Can you imagine what it is like to wake up from a nap and not know where you're at? Add to that having a young man tell you he is your son, but you simply don't recall ever having a child. Unfortunately, this is a scenario people with Alzheimer's go through multiple times a day at times. I firsthand know how hard it can be to have a relative with that condition, in my case it was my great grandfather who was diagnosed with it.
Alzheimer's is a neurological disease in which brain cells die causing memory loss and cognitive decline, this may leave you wondering what exactly happens to the brain when a large amount of cells die. As you can see in the image below it causes the brain to shrink.
As we all know any damage to the brain can be devastating, consequently a person with Alzheimer's suffers of the following:
- Memory Loss
- Confusion
- Depression
- Restlessness
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Sleeplessness
- Loss appetite
Unfortunately as the disease progresses so does the seriousness of this symptoms.
Many people tend to think that Alzheimer's is simply a result of old age, to many's surprise it can actually be due to genetics as well. In addition, people who have suffered of a head trauma, or simply have high blood pressure can be prone to it as well. Something I found to be very interesting and is one of the reasons to why I am talking about this today is that women have a high probability of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease when compared to men. As a woman, I found this quite alarming. I for a fact am certain that not one of the females (Grandma, aunts, sister, etc.) I know are aware of this statistics thus I'd like to raise some sort of awareness.
Take a look at this video to learn about some very scary statistics over this disease I promise you this 1 minute video is worthwhile.
Unfortunately there is no known cure for this type of Dementia, but know that there are treatments out there that can slow down the worsening of the symptoms and improve their quality of life. Know that you are not alone in this journey just like you there are millions of others with a relative or family friend with this condition. When times are hard, simply try to reach out to others who are going through the same situation as you, one way you can do this is through online support groups. Go ahead and click on this Link to get in contact with support groups. Or if you prefer to speak to someone call this number 1- 800-272- 3900 or 1-866-403-3073
If you want more information on Alzheimer’s disease take a look at the video below or simply click on the links I put up as well. As always, I hope you all enjoyed today’s blog.
http://www.alz.org/braintour/severe_stage.asp
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159442.php#causes
Hey Maria, I think you chose the perfect topic to talk about because as you mentioned many people know Alzheimer’s is a very tough disease to live with and be around, but now many know how prevalent it is. The video was a great and I learned a lot; I did not know it is the 6th leading cause of death or that 2/3 of those affected are women or even that every 67 seconds someone develops the disease. I thought it was also important you mentioned that it is not only caused by old age.
ReplyDeleteWatching this video made me realize that women are in much higher risk for developing this disease. I had no idea that women are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than breast cancer. It is very important that we share this with our family and friends. I really like that fact that you shared this information to us. I personally did not know that we as women are at a higher risk than men are. Science and medicine has advanced a lot and I hope that in a couple of years a cure can be found for this terrible disease.
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