Alzheimer Disease- Chapter 24

When I saw that we were doing late adulthood, I immediately thought of my grandfather. The signs were there that he had the Alzheimer's but he wasn't diagnosed till 2013. Alzheimer Disease is the most feared and frequent type of dementia diagnosed in North America. It is also called senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. Alzheimer disease is characterized by the proliferation of plaques and tangles within the cerebral cortex of the brain. These types of abnormalities destroy the neurons ability to communicate with one another and eventually it will stop cortex function all together. When my grandfather was diagnosed we were looking down his bloodline to see who could have had it or dementia. We only found one. My grandfather is only 70. It is hard seeing the man I look up to have this disease. While reading this book though I saw the stages section. There is five identifiable stages of the disease. 

It all starts out with the person forgetting recent events or newly acquired information an example of this would be names of people and places. This first stage is not much worse than having a mild cognitive impairment so most people do know something is wrong. In stage 2, generalized confusion develops, with deficits in concentration and short-term memory. Speech becomes aimless and repetitive basically it seems like the are confused about what they are even saying. There vocabulary could also seem very limited. In stage 3, memory loss becomes dangerous. My grandfather forgets to shut things off like the stove or throws important papers away that my grandmother needs. He isn't one of the ones that doesn't know what a fork is. My grandmother is still taking care of him and they are over 1000 miles away in Texas. Right now, my grandfather is between the stages of 3 and 4. He can still be taken care of by my grandmother and we are hoping within the next few months we will get them moved up here. In stage 4, full-time care is needed. The suffers cannot care for themselves anymore, communicate clearly, even recognize their closest loved ones. The reason they can't recognize people is not because they forgotten who they are, just that part of the brain has deteriorated further. Speech is short and simple and by the end of stage 4 they stop talking. They can't basically do anything, reading is impossible and they stare blankly at the TV or space. In the final stage, people with Alzheimer Disease become unresponsive. Their identity and personality are gone and they recognize no one. Death normally comes 10-15 years after the first signs appear. 

Seeing my grandfather go through this disease is so hard. We get calls from my grandmother often. She is worried about money more than anything else because she is afraid of what will happen to them if they run out of money when he goes into memory support. Sometimes when I talk to him on the phone he doesn't remember me which I hate the most about this disease. My grandfather used to be funny and crack jokes on us all the time but now he is serious and it is difficult to listen to it all occur. Last Christmas, my mom told him to read my brothers and myself "The Night Before Christmas." At this time, it was the book that you could record so my brothers and I all have our own book and I listen to it from time to time to remember the jokes he would crack with us. A lot changes in a year with this disease. Always remember no matter what events happen in your life people are there for you and know that life is not always easy especially with the ones you love. He gave me tons of strength to get through my dads death and I am blessed of all the amazing memories I have with my grandfather! If you have a family member with Alzheimer Disease give them a hug because one day they will never remember you again. I am dreading that day but for now I am going to enjoy the time I have left.