“The most expensive disease in America is devouring federal and
state health care budgets and depleting the life savings of millions of victims
and their families. But the greatest cost of Alzheimer’s disease and other
forms of dementia is not financial, but personal. This cruel ailment steals our
memories, steals our independence and finally steals our dignity by eroding the
ability to manage the basic tasks of daily life…
“Generally the disease begins near the hippocampus, the
brain’s memory center and then spreads to areas of the brain that control
language, judgment and physical activity. The disease was named for a German
physician, Alois Alzheimer, who presented a case study in 1906 of a female
patient exhibiting loss of memory and other cognitive issues.
“An autopsy of her brain showed the buildup of proteins that are known to be hallmarks of the diseases. These proteins form clumps
known as ‘plaques,’ which appear to contribute to neuron death and ‘tangles’ of
protein fiber that disrupt the neuron’s transit system. Eventually
communication between neurons breaks down…
“There is no cure for Alzheimer’s and no treatment that
appears to stop its spread in the brain… Experts emphasize that the severe
decline in mental capacity caused by Alzheimer’s is not a normal signal of
aging. The minor problems that people describe as ‘senior moments’ –you can’t find
your keys one morning, or you can’t pull up the name of the group that sang ‘Stop!
In the Name of Love’ –are common and not indicative of any disease. Signs of a
clinical state of dementia, in contrast, are much more serious: you can never
remember where you put your keys, or you have trouble remembering just about
anybody’s name…
“When Harry Johns, the president of the Alzheimer’s
Association, appeared recently on a C-SPAN interview program, caller after
caller asked him whether this drug or that supplement might be the miracle cure
they’re hoping for. A somber Johns had to give the same disappointing answer
each time: ‘We have not yet found any substance that deals with the basic
causes of the disease.’
“That makes the need for a massive government effort to fund
research critical, experts say… If there were sufficient funding for Alzheimer’s
research, there are several promising areas of study that could bear fruit…
“Some approaches to Alzheimer’s prevention bandied about in
the press don’t seem to work in practice. It’s often said, for example, that
older people who do daily crossword puzzles or take up a new language will
exercise their brains and thus stave off dementia. Sadly, the research doesn’t
bear this out. ‘Some studies suggest that if you have spoken two languages all
your life, you might be at reduced risk for dementia… But there isn’t much
evidence that you get reduced risk if you start after retirement.’
“Some studies show that physical exercise may prevent
dementia in old age because it seems to increase development of new neurons in
the brain. Since physical exercise also has significant benefits for
cardiovascular health and weight control, getting up and about on a daily basis
might be called a no-brainer both for physical and mental health purposes.
“The fact remains, though, that we are a long way from
finding either a prevention or cure for the nation’s most expensive disease. Finding
a solution is almost certainly going to require significant sums of federal
research funding. Getting that additional funding, in turn, is going to require
greater efforts to make Alzheimer’s one of the diseases that enjoy political
favor and thus the support of politicians…”
These excerpts were taken from Where’s the War on Alzheimer’s by T.R.
Reid
T.R. Reid’s recent
book, The Healing of America and his PBS Frontline documentary, “Sick around
the World,” studied health care systems in industrialized democracies.
Two Highly-Rated Foundations according to Charity Navigator:
Alzheimer's Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Avenue, 7th Floor, New
York, NY 10001 (866) 232-8484
Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation, 110 East 42nd Street, 16th Floor, New
York, NY 10017 (800) 259-4636
Thank u for sharing this important information, since I have watched my mom and now two of her younger brothers losing their memories. Let alone the dignity they lose by not being able to do anything for themselves, so it takes a lot of patiences as well as respite for the caregiver.
ReplyDeleteAlzheimer's and dementia basics:
ReplyDelete• Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.
• Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging, although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. But Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age. Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer's (also known as younger-onset), which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s.
• Alzheimer's worsens over time. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Those with Alzheimer's live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to others, but survival can range from four to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions.
• Alzheimer's has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. Although current Alzheimer's treatments cannot stop Alzheimer's from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. Today, there is a worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing.
http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp