UNDERSTANDING ALZHEIMER`S DISEASE Navigating the Emotions, Physical Symptoms, and Treatment Options
Jim Bowen is beginning to understand Alzheimer`s disease (AD). Sure, he has no medical training. He may not be able to explain what happens inside the brain as the disease gradually destroys gray matter. But he`s learning how to care for AD patients physically and emotionally and how to take care of himself, the family caregiver.
You see, Jim and his wife Rae cared for her father until he died from AD at age 92. Jim, self-employed, put his business on hold to stay home with him. Certainly this experience gave Jim all he ever needed to know about AD. Then, less than five years later, just when they were starting to plan for a well-deserved retirement, Rae noticed it was harder to complete her usual tasks at her office job. Soon she was struggling to do more than re-type a list of addresses. Within a couple years, she was asked to resign. Rae had Alzheimer`s. Jim took an early retirement to stay home with her. Both were in denial about the disease, and found it difficult to complete the requirements for Rae to receive disability.
Tragically, Jim and Rae are not alone. Over 50 million people are diagnosed with this currently incurable disease. Perhaps Jim and Rae don't know that about 5 percent of these cases are people under age 65. A number of people who show symptoms of Alzheimer`s before age 65 have a parent or grandparent with the disease.
Recognize the Symptoms
How can you recognize the onset of Alzheimer`s disease? It is more than forgetting an appointment, someone`s name, or misplacing your keys. Alzheimer`s symptoms, such as memory loss, difficulty focusing or completing complex tasks, are identified as those that interfere with everyday activities.
In cases where disease onset occurs before age 65, these symptoms may be easier to spot on the job. In fact, work associates may notice problems long before family members. In retired individuals, the first symptoms seen may be difficulty with driving or balancing a checkbook, consistently forgetting appointments, having trouble following a recipe, or even dressing properly.
If you notice Alzheimer`s symptoms in yourself or a loved one, don`t wait. See your doctor and insist on a thorough check-up. Some symptoms of AD and other forms of dementia may be caused by a variety of health issues, such as anemia, depression, infection, diabetes, kidney or liver disease, certain vitamin deficiencies, thyroid abnormalities, problems with the heart, blood vessels and lungs, and stroke or head injury.
At the Doctor`s Office
When you visit your doctor because you suspect Alzheimer`s disease, what can you expect? He or she may administer a mini-mental state exam, which is a series of questions designed to test a range of every day mental skills. They may also administer a mini-cog test, asking the person to remember and repeat names of three common objects a few minutes later. They will also ask the person to draw the face of a clock with a specific time on it.
Your doctor may also refer you to a neurologist. Often a MRI or CT may be used so the doctor can rule out any conditions that produce symptoms similar to Alzheimer`s symptoms. But it is a known fact that no single test can diagnose Alzheimer`s disease. A diagnosis can only be made through a comprehensive medical evaluation.
Once an Alzheimer`s disease diagnosis is made, the doctor may prescribe some medications. Although there is no known cure, there are some drugs available that may help lessen symptoms such as memory loss or confusion, for a limited time. For early to moderate stages of AD a doctor may prescribe a cholinesterase inhibitor, either Donepexil (Aricept), Rivastigmine (Exelon), or Galantamine (Razadyne). Tacrine (Cognex) is rarely prescribed anymore because it causes more serious side effects. These drugs are designed to treat symptoms related to memory, thinking, language, judgment and other thought processes. For the moderate to severe cases of AD, memantine (Namenda) may be prescribed.
Some doctors may prescribe high doses of vitamin E. Although more research is necessary, current research suggests that vitamin E deficiency contributes to the Alzheimer`s disease process, and so supplementation may prove beneficial. Be sure to take vitamin E only under a doctor`s supervision because it may interfere with medications prescribed to keep blood from clotting or to lower cholesterol.
Alternative Treatments
There are a number of other treatments for Alzheimer`s disease that are now being used with some reported success. Neurologist Richard S. Isaacson recommends a low fat and low carbohydrate diet with lots of antioxidants read lots of fruits and vegetables and plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, found in some fish and also in flaxseed and walnuts. You can also take omega-3 supplements. Although not confirmed by the FDA and thus doctors aren`t allowed to prescribe these supplements, there are no side effects and doctors will not usually recommend against it.
Another alternative treatment for Alzheimer`s disease is coconut oil, with a dose of two to three tablespoons several times a day. When coconut oil is digested, ketone bodies are produced. It is thought that these ketone bodies provide dearly needed fuel and energy to the brain when glucose levels are low, as in Alzheimer`s patients. Again, this treatment has not been scientifically proven nor is approved by the FDA. But with no other successful treatment options currently available, it may be worth trying.
Understanding is the Key
As Jim and Rae have learned, identifying and understanding the physical symptoms of Alzheimer`s disease may be the easy part. Dealing with the emotional issues, especially in the early stages of the disease, can be the most difficult for the patient and the family care giver.
Imagine the frustration an Alzheimer`s patient feels when they can`t find the right words, or can`t understand what`s going on around them. Consider how it feels for a man who loves to drive or build furniture to have his driver`s license and car keys taken away or his power tools removed.
Understanding all the procedures and right things to do will help, Jim says. But you really need to understand people... how to make your family member happy. This, he maintains, will make life easier for the family caregiver and guarantee the highest quality of life possible for person with Alzheimer`s.
Adjust your expectations of your family member with Alzheimer`s, especially in the early stages of the disease. Your loved one may still seem somewhat normal, but is no longer capable of understanding complex explanations and situations. Think and act as you would in dealing with a child. Make explanations very simple. Be patient, especially if the family member is stubborn. Don`t react when they don`t understand simple things or disagree with you. Reassure them that you love them. If you have time, find activities to do together that they can still enjoy. When going out, don`t push them beyond their limitations. Be aware and sensitive to their feelings as favorite activities are removed for safety`s sake, such as driving or using power tools. Look for substitute activities that they will enjoy, ones that are simpler but not so simple as to insult them.
Support Yourself
What does Jim, the family caregiver, do to take care of himself? He has a great support network. His daughters, as well as other family members, helped care for his father-in-law. And the neighbors kept an eye on things, just in case Grandpa, who was a wanderer, managed to sneak out of the house.
But so far in caring for Rae, his wife, Jim doesn`t need help. He just needs someone to talk to. Someone who understands and won`t fault him because Rae doesn`t want to eat a healthy diet and refuses to take the coconut oil they`ve been hearing about.
Maybe in the future Jim will need his daughters help again, or help from a professional caregiver. But for now, he jus
You see, Jim and his wife Rae cared for her father until he died from AD at age 92. Jim, self-employed, put his business on hold to stay home with him. Certainly this experience gave Jim all he ever needed to know about AD. Then, less than five years later, just when they were starting to plan for a well-deserved retirement, Rae noticed it was harder to complete her usual tasks at her office job. Soon she was struggling to do more than re-type a list of addresses. Within a couple years, she was asked to resign. Rae had Alzheimer`s. Jim took an early retirement to stay home with her. Both were in denial about the disease, and found it difficult to complete the requirements for Rae to receive disability.
Tragically, Jim and Rae are not alone. Over 50 million people are diagnosed with this currently incurable disease. Perhaps Jim and Rae don't know that about 5 percent of these cases are people under age 65. A number of people who show symptoms of Alzheimer`s before age 65 have a parent or grandparent with the disease.
Recognize the Symptoms
How can you recognize the onset of Alzheimer`s disease? It is more than forgetting an appointment, someone`s name, or misplacing your keys. Alzheimer`s symptoms, such as memory loss, difficulty focusing or completing complex tasks, are identified as those that interfere with everyday activities.
In cases where disease onset occurs before age 65, these symptoms may be easier to spot on the job. In fact, work associates may notice problems long before family members. In retired individuals, the first symptoms seen may be difficulty with driving or balancing a checkbook, consistently forgetting appointments, having trouble following a recipe, or even dressing properly.
If you notice Alzheimer`s symptoms in yourself or a loved one, don`t wait. See your doctor and insist on a thorough check-up. Some symptoms of AD and other forms of dementia may be caused by a variety of health issues, such as anemia, depression, infection, diabetes, kidney or liver disease, certain vitamin deficiencies, thyroid abnormalities, problems with the heart, blood vessels and lungs, and stroke or head injury.
At the Doctor`s Office
When you visit your doctor because you suspect Alzheimer`s disease, what can you expect? He or she may administer a mini-mental state exam, which is a series of questions designed to test a range of every day mental skills. They may also administer a mini-cog test, asking the person to remember and repeat names of three common objects a few minutes later. They will also ask the person to draw the face of a clock with a specific time on it.
Your doctor may also refer you to a neurologist. Often a MRI or CT may be used so the doctor can rule out any conditions that produce symptoms similar to Alzheimer`s symptoms. But it is a known fact that no single test can diagnose Alzheimer`s disease. A diagnosis can only be made through a comprehensive medical evaluation.
Once an Alzheimer`s disease diagnosis is made, the doctor may prescribe some medications. Although there is no known cure, there are some drugs available that may help lessen symptoms such as memory loss or confusion, for a limited time. For early to moderate stages of AD a doctor may prescribe a cholinesterase inhibitor, either Donepexil (Aricept), Rivastigmine (Exelon), or Galantamine (Razadyne). Tacrine (Cognex) is rarely prescribed anymore because it causes more serious side effects. These drugs are designed to treat symptoms related to memory, thinking, language, judgment and other thought processes. For the moderate to severe cases of AD, memantine (Namenda) may be prescribed.
Some doctors may prescribe high doses of vitamin E. Although more research is necessary, current research suggests that vitamin E deficiency contributes to the Alzheimer`s disease process, and so supplementation may prove beneficial. Be sure to take vitamin E only under a doctor`s supervision because it may interfere with medications prescribed to keep blood from clotting or to lower cholesterol.
Alternative Treatments
There are a number of other treatments for Alzheimer`s disease that are now being used with some reported success. Neurologist Richard S. Isaacson recommends a low fat and low carbohydrate diet with lots of antioxidants read lots of fruits and vegetables and plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, found in some fish and also in flaxseed and walnuts. You can also take omega-3 supplements. Although not confirmed by the FDA and thus doctors aren`t allowed to prescribe these supplements, there are no side effects and doctors will not usually recommend against it.
Another alternative treatment for Alzheimer`s disease is coconut oil, with a dose of two to three tablespoons several times a day. When coconut oil is digested, ketone bodies are produced. It is thought that these ketone bodies provide dearly needed fuel and energy to the brain when glucose levels are low, as in Alzheimer`s patients. Again, this treatment has not been scientifically proven nor is approved by the FDA. But with no other successful treatment options currently available, it may be worth trying.
Understanding is the Key
As Jim and Rae have learned, identifying and understanding the physical symptoms of Alzheimer`s disease may be the easy part. Dealing with the emotional issues, especially in the early stages of the disease, can be the most difficult for the patient and the family care giver.
Imagine the frustration an Alzheimer`s patient feels when they can`t find the right words, or can`t understand what`s going on around them. Consider how it feels for a man who loves to drive or build furniture to have his driver`s license and car keys taken away or his power tools removed.
Understanding all the procedures and right things to do will help, Jim says. But you really need to understand people... how to make your family member happy. This, he maintains, will make life easier for the family caregiver and guarantee the highest quality of life possible for person with Alzheimer`s.
Adjust your expectations of your family member with Alzheimer`s, especially in the early stages of the disease. Your loved one may still seem somewhat normal, but is no longer capable of understanding complex explanations and situations. Think and act as you would in dealing with a child. Make explanations very simple. Be patient, especially if the family member is stubborn. Don`t react when they don`t understand simple things or disagree with you. Reassure them that you love them. If you have time, find activities to do together that they can still enjoy. When going out, don`t push them beyond their limitations. Be aware and sensitive to their feelings as favorite activities are removed for safety`s sake, such as driving or using power tools. Look for substitute activities that they will enjoy, ones that are simpler but not so simple as to insult them.
Support Yourself
What does Jim, the family caregiver, do to take care of himself? He has a great support network. His daughters, as well as other family members, helped care for his father-in-law. And the neighbors kept an eye on things, just in case Grandpa, who was a wanderer, managed to sneak out of the house.
But so far in caring for Rae, his wife, Jim doesn`t need help. He just needs someone to talk to. Someone who understands and won`t fault him because Rae doesn`t want to eat a healthy diet and refuses to take the coconut oil they`ve been hearing about.
Maybe in the future Jim will need his daughters help again, or help from a professional caregiver. But for now, he jus
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