Taking a closer look at Alzheimer's

Only a few years ago many people were still stumbling over the correct term for Alzheimer’s, often referring to it as “All-timers” or “Old-timers.” Now that one in eight persons 65 and over is diagnosed with the disease in the U.S., with the Alzheimer’s organization estimating 5.2 million as presently diagnosed, most people have caught on to the correct way to say it.

What causes it?
Once nerve fibers tangle and protein deposits form in the brain, the dementia characteristic to Alzheimer’s set in. As the disease progresses, memory loss, disorientation, and confusion increase. What causes Alzheimer’s to occur is unclear, other than the links to aging and family history (having parents or siblings with the disease is a well-established risk factor). With the numbers for those having Alzheimer’s slightly higher in Colorado, a volunteer for the Colorado chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association mentioned how some are guessing insufficient hydration could be a precipitating factor.

Why here?
So why is Alzheimer’s so prevalent in the U.S.? I recently asked this question in my CNA class and listened as five immigrant students pondered the reasons. Not one was aware of anyone they knew from their homelands (Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Africa) who had Alzheimer’s. “Perhaps,” Bethliehem responded, “it is because older people are so frequently isolated in your country. Our elders remain an active part of our families staying emotionally and spiritually involved.” Another student remarked how lonely she found most families here to be, and how often no one is at home, strikingly different from the constant bustling energy of her multi-generational home.

Is it only the elders that are isolated here, or does this behavior start much earlier? Just trying to get commuters to carpool remains a challenge, so many prefer quiet time in their drive to work. While in education I found the majority of teachers preferring to work independently without regular networking with their colleagues. Most single adults choose to live alone and appear to relish their solitary space. Some of my single friends are moving farther out of town and away from community. My spouse and I choose to live thousands of miles from our son’s family, my aging parents and our elder siblings, despite our desires to see them all much more frequently than we do. When our emotional bond to one another changes as a result of one of us dying, would the consequent isolation of living apart from family make the one left more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s?

Challenges for the family
What about the emotional care and health of the spouse of someone who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s? The film “Away From Her” encourages discussion between partners and friends. Julie Christie plays a woman in her 60’s who goes from placing post-its all over her kitchen to remind her where things are, to losing her way on a familiar trek outdoors while exercising, to not recognizing her beloved husband. It soon becomes clear that she must live in an assisted living facility for those with Alzheimer’s. Her husband returns to the shell of his home, her absence resounding throughout the lonely space, his need for company and family accentuated.

For the person with Alzheimer’s, their disability is memory loss and the blessing of not being able to remember that they can’t remember. For the spouse or other family members, the challenges become how to accept such drastic changes, do what is best for their loved one, and learn how to interact and communicate with love, extreme patience, and a depth of understanding. Hopefully, more and more of us will be up for such challenges; the Alzheimer’s Association says someone is diagnosed with the disease every 72 seconds.