Alzheimer's - A mystery disease.

When we can’t find any clue of certain matter, we tend to get restless, annoyed, tensed, helpless. Be it daily life affairs or any disease like cancer, we always have some disagreement with primary concurrence. We look with quite disbelief to the happening.?“No! It’s not possible!” – it’s our instant reaction.?Especially for incurable diseases which can shorten our life span rapidly. Do you know there is another disease which is still a mystery for scientists and doctors &?can be life threatening as well? Yes, you read it right, CAN BE LIFE THREATENING. We all know the name, but not very familiar with it’s severity and morbid effects. It’s ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE, the most common form of DEMENTIA.

Why we never pay same attention to this disease as cancer? Simple answer is, it occurs after 60/65 years of age and apparently there is no serious physical illness symptoms. Moreover aged people mostly have different co morbidity issues like High BP, cardiovascular complications, stroke, diabetes, physical injuries etc. In the back of mind we always keep track of physical ups and downs for any elderly person of our family due to one or more of these issues. We generally accept deterioration?of their physical health as a normal cause of aging, declining immunity, side effect of administered drugs and so on.

Do you know, Alzheimer’s can be equally fatal for old age like other co morbidities? Rather can?accelerate the physical?illness to a great extent? Hope you know. If not, please continue reading….

Alzheimer’s?is the most common form of Dementia. It’s a progressive disease which starts from mild memory loss and possibly leading to loss of reasoning & gradually land on losing self completely. That’s why person affected with Alzheimer’s Disease loses ability to carry a conversation logically and respond to the environment. This disease involves part of brain that control thought, memory, language, planning, judgments etc. ( Mostly frontal and limbic)

FACTS, COMMONLY KNOWN :

1.??????It’s still not confirmed what actually Alzheimer’s Disease. Researches are still going on possibility factors. That’s why accurate remedy is still unavailable.

2.??????Age.

3.??????Family history. Though there is no proof of genetic inhibition, still it’s been assumed that one cognitive distortion or other malpractices like substance abuse, excessive drinking, carelessness on obesities are easily imitated by other members.

4.??????Change in brain can begin years before the onset of first symptom.

5.??????There’s a growing scientific evidence that healthy practices which can prevent life style diseases like diabetes, heart related issues may also reduce risk for subjective cognitive decline.

** IT’S NOT A NORMAL PART OF AGING.

WARNING SIGNS:

1.??????Memory loss that disrupts daily life practices.

2.??????Trouble handling money or paying correct bills.

3.??????Decreased or poor judgmental capacity.

4.??????Misplacing common things frequently and being unable to trackback.

5.??????Changes in mood as well as personality and behavior. Sudden mood swings male things difficult for other family members or caregiver.

TREATMENT:

In short, clinical management can improve quality of living for patient as well as others. Medicines used for this disease are generally to maintain brain health, to manage behavioral symptoms, to slowdown distortion of cognition. In simple words, medication is applied to arrest, not for permanent cure.

DRUGS:

Generally 2 types of drugs are used to treat cognitive symptoms.

1.??????Cholinesterase inhibitors?like Donpezil HCL, GalatamineHBR and Rivastigmine. These inhibitors are actually a group of medicines that block normal breakdown of acetylcholine which is the main neurotransmitter found in human body effective for both Central & Peripheral nervous System.

2.??????Memantine HCL is used to treat moderate to severe confusion related to Alzheimer’s Disease. It can’t cure but can improve the cognition of patient to a great extent.

3.??????In June 2021 FDA has approved Aducanumab , an amyloidal beta directed antibody to treat Alzheimer’s Disease. Though it has some side effects like temporary swelling or bleeding in brain, but effects can be controlled.

STAGES OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE:

The mystery disease has 3 different stages i.e. mild, moderate & severe. As it’s a progressive disease, a patient if not taken care properly may show mild symptoms initially but rapidly aggravate to severe stage. So, to take proper care we should know specific symptoms.

Mild Symptoms :

1.??????Difficulty coming up with right word/name

2.??????Difficulty in performing tasks, both regular and new.

3.??????Difficulty to recall matters read a while ago or a day ago.

4.??????Misplacing valuable objects unintentionally.

5.??????Increasing trouble with planning and organizing things.

Moderate symptoms:

1.??????Forgetfulness about recent events or personal history.

2.??????Mood swing, frequent and long lasting.

3.??????Unable to recall some important information about self/family.

4.??????Confusion regarding date, time and place.

5.??????Need help to choose proper cloth according to situation.

6.??????Increasing trouble controlling bladder and bowels.

7.??????Sleep disorder. Sometimes unusual sleep in daytime and remain awake late.

8.??????Increasing tendency to wander aimlessly.

9.??????Personality and behavior changes.

Severe symptoms:

1.??????Noticeable aggravation of moderate symptoms.

2.??????Decreasing awareness about surrounding. That’s why full time caretaker needed.

3.??????Significant change in physical abilities including walking, sitting, swallowing. Palm and foot grip weakens.

4.??????Major difficulty in communication. What to say, whom to say and how to say become very difficult.

5.??????Become vulnerable to infections, specially allergic infections of cold and cough. Sometimes it goes to pneumonic stages.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF SUCH PATIENTS:

Caretaking of such aged patients are not only job of responsibility, but also of empathy, patience, love. Generally there are two ways to take care. Either by closest family member or to deploy a trained caregiver. The concept of caregiver is still not so popular among 3rd world countries like India. In big cities you may find some sort of such service providing agencies or personnel, but in urban, sub-urban, interior and micro interior areas which consist of maximum population, we need to rely on untrained or half trained governesses or family members.

In case of deploying a full time caregiver.

1.??????His/her physical and mental health should be taken proper care. Continuously?attending of an aged person who doesn’t even identify oneself sometimes is a task of major responsibility, patience and absolute motherhood. At times these patients start to behave so unrealistically like an innocent kid that he caregiver must play the role of a mother taking care of infants.

2.??????As to attend a patient round the clock, caregiver’s food routine should match with that of patient in such a way that both of them can take proper food in time.

3.??????Other family members should treat the caregiver as their own brother/sister/mother/family member to keep his/her emotional equilibrium. Everyone should remember that he/she is taking care of a person with unpredictable mood , attitude and?declining physical ability. So he/she needs enough mental space to vent out all anguishes.

4.??????Caregivers should behave like absorbers.?He/she must keep in mind that the patient may behave inversely at any point of time. His/her prime focus should be patient’s physical and emotional wellness. He/she should never do anything which can ignite the flame of irritation.

Other?family members also have to keep something in mind that,

1.??????The patient is their elderly member and sacrificed a lot for them when they were kids.

2.??????Elderly people with perpetual disease has?very little things to do in daily life. There are huge leisure time for them but they?are lonely. So, spend some time with them. Try to make them recollect their golden memories and let them describe. A divine satisfaction can be seen in their eyes.

3.??????At times, family members should play the role of caregiver. It can impart some sort of confidence to the patient.

4.??????Organize the patient’s room with least furniture to provide enough space for walking.

5.??????Keep all important things of the patient in reachable places and make a chart like to-do list and hand it on wall.

6.??????Don’t let the patient to roam on uncovered terrace or balcony. Due to defective cognition, patient may misjudge the situation and due to declining palm and foot grip, patient may commit life threatening accidents.

Lastly, if a family member?becomes?patient of such disease at older age, he/she still remains your family member and the relation still bears the same reverence, same warmth, same flavor. Please try to reciprocate as it was. We can’t foresee our destiny. But if we can keep our emotional bonds intact and enthusiastic, we can accumulate more energy from personal life and apply them in our social as well as professional life to become more successful, more adorable. After all life is all about accomplishments and leaving trails behind so that our successors can follow.

As a volunteer of Alzheimer's Association, I tried to describe the detail through easiest possible narration. Would love to know your views. For more such brainstorms, follow me here or at Nirmalya Saha - Put life into focus or at Althought or at Google