A proper understanding on what’s going on with Alzheimer’s Disease will help us be able to deal with it correctly. Yesterday I featured about the warning signs of AD. Now, we will be discussing about its nature and how to cope with it.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia — the loss of intellectual and social abilities severe enough to interfere with daily functioning. In Alzheimer’s disease, healthy brain tissue degenerates, causing a steady decline in memory and mental abilities.
Experts said AD is not a part of normal aging, but the risk of the disorder increases with age. Studies show about 5 percent of people between the ages of 65 and 74 have Alzheimer’s disease, while nearly half the people over the age of 85 have Alzheimer’s.
Although there’s no cure, treatments may improve the quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Those with Alzheimer’s — as well as those who care for them — need support and affection from friends and family to cope.
In advanced AD, people may lose all ability to care for themselves. This can make them more prone to additional health problems such as:
Pneumonia. Difficulty swallowing food and liquids may cause people with Alzheimer’s to inhale (aspirate) some of what they eat and drink into their airways and lungs, which can lead to pneumonia.
Infections. Urinary incontinence may require the placement of a urinary catheter, which increases the risk of urinary tract infections. Untreated urinary tract infections can lead to more-serious, life-threatening infections.
Injuries from falls. People with Alzheimer’s may become disoriented, increasing their risk of falls. Falls can lead to fractures. In addition, falls are a common cause of serious head injuries, such as bleeding in the brain.
Despite this very complicated condition, you can still develop a healthy lifestyle that may help prevent or postpone the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Because Alzheimer’s is most common in people over the age of 80, delaying the onset of the disease would increase the probability that people will die of other causes before Alzheimer’s has a chance to develop.
Eat your veggies. Maintaining a healthy weight and eating a healthy diet appears to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Your doctor may suggest lots of fruits and vegetables; fish or poultry, instead of red meat; whole-grain breads and cereals; alternate sources of proteins, such as beans, nuts and seeds; and more olive oil and less saturated fat.
Exercise your body. Experts said higher levels of physical activity have been associated with a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. Also, maintaining mental fitness may delay onset of dementia. Some researchers believe that lifelong mental exercise and learning may promote the growth of additional synapses, the connections between neurons, and delay the onset of dementia.
Carry a reminder calendar. Record not just upcoming events, but things that happen and activities you need to complete on a daily basis. And check off those activities when done. If you can make this process a habit before your memory problems worsen, you’ll be more likely to retain this skill as the disease progresses. If you can’t remember if you took your pills or who called that morning, you can check your journal.
* * *
Healthwatching: You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:1
|
