Alzheimer’s Disease and other Dementias, 2019; a growing Epidemic that affects us All

Alzheimer patient             en.wikipedia.org

IT MAKES SENSE TO ME By Larry Peterson

My wife passed away almost two years ago, a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease. I stay in touch with the Alzheimer’s  Association because I want to keep abreast of advances and other news that pertains to this illness. Yesterday I received the 2019 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report for 2019. Since this disease ignores all human boundaries, I thought I might share some basic info about this topic.

It is important to remember that Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia are two different things. Alzheimer’s is a form of Dementia while Dementia is a syndrome or a symptom of a cognitive disorder. There are many other causes of dementia besides Alzheimer’s disease such as Vascular Dementia, Huntington’s Disease, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, and Parkinson’s Disease Dementia, to name a few.

A football player may develop dementia from years of head trauma received while playing his sport. A retired fighter may be deemed as being “punch drunk” because dementia has taken hold of his brain after thousands of punches to the head. A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease requires a special evaluation by doctors and trained psychologists in the field before the Alzheimer’s label is officially given the patient.

My wife first exhibited “forgetfulness’ during her chemo treatments in 2011. I had heard of “chemo-brain” and asked her oncologist about her chemo treatments being the cause. He could not answer and said we would have to wait and see.

It was not until the summer of 2014 when the official diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease given. And that came only after an MRI, evaluation by a neurologist, and having her and the family interviewed by two psychologists.

She lived three years after diagnosis. Some Alzheimer’s patients live up to fifteen years, especially those who are diagnosed in their early fifties. The course of the illness is unpredictable, but the results are very predictable. Alzheimer’s disease cannot be slowed or stopped. It just keeps at it until its mission is accomplished.

According to the Alzheimer’s Associations 2019 report, 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. The projected number by the year 2050 is 14 million. Every 65 seconds someone in the United States develops the disease and more than 16 million Americans, (mostly family and friends) provide unpaid care for people who have Alzheimer's or another type of dementia.

Heart disease has always held the title as being the number one killer in the United States. The good news is that between the years 2000 and 2017 deaths from heart disease decreased by 9%. At the same time deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have increased by a whopping 145% making it the sixth leading killer in America.

Today in America one in ten people over the age of 65 has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. They have determined that among seniors who are 85 or older, 32% have the disease. As modern medications and healthy eating and cleaner lifestyles promote lengthier life spans tne number of folks living into their nineties continues to climb. Along with that comes an increase in Alzheimer’s cases.

Finally, early symptoms of dementia may include: confusion about location or what day it is; poor judgment; unable to find familiar items; or simply mood and or personality changes. But PLEASE—do not diagnose someone you know and love as having dementia. Many things can cause a memory lapse or forgetfulness. We all are victims of those things. Only trained and qualified personnel can diagnose such a serious disease.

The best thing we all can do when confronted with these situations is pray hard and call our doctors.

Lastly, never forget to ask the Patroness of those with dementia and mental illness for her intercession. Her name is St. Dymphna  Click on her name and say “HI.”

copyright©Larry Peterson 2019

For Alzheimer's & Dementia Patients, November is National Family Caregiver Month*

IT MAKES SENSE TO ME

By Larry Peterson

My wife, Marty (Martha) has Alzheimer's Disease and I am her primary caregiver. Since November, 2016, is National Family Caregiver's Month sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association, I thought I would share a slice of an average day she and I experience together. At the same time I can also leave some links to information about dementia (there are many kinds--Alzheimer's is just one) and give a "shout-out" to all the millions of Americans across the country who are caregivers.

Until Marty actually became an unpredictable, uncertain and sometimes obsessive Alzheimer's victim, I did not understand Alzheimer’s Disease. I thought I did but I did not. Meeting folks at the Alzheimer’s Caregiver meetings allowed me to learn that what I write here is not unique to me. It is more or less part of the norm within an Alzheimer home and I am just one of a vast multitude of caregivers living alongside this illness.

Alzheimer Patient--Wikipedia commons

I never imagined the confusion and fear that slowly and relentlessly fills the vanishing mind of the person under attack by the Alzheimer demon. I never knew until I shared her physical world. I wish I did not have to know. What follows is a brief conversation that Marty and I had last evening. She was sitting on the sofa and it was about 6:30. I had just walked in from the other room. The conversation went like this:

"Oh, I'm so glad your back home. Are you going to stay here?"

Not having been anywhere, I was caught a bit off guard. I answered, "Uh--um--Of course I'm staying."

"Do you have any of your things here?"

I reply, "Why don’t you walk back to the bedroom and check the closet."

She sighs and smiles. She is faking because, even though she has lived in the same house for many years, she has no idea where the bedroom is located.  She tries to “play it off’ because she doesn't want me to know that she doesn’t know. But I do know and she knows I do.

So I nonchalantly point and say, "Back that way, where the big bed is."

She shakes her head and says, "Oh, of course, sometimes I don't know where my head is."

I simply say, "That's okay. No problem."

"Well, are you going to sleep here tonight or go to the other place?"

There is no other place and I have no clue where her mind has taken her. I just go along.

And then it is temporarily over and the evening continues. More is on the way such as telling me she really wished she did not have to work tomorrow even though she has not worked for almost ten years. You get the idea.

For the caregiver it is a two-edged sword. You are watching someone you love, mentally evaporate while at the same time trying your best to be as patient and as kind as you can be to that person. As the caregiver it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. Redundancy can push your patience levels to extreme borders. As Marty's caregiver I can say, unequivocally, that my greatest strength comes via my Catholic faith. I lean on it like a man with two broken legs needing crutches. Without them--well, I would fall hard and often.

There are many types of dementia but Alzheimer' is the primary cause.  Vascular dementia, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease, Mixed Dementia and others are a few conditions on a long list of illnesses that cause dementia. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease and it continues to worsen as time goes by. There is no remission or leveling off. Eventually the patient will lose the ability to even carry on a simple conversation, or even remember to use the toilet. The end result is always death. It is truly a dreadful illness.

I could go on and on but I have provided several links within this article that will take you to more detailed information about Alzheimer's Disease and dementia. As people live longer the illness is seen more and more. More resources have been allocated for Alzheimer's research. Prayerfully we will find a cure. 

Here is a sidebar to the above: The patron saint of Alzheimer's patients is St. Dymphna. Ironically, St. Dymphna has had a profound involvement in my family's life. My daughter's middle name is Dymphna. (See  Aleteia for more). When I discovered that St. Dymphna, the patron saint of nervous and emotional disorders, was also the patron saint of Alzheimer's and dementia patients, I could only smile. I love St. Dymphna.

Please remember to keep all Alzheimer's and dementia patients and their caregivers in your thoughts and prayers, not just during the month of November, but all year long. 

St. Dymphna, please pray for them and for all of us.

*This article also appeared in Aleteia on Nov 8, 2016

                                 ©Copyright Larry Peterson  2016