Battling Alzheimer

When Alzheimer’s disease is first diagnosed (and before) it is important for the one who is affected with the disease and the caregiver to do a few things.  You can see my posts entitled, I have Alzheimer’s What Now? And Diagnosis Alzheimer’s disease, What’s a Caregiver to do?  For complete information on immediate steps to take once the diagnosis has been confirmed.  However, there is one very important thing that I want to stress today, keeping the brain active and engaged.  Don’t just throw in the proverbial towel and say, “Grandpa has Alzheimer’s disease, it’s all over now.”  It is vital that you as a caregiver do all that you can to do ensure that grandpa works his brain as much as is possible and practical.

It is very important to select age and stage appropriate activities.  You don’t want to make your loved one more frustrated.  Rather, you want to provide an environment where your loved one is having fun, “winning” and exercising the brain all at the same time.

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If you are like most caregivers who are battling Alzheimer’s disease, you are so tired that the very thought of driving to a gym, waking early to exercise, or taking time to put in an exercise tape stresses you and makes you feel even more tired and burned out.  But I promise you this - if you exercise 30 to 60 minutes per day, especially if you can manage to get outside and catch some fresh air and sunshine, you will feel much less stressed and more energized.

Exercise has numerous benefits, here are three:

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You are probably feeling a flood of varied emotions, that’s to be expected.  As you sort out your feelings and get your bearings, here are a few suggestions as to what to do and how to LIVE with Alzheimer’s Disease.

(1) Learn as much as you can about Alzheimer’s.  Facts diminish fear. The more you learn, the more you will understand the disease and what is to come.

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An article published in Neurology, December 11, 2007, suggests that more than 85% of older Americans have some form of brain disease, even if they have no symptoms. In other words, you can have the plaques and tangles in your brain which are typical of Alzheimer’s disease, and practically speaking, it may not be Alzheimer’s. That is, it may not affect your behavior or thinking at all.

The study done at the Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, like the Nun Study of Dr. David Snowdon, involved dissecting brains, not living people. Both studies came to similar conclusions about multiple causes for dementia. I recall Snowdon’s surprise when he discovered that the brain of one sharp, intelligent participant was full of Alzheimers’s-like structures. His conclusion, and the conclusion of the Rush University researchers, was that if you never have a stroke, symptoms of dementia may never appear.

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