Battling Alzheimer

Okay, so let’s finish this conversation.

Like I said the other day, if you want to see anyone on the caregiving spectrum from a teenager to an adult child blush-talk about their loved one’s sex life.

I mean, I am grown, have children of my own and have literally written the book on teen sexuality (Straight Talk, How Teens Make Wise decisions About Love and Sex, Review and Herald, 2000). Yet, I just can’t imagine my mom and dad uh…..er…..um….. well, you know…having (whisper) sex. And furthermore, I really wouldn’t want to have to make decisions about their sex lives, especially when they were in their golden years and one of them had already died - because that would mean that one of my parents was having sex with someone other than my other parent.

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Have you ever wanted everything around you to stop for a period of time, say a day, week month or longer, just so that you could get a handle on all that you have to do?

Wouldn’t that be the best thing? I mean, we could catch up on everything from giving some attention to the junk drawer to the weighter matters like making that eye doctor’s appointment, calling the adult day care center to see if it’s a fit for your loved one or rallying some family and friends to give you some much needed help. Maybe we could take the time to consider the future beyond dinner tonight and tomorrow’s doctor’s appointment.

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Initially, it was chalked up to age. It was almost expected that a person with Alzheimer’s disease also suffered from diabetes or some other illness. The thought was that the person was aging and the other disorders were a function of an aging body and not necessarily related per se to Alzheimer’s disease.

Then the researchers started to consider the fact that people with Alzheimer’s disease were often battling other health issues such as: heart disease, stroke and especially diabetes.

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This week, I am discussing hospice care. I’ve talked about what it is and isn’t and what it does and does not do. In addition, yesterday, I discussed some of the myths and misconceptions of hospice care. Today, I’ll discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing hospice care.

First the advantages:

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This post discusses the merits of telling (or not telling) the affected person that he or she has Alzheimer’s disease.

Once Alzheimer’s disease is officially diagnosed, the primary caregiver and close family members have a decision to make.

Do you tell the affected person or not? There are valid arguments on both sides.  Let’s explore some of them.

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Dear Caregiver,

Thank you for the sacrifice that you make to care of me.  Thank you for preparing my meals, driving me to doctor’s appointments and keeping me safe.  Thank you for keeping me clean and for handling my financial affairs.  Thank you for trying to make me a part of family activities and thank you for the gifts you give me, even though you are not sure that I know it’s a special day.

This disease has taken much from me.  So, I can’t explain things like I used to. But just because I can’t talk doesn’t mean I am not grateful.  Often when you look at me there is a distant look in my eyes.  It’s those time that I am most afraid.  I fear that caring for me will wear you out.  I fear that I am a burden to  you.  I fear you’ll throw up  your hands and give up.  I fear this prison in which I am trapped.  And yes, I fear death.

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This post discusses brain games and other activities that may delay the onset and reduce the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and dementias

I want to say off the bat that I am quite familiar with Alzheimer’s disease and I am fully aware that there is not a game around that will prevent it from running its course.  So, my intent is not to provide snake oil or false hope.  Brain activities such as video games, crossword puzzles, sudoku checkers and chess to name few do have thier place though.  They provide activity and exercise for the brain, they require hand eye coordination and they require more complex thought than does say listening to the radio or watching TV.  In addition, in all honesty, they might keep your loved one busy enough to provide you as a caregiver a few moments while you attend to dinner or take care of other responsibilities.

As a person who suffers with Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia, these games can provide a great escape.  doing theme related crossword puzzles or word-finds is a great way to relax and remember a time that was much more carefree and much less confusing than these days are.  Sudoku and chess are great games for those who are still able handle the complexities associated with those activities.

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There is no getting away from it, battling the monster, Alzheimer’s disease causes grief on a number of different levels.  It’s extremely complicated, but it’s also necessary to acknowledge and work through.

Alzheimer’s related caregiver grief begins long before the affected person gets near death.  That in and of itself is problematic because you may feel guilty for grieving when your loved one is still alive and maybe not even near death as yet.

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Last week I talked about how to know if it’s Alzheimer’s disease and I ended the segment on Thursday with a discussion about stages one and two.  I promised that, for this week, I’d finish up the stages.

I thought it would be most helpful for you if I not only describe the stages, but also provide some information as to how, you as a caregiver, might prepare and respond in a particular stage. After all, as a caregiver, you want to know what is coming and how to deal with it.

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This is the third post in a series looking at how do you know if its Alzheimer’s disease?  The first two posts, Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s and Dementia-the Differences laid a foundation for the symptomology, characteristics and key definitions.  In this post, I’ll discuss how medical professionals actually get to a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

So, as our story continues, your suspicions have been verified.  Grandpa does indeed have dementia.  As we learned in yesterday’s post, the question now becomes, “what is the cause of the dementia?” Is it Alzheimer’s disease or some imposter?

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