50+ Lifestyles

Effects of Alzheimer’s and Dementia

By Mary Huebbe
Marketing Consultant
Ridgecrest Village

Could you imagine the fear of not remembering who people are or where you are even?  I have heard so many different opinions on Dementia and Alzheimer’s; some feel sorry for the family, others feel sorry for the patient. I am in the middle. I just think the whole situation is scary on both sides.

The first thing we need to realize is Alzheimer’s and Dementia are not the same thing. Dementia has symptoms associated with decline in memory and can be severe enough to impair a person’s activities of daily living.  Contrary to peoples beliefs, this is not a normal process of aging. The good news about this is if you get to the doctor, some causes of dementia can be reversed. My suggestion is, if you start seeing signs in yourself or a loved one, find out the cause immediately.

Alzheimer’s on the other hand is an irreversible and progressive brain disorder.  It destroys your memory and slowly deteriorates your thinking skills. Some symptoms in the beginning would be forgetting things that were recently learned, important dates and events, as well as asking the same question over and over again. More severe would be
forgetting how to get places or even how to get back home from somewhere you have always gone.

I could not imagine what kind of panic I would have if I was leaving one of my children’s houses and got lost going home.  Or taking the dog for a walk and not remembering how to get back home.  I have seen people make jokes about someone with these conditions, and my heart just aches. If they only knew what it felt like to be that person, or a family member of that person. As the child of someone who has Alzheimer’s, could you imagine getting a phone call from the police saying they have found your parent somewhere far away from where they should have been? Or if they were walking out in the snow with barely any clothing on? Sad and scary for both sides!

This is why we have decided to have Teepa Snow, who is a dementia and Alzheimer’s care expert from Texas, come to Ridgecrest Village. She trains and helps agencies, facilities, and families understand different aspects of these diseases. She is an occupational therapist and advocate for Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients.

One last thing before I end. The following passage was written by one of our Residents whose wife is going through the stages of Alzheimer’s.  His request was for me to get this important message out to others so that maybe they will be able to keep these cherished memories.

LEST WE FORGET

When our granddaughter visited my wife in her nursing home she was distressed to find her so far advanced in her memory loss that she was not recognized and didn’t even have much interaction. When she came away, she broke down and wept over losing the grandmother she dearly loved.

When she came back to my apartment, I got out a video I had taken of an interview conducted by a grandson that showed her grandmother ten years earlier, alert and able to recount her early life. This was a healing moment. I have made copies of the video for each of our children and grandchildren.

How important it is to preserve those memories before all memory is gone. In today’s era of easy access to technology a simple interview preserves not only the memories but
also the personality of a dear one. It doesn’t have to be a video. Written journals that preserve not only the facts but also the personality of a mature family member or even an
autobiography can be a wonderful resource to those who follow us in later generations.

If you have never taken the time to record your memories, or preserve the memories of your loved ones, try to do it
before it’s too late. What you will keep is more precious than anything else.

May God Bless you always.