"Drowning in Alzheimer's"

About the Article:


Minorities are more capable of getting the devastating, nasty, deteriorating disease affectionately know as Alzheimer's (actually no one can be diagnosed with that form of the disease until they have had a thorough autopsy... but as one of my co-workers once told me; You can start and autopsy when the person is alive, I guarantee they will be deceased when you are finished :) .... not to make light of a serious situation!!!!)

Unfortunately, Dementia is so popular in women it is not uncommon for 1 in every 2 women after age 50 to get the nasty disease. With men it is not as common, but still alarmingly high, 1 in every 4 men after the age of 50 will be diagnosed with Dementia. Unfortunately, Dementia is a progressive degenerative disorder; with that being said, there is no stopping the progression, but keeping your mind sharp, and active can't hurt (doing sudoku puzzles, crosswords, word searches and reading... just to list a few) actually studies suggest that people who keep their minds active before the age of 50, and the years following will have a 60% less chance of becoming a statistic that Dementia patients are.



My Opinion:



I think that Dementia is the worst disease a person could probably have, I have a Grandmother with this degenerative disease, the hardest part is not for the patient themselves, but their family. My Grandma was diagnosed 10 years ago and lived at home up until about 5 years ago, my Grandpa had to have a constant watch on her because she tended to roam outside with inadequate clothing on. Which could potentially lead to her demise. Immediately after she entered the nursing home, she had enough mind-set left to realize that she really did not want to be there. She became abusive and increasingly agitated with the staff and attempted to escape several times in a day. Now as her condition has progressed she is unable to identify her children, her husband and even her location. Most days she is combative towards staff as they assist her to dress, and do her personal cares. She cries and tries to isolate her self most days and does not seem a bit interested or aware of her surroundings. Did I mention the hardest is on our behalf? It was always hard for me to imagine what it would feel like to go and visit my grandmother and for her to look at me with tears in her eyes, lost, feeling so alone, but having no idea who I am or why I am there. That is not easy for me, or the rest of my family. When my Grandfather (her husband) passed away in August of 2009, she was unable to comprehend what had happened; she just looked dazed, confused, and sad. But in my heart she knew, I told her how much I loved her and she leaned in, gave me a hug and said "I love you, too." Difficult to see? yes, but I know she is well taken care of and that is all that I can hope for. I just hope that some day there will be a cure or a treatment to help slow down or prevent this nasty disease that has claimed so many people.















http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/09/alzheimer.minorities.hispanics/index.html