Comment by simonask

14 hours ago

We don’t currently have any data that shows any clear way to halt or slow Alzheimer’s.

As someone with family affected by this disease, it’s a very personal choice whether you want to know or not, but I wish people understood that there are many things you can do with it, particularly for those who will be there for you if/when it hits.

Taking care of a loved one with this disease is extremely hard, and it’s even harder when they haven’t had any chance to prepare for this eventuality. Stuff like written records of your history (health, life, etc.), clear powers of attorney, and so on.

It also makes things much easier for healthcare professionals.

11 comments

simonask

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junon  9 hours ago

Just lost my aunt to Alzheimer's this last week. +1 on the hard to take care of bit. They turn into toddlers, then animals, then nothing. It's heartbreaking.

  • 361994752  4 hours ago

    I lost my grandma because of this. She was taken care of by my uncle and my father, and deep in my heart, part of me blames them for not doing their best. At the same time, I know they did way more than I ever could have done. It’s just so hard to take care of someone like that.

    • junon  3 hours ago

      I don't even know what "best" looks like, tbh. I also have some family not particularly happy (putting it nicely) with how my uncle handled it. I personally think he's a saint; views differ but there's no Right Way, I don't think. Everything is clearer in hindsight, too. It's just a severe, extended period of sadness and loss, I don't know how anyone actually dealing with it can do it for that long aside from intense love for the person. It's one of the most unrewarding things I think you can humanly go through. :/

  • avgDev  6 hours ago

    I've lost my aunt and now losing my mother to it. It's a garbage diseases and such a burden on the loved ones, mental, physical and financial.

tclancy  9 hours ago

One other piece of advice I would offer is: find a class at your local hospital or similar. I attended a once-a-week for six weeks thing and it made a huge difference in my perception of dealing with someone suffering from dementia and gave me so much more patience/ grace than I would have had otherwise.

  • criddell  9 hours ago

    Sometimes the majority of the suffering is had by the people around the dementia patient.