September 21 is observed as World Alzheimer’s Day. On this day Alzheimer’s organizations around the world concentrate their efforts on raising awareness about the disease, as well as Dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a group of disorders that impairs mental functioning. Every 68 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is often called a family disease, because the chronic stress of watching a loved one slowly decline affects everyone. In India, there are more than 50 lakh people suffering from dementia, of which nearly 80 percent have Alzheimer’s. According to doctors, this number is expected to double by 2030.
Alzheimer’s is caused by the deposit of a protein called Amyloid in the brain. This protein renders parts of it responsible for memory, thinking, calculation, and vocabulary non-functional. Being physically and mentally active, reading and writing, and even taking turmeric have shown to be effective against Alzheimer’s.
There are no medications or supplements that decrease risk. No treatments stop or reverse its progression, though some may temporarily improve symptoms. Either way, during the final stages, the patient tends to be completely dependent upon caregivers. Due to this, some people tend to opt for assisted living centres similar to Chelsea Senior Living, where they can get extensive memory care. The above-mentioned senior living centre is known to offer a Memory Care program, which happens to be uniquely designed to provide a friendly, supportive, and secure environment for seniors with memory loss. Moreover, the program is known to improve the confidence and dignity of such patients, allowing friends and family to rest easy.
That said, besides this, there are several other options that patients may choose from.
For instance, In-Home Senior Care Services in Palm Harbor, FL are often opted for by family members of such patients. Availing of in-home caregivers tends to allow patients to be at ease. The best part could be that such caregivers also help in doing everyday activities and running errands so that the patient or the family members do not have to overwhelm by any household chores.
In some circumstances, when the individual doesn’t have a caregiver who has stepped up for them, or if their symptoms are that progressed that they need professional help, it may be time to conduct a nursing home search in your area so that your loved one has access to specialist care and attention. With Alzheimer’s, it is very likely that this will be the case toward the end. People with this disease will also find that their language will be reduced to simple phrases or even single words, eventually leading to complete loss of speech.
People with Alzheimer’s disease will ultimately not be able to perform even the simplest tasks independently.
This is why, on this day, we need to continue raising awareness for Alzheimer’s so a treatment can soon be found.
