, loss of bodily control. Although it is not considered a “normal” part of aging, it appears to afflict approximately ½ of all individuals who reach the age of 85. That process is often referred to as “dementia” but it is also a fact that loss of brain function can be caused by other factors such as a stroke, for instance. 

Looking for a Nursing Home?

A good source for information and ratings on quality of care in the 17,000 Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing homes across the country can be found at http://www.medicare.gov/NursingHomeCompare.

Included are health inspection results and complaints with detailed and summary information about deficiencies found during the three most recent state inspections and recent complaint investigations.

Preventing Falls

No one likes to fall at any point in their life but avoiding falls is particularly important as we age. That is because our bones are more likely to break upon striking objects or the floor. A particularly common problem for older people is breaking their hips. That is a particularly ominous event because statistics make it very clear that this type of injury and subsequent surgery appears to shorten one’s life. What can you do?

Take a careful look on the floor where you live. Is the surface uneven? Do throw rugs slip? Are there cords on the floor or loose items that require you to avoid them? Remove all of these hazards.

Such hazards are not the same problem when we are younger because we have a better sense of balance and are more able to avoid such risks without falling.

You don’t have to take, however, the loss of balance as a given as you age. It is possible that through exercises, you can help your balance, coordination, flexibility, and strength. Exercise! Make it a regular course of your daily life to find opportunities to walk both in and out of your residence. Many people have also had success by practicing Tai Chi which focuses on slow and controlled movements which increase balance and prevent falls.

Further, a number of other factors can contribute to poor balance such as medications, poor vision, hearing, arthritis, depression, confusion and dizziness. Talk to your doctor if you have any of these conditions to see if adjustments and corrections can be made.