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Sally, a housewife in her late 50’s was astounded when she heard from her husband, Alfie, a foreman of one of South Africa’s gold mines that he wanted to retire. Alfie was only 56 years old, and is such a clever and hardworking guy. Later, Sally found out from her husband’s fellow workers that Alfie had started to make strange errors in judgment. They often covered him up.
After Alfie retired, the couple bought a hotel. Since Alfie was handy, they thought he would keep busy fixing the place, but instead, he always called in a handyman. That same year, the couple took their three-year old granddaughter for a holiday at the beach. She loved to play on the trampoline just across the road from their apartment they stayed in. One afternoon, Alfie took her to jump on the trampoline and said they would be back in half an hour. By 7pm, they had not returned, Sally got worried and she phoned the police but they were not able to locate Alfie and the little girl. At noon the next day, there was a knock on the door. When Sally opened it, there stood Alfie with their granddaughter in his arm. They were lost from across the road and Sally’s friend found them and directed them to the right apartment.
After this incident, Sally took Alfie to a neurologist, who certified that he was suffering from dementia (loss of intellectual function). As it turned out, Alfie had Alzheimer’s disease, for which there is as yet no effective treatment or cure.
What is Alzheimer’s disease (AD)?
Although research into a number of possible causes is being done, the actual cause of AD remains unknown. However, it is known that AD involves the gradual destruction of brain cells, so that parts of the brain may literally shrink. The parts worst affected are those involved in memory and thinking ability. Cells in the brain system involved in the emotions are affected early in the disease, resulting in personality changes.
Typically, the disease lasts from 5 to 10 years – but sometimes more than 20 years. As it progresses, victims are able to do less and less. Eventually, they may even fail to recognize their loved ones. In the final stage, sufferers often become bedridden and cannot speak or feed themselves. However, many victims die from other causes before reaching these final stages.
What are the symptoms of having Alzheimer’s disease?
Memory lost is the first symptom of AD. Having some short-term memory lost when a person is in his 60’s and 70’s is common, and some people with mild memory problems will go on to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Some of these signs include forgetting recently learned information like names and phone numbers; difficulty performing familiar tasks, such as cooking a meal; disorientation as to time and place, like where you live on your street; and poor or decreased judgment.
Is there a cure for Alzheimer’s disease?
While there is not yet a cure for AD, there is much that can be done to maintain quality of life, and help the person stay active. Medicines called cholinesterase inhibitors may be started as soon as Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed. Cholinesterase inhibitors may slow the progression of symptoms; they do not prevent the disease from getting worse. Another medicine called memantine (Namenda) may be used alone or with cholinesterase inhibitors to treat moderate to severe symptoms of confusion and memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
AD is named after Alois Alzheimer, a German physician who first described the disease in 1906 after doing an autopsy on a patient who had suffered from severe dementia. AD is thought to account for more than 60 percent of dementia cases, affecting up to 1 in 10 people over 65 years of age.
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Tags: baby boomer generation, Elderly Problems, Psychological Articles