The Indignity of Alzheimer's Disease

After a long battle with Alzheimer's disease my mother, Lois Deer, passed away this week with my sister and me by her side. For the last two years, my family cared for her at home, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During that time, Mom totally lost her ability to walk, feed herself, bathe or initiate conversations.

She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's almost six years earlier, after some of us noticed that she seemed to be showing signs of dementia. Looking back, it is clear that Alzheimer's had already set in and was about to take my mother from us, a piece at a time.

Dementia is one of the most difficult and misunderstood problems facing us as we age. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia among the elderly and may currently affect more than 5 million Americans.

Scientists have absolutely no idea what causes Alzheimer's disease. Plaque build up and shrinkage of the surrounding tissue essentially "short out" normal electrochemical functions of the brain. Unfortunately, most people only associate Alzheimer's disease with memory loss. But, as I often say, having Alzheimer's isn't about forgetting where you put your keys; it's about forgetting what they're used for.

As the disease progresses from mild to severe, the victim loses basic language skills, cognitive functions and eventually even the body's autonomic functions, such as body temperature regulation, begin to shut down. These changes can happen rapidly or over many years, with most patients diagnosed after the age of 60.

Alzheimer's disease generally causes dramatic changes in the victim's personality, eventually losing the ability to reason, make choices or even use the most basic tools, like a toothbrush or pencil. Some Alzheimer's patients revert to a childlike state. Many become short-tempered, even violent, and reasoning with them has no effect.

As my mother's disease developed, she became increasingly paranoid and anxious, afraid even of close family members. She would walk constantly, for what seemed like hours, in and around their farmhouse hiding things - food, money, jewelry - in the most bizarre places. We only recently found her wallet, missing for nearly two years, tucked carefully under a seat in one of their vehicles.

Some Alzheimer's patients may close down mentally and emotionally, and become totally unreachable and uncommunicative. There is no way to know how it will progress and every patient is different. There are drugs to help slow the development of this awful disease, but, so far, no cure is on the immediate horizon.

Unfortunately, Alzheimer's is not a disease which attracts as much money or attention as cancer, heart disease or HIV/AIDS. In my opinion, it's not "sexy" enough for the Hollywood go-getters to care about nor does advancement in Alzheimer's treatment carry political points - so government officials have little interest.

There are no surviving Alzheimer's patients to tell their tales of victory. Unlike certain types of cancer, the only survivors of Alzheimer's disease are the loved ones of the victims. Events designed to raise awareness for the illness involve only those people who either already have it or have a family member suffering from it.

Another thing that I believe inhibits research efforts is the idea that Alzheimer's is an "old people's disease." Again - no survivors. If you were on the board of some philanthropic organization trying to decide where to donate limited research grant money, would you send it to a children's cancer research group or one focused on Alzheimer's? If I thought it was pointless to work on a disease where the eventual outcome is the same no matter how successful the treatment, I might want to focus on the kids.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, "The National Institutes of Health spends over $6 billion a year on cancer research, over $4 billion on heart disease research and over $3 billion on HIV/AIDS research. But it spends only $480 million on Alzheimer's research." Considering that aging Baby Boomers will quadruple the number of cases in the next five years, this is incredibly short sighted.

Anyone can develop Alzheimer's disease. It doesn't care where you live, whether you work out every day, or how much tofu you eat. Don't wait. Get your loved one to a doctor early. Being forgotten by someone you care so much for is one of the most painful experiences imaginable.

Gery L. Deer is an independent business writer and columnist based in Jamestown, Ohio. Read more at www.deerinheadlines.com.