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.

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.

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 Aricept, Exelon and 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 ingesting vitamins B6 and B12 as well as Vitamin E may slow the progression of the disease as well.

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. 

Can You Avoid Alzheimer’s?

As discussed in last week’s blog, medication on the market now does very little to retard the advance of Alzheimer’s. Thus, the best approach may be to take steps to prevent your experiencing it. Unfortunately, there is no inoculation or pill which will prevent its occurrence, but research does indicate certain steps can be taken to increase the likelihood that you will not be afflicted. Here they are:

Be active.

• Try to exercise regularly, even daily.
• Walk.
• Swim. 
• Play with the grandchildren.

Challenge your brain.

• Read.
• Watch stimulating television shows like Jeopardy!
• Discuss current affairs with friends.

Eat Right. Go easy on fats, sugar and red meat.

Sleep. This should be the easiest task of this series to do. If you wake up and are tired, you’re not sleeping long enough and/or are doing so fitfully.