Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease and is the most common cause of dementia in people. People who suffer from Alzheimer’s will find that their cognitive faculties can slowly fade away. This often shows itself as increasingly severe cases of memory loss. In turn, people can lose the ability to perform simple tasks that were just part of their day in the past. Alzheimer’s is especially dangerous since the severe form can result in death through complications with loss of function in the brain.
While almost any health condition is unfortunate, suffering from Alzheimer’s is one of the worst. The frustration of Alzheimer’s is that people can feel it as cells within their brain die. It can be painful for families to see their loved ones suffer from the more severe cases of Alzheimer’s and seemingly slip away from them. Early identification can help both sufferers and families alike to adjust to the new reality or Alzheimer’s disease.
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
The main issue and symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is memory loss. It starts off lightly and gets worse. Typically the origins of memory loss are small things. Some people may struggle to organize their thoughts for an extended period of time when answering questions. It tends towards short term issues. Conversations and events that have happened recently slip the mind.
It’s true that some people have issues with their memory as they age. This can sometimes lead to people ignoring the early symptoms. It’s crucial to note that memory loss from Alzheimer’s gets worse over time. The memory loss from Alzheimer’s can cause people to act differently. Some of the behavioral changes can include:
- Forgetting Recent Conversations - Entire conversations may be forgotten, or it can be selective statements from a conversation.
- Issues With Events - It’s common for some people to forget about making it to events or appointments. In turn, it’s possible sufferers may attend events, but then forget about them.
- Misplacing Items - Forgetting where an item has been put, or placing an item in an unexpected location is quite common.
- Getting Lost - Everyone may get lost sometime, but it’s common for people with Alzheimer’s to get lost in locations that are common to them.
- Struggles with Reasoning - Many people with Alzheimer’s have trouble with specific types of reasoning like math. It’s also hard for multiple tasks to be completed at once.
- Odd Decision Making - Choices made with Alzheimer’s may not be one that people would expect. Dressing in clothes completely opposite to the weather for example.
- Personality Changes - The changes to a person’s brain can vastly affect their personality. Many suffer from depression or cases of apathy. Others can find themselves irritable, full of mood swings, or struggle to trust others and act socially.
Treating Alzheimer’s Disease
Currently, the main treatment for people with Alzheimer’s disease is medications. Drugs work in different ways. One promising option helps keep one of the chemical messengers that the brain uses functioning. Another works to hold together the communication within the brain’s cells. This can help delay the progression of symptoms to more severe cases. Other medications may be prescribed to assist if the patient is suffering from additional behavioral issues like depression or severe mood swings.
Getting Support and Creating a Positive Environment
Quite simply, handling Alzheimer’s isn’t the easiest. The first step should be trying to promote physical health. Proper exercise and diet can help the body overall. From there, it’s important to create a supportive environment that helps with memory.
Creating a good home environment can feature a lot of facets. Helping to keep valuables in the same location will help items like a purse, phone or wallet from being misplaced. Since overdosing on medication is possible, use a checklist whenever a dose is taken. When possible, try to schedule similar events for the same time. Regular doctor visits are easier to remember if it’s always at the same time on the same day of the week. Finances can be an issue, so having bills set up to be paid automatically can be beneficial. Making use of a large whiteboard can help track daily requirements and tasks. Using a checklist system and becoming used to always marking completed tasks can be a big assistance. Designing the home can be helpful as well. Remove as much clutter as possible and eliminate mirrors that can cause confusion. Sturdy handrails can be of assistance too. There’s really many things that can be done to create a good home environment.
Working on mental health is important as well. Keeping up social interactions can provide more support and keep a patient healthy. It’s important to choose activities that may not require overt and heavy use of the memory. Social crafts, gardening and dancing are great choices. Many memory care centers offer up social events for residents or outside patients. If you’re supporting your family member or friend with Alzheimer’s disease, then just try to listen and provide stability. That can be the most important thing.