Alzheimer's Disease Touches All of Us

Alzheimer’s disease affects all of us, whether it happens to a beloved family member, a dear friend, or a valued co-worker. And my family is no exception.

This past summer, I took my own mom to a geropsychiatry specialist to assess her memory (“Gero” for aging). Mom, now 90 years of age, has been complaining about her failing memory…and we, her family, have been noticing it too. I was hoping that mom was just showing signs of age-related cognitive decline. 

In actuality, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, or loss of intellectual function, for folks over 65.  And for those over 85 years of age or more, the risk is 50 percent.

I was saddened to read the latest statistics at www.alz.org. They estimate 5.3 million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease; 5.1 of them are 65 or older, and another 200,000 are under 65.

Younger onset Alzheimer’s can affect people who are only in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. It breaks my own heart to read the staggering statistic that every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain's nerve cells, or neurons, and causes memory loss, as well as behavior change.

Though many of us may not have heard of it until just a few decades ago, Alzheimer's disease was first understood back in 1906 by German physician Alois Alzheimer, MD. At a medical conference, Alzheimer presented a case history of a woman who was only 51 years old, but suffered from a rare brain disorder. At her autopsy, the plaques and tangles that we now know characterize Alzheimer's disease were first identified.

My own mom’s assessment confirms her concern that her memory is not what is used to be, and we have observed that it fades a titch with each passing month. That’s why we have begun to plan interventions to help keep her safe at her home in my sister’s house while other family members are out working.

In honor of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, as well as National Family Caregiver Month, I thought I’d share some of the internet resources I’ve found, so those of you who have similar concerns can find help more easily:

• www.stoveguardintl.com—For a motion-detector device that automatically turns off an unattended stove.
• www.goldviolin.com—Check the “Memory” section for products. I got mom a clock that tells the day as well as the time.
• www.epill.com—For electronic medication dispensers that buzz, flash, vibrate, or speak reminders (or Google “medication reminders”).
• www.aarp.org/health—For information, brain games, and resources, as well as the touching Alzheimer’s Photography Project.
• www.theindependentlivingassessment.com—A Boston University/Philips Lifeline measurement tool. 
• www.halomonitoring.com and www.wellcore.com—For sleek monitors that detect falls.
• www.lifealert.com and www.lifelinesystems.com and www.lifestation.com—For personal medical alert services. 
• www.alz.org/library/about.asp—The Green-Field Library can help you find references and resources.
• www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_4719.asp?type=more_information—A helpful interactive tour of the brain.
• www.alz.org/memorywalk—Great info on the Memory Walk, which raises public awareness for Alzhemimer’s disease.
• www.candlelighting.org—For information on candle lighting ceremonies across the country, which take place on Sunday, November 14th.

Stay tuned for even more info on Alzheimer’s disease—risk factors and prevention, the heart-head connection, and why cardiovascular nutrition is smart brain nutrition too!

And for more information on cardiovascular problems, visit Dr. Sinatra’s Web site.