We have heard so much about this ailment but not too many are fully aware of what it really is, when it will strike, who are most susceptible to it, and the things that can be done when it is detected.
So many famous personalities are known to have acquired Alzheimer’s. To name a few, there’s the late US President Ronald Reagan, singers Glen Campbell and Perry Como, Hollywood actors Charles Bronson and Rita Hayworth and many more who have already died. It only proves that nobody is immune to it but there appears to have scientific proof that some people are more prone to acquiring this dreaded ailment.
I am no medical practitioner and I do not claim to have acquired training on dementia-related neurological disorders. But, I can relate to Alzheimer’s based on personal experience. It was the main cause of my mother’s death. She was only 70 when she passed away in 1993.
Neither I, nor anyone of my siblings were immediately aware that she had that dreaded form of dementia. Initially, everyone thought that her forgetfulness was merely a sign of old age. We were all wrong. She had fits of anger without any apparent reason. Whatever was going on in her mind, nobody knew and perhaps, neither did she.
Her condition was in an advanced stage when my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I was then prompted to conduct a research on various forms of dementia. Through reading books, I learned a few things about the disease:
? Todate, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s.
? Whatever medication is available today, the pills will only delay the progress of Alzheimer’s. The most popular Donepezil (brand name Aricept) can only be prescribed by a specialist.
? Cause of Alzheimer’s has not been determined. There was a theory that the disease is the result of aluminium poisoning but it has never been proven.
? Family history could be a determinant factor and there is 30 per cent probability that it can be passed on from generation to generation.
? Alzheimer’s is a condition where brain cells deteriorate. The rate of degeneration becomes faster as more brain cells die. Because Donepezil has not yet been developed at that time, my mother died 6 months after she was diagnosed.
? There is likelihood that the afflicted person will develop extra sensory perception (ESP) and other abilities not normally practiced by most persons. This may include mental telepathy and perhaps telekinesis. Because the majority of brain cells are dying or are dead, only the inactive and unaffected part of the brain may suddenly become alive. At some stage before my mother died, she mentioned my darkest secret which no one knew except me. Her sister who kept her bank book, secretly withdrew some money from her account. My mother confronted her and even declared the exact amount withdrawn on the precise date.
? Looking after the afflicted person is indeed very stressful to the family — a big thanks to my wife and children who had the patience of caring for my mother.
To this day, I have experienced no symptom of dementia. I sincerely hope that my family is spared of Alzheimer’s. My unsolicited advice to people with family history is for them to keep their brain active, doing mind games like crossword puzzles — read books, listen to news, start learning new things, be more up-to-date with technology, write a memoir, maintain an active social life by making new friends, have a genuine interest in people, and most importantly, have faith in God.