Alzheimer's_Epidemic

MHannah 10 October 2011 Alzheimer’s Epidemic; Are Primitive Vaccines To Blame' Let us start with the current statistics: the disease Alzheimer’s affects one in eight of the “baby boomer” generation, ages 55-74. In the same year these 74 year olds were born, 1936, vaccines for Diptheria and Pertussis injured and killed many on a global level. Injuries and fatalities continued through the year 1956 when 55 year olds were born. Right now Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in 2006 it is listed as the 6th leading cause of death in the United States, before 2004 it was not even on the list, now it is the 4th. Projected numbers show that the amount of reported diagnoses will triple among Hispanic, Asian, and Pacific Islanders and double among African Americans and Caucasians by the year 2030. According to the California Office of Aging, we also know that AD is underreported in people of color, where the family nucleus is so strong that dealing with this type of disease is just part of the circle of life. Which brings us to the issue at hand, who will care for and shoulder the medical expenses for the victims of this epidemic' 1.1 million, in California alone, provide continued care for people with A.D. Some have expressed in advance the wish to stay in their own homes, some wish to live with family Hannah 2 members, some choose assisted living in facilities and others are placed in facilities with or without their consent. Whichever the case, this epidemic is on the rise and destined to incur billions in health care and continued care to keep patients safe, healthy and comfortable. In an effort to understand this new epidemic, research has heightened and specialists say they are only ten years away from a cure. Or maybe just as close to a cure as they are with cancer. Perhaps we should plan our futures and pad our retirement in expectation that our children will become our parents. Ultimately, the kind of care for future generations of victims of this disease needs to improve and only through proper education can there be insight into the best possible care for Alzheimer’s patients. (Quality vs. Quantity) What is Alzheimer’s disease' The dictionary will tell you Alzheimer’s disease is a neurologic disease characterized by the loss of mental abilities that usually occurs in old age and lasts six months at the least. It will also tell you this loss interferes with regular daily activities and cognitive function. What it doesn’t tell you is that this degenerative disease affects nearly four million Americans who will die within eight years of being diagnosed. The symptoms begin with slight memory loss and escalate into the loss of jobs, lifestyle and familiarity. Changes in the patient’s mood, personality and communication ability are listed among the symptoms of AD, but could possibly be explained as epiphenomena of the symptoms. Meaning some symptoms may present themselves as a reaction to care. Imagine not being able to perform tasks at work that you have been doing for years, but then not being able to recall not doing so. Hannah 3 Imagine not being able to perform daily tasks such as cooking without putting yourself in harm’s way, and then not being able to recall your own actions. Imagine living as an independent member of society and being in control of your life and your memories and then having someone you don’t recognize take it away. Such drastic changes in one’s lifestyle could very well bring on extreme changes in personality and mood and shut down communication completely. Alzheimer’s patients need to know that they are still in control of their lives and their memories, no matter how jumbled or inaccurate their current awareness. Twenty-four hour supervision is needed in most advanced cases of AD. The cost of caring for a person with AD is estimated at $174,000 per person. Costs are usually shouldered by the person’s family or the state. The state of California recently partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to develop an action plan that will “emphasize the need to educate the public and provide accurate educational materials to help reduce the stigma” (Eureka Times Standard, 2011) that is commonly associated with AD. Also noted in this recent newspaper article, the Obama administration plans to “combine research to fight dementia with help for caregivers” (Eureka Times Standard, 2011). In the year 1998, very little was known about AD or how to care for a patient with AD. Unfortunately, when individuals don’t understand something they tend to not want to deal with it. As a result, many AD and dementia patients were expelled from living facilities to return to a home situation and/or kicked around to various facilities. Either way, the caregivers were still unaware of how to give quality care. Thus, the issue was raised: in choosing how care is to be administered, do we choose quality of life over quantity of life or vice versa. What would you choose' Hannah 4 If your loved one is an AD patient, and has a bad habit that adversely affects their health, do you choose to let them continue in their bad health because it makes them happy or do you choose to take the bad habit out of the equation and significantly improve their physical health even though they will ultimately die from the brain disease' As with any case, each person is unique in how their health and lifestyle is to be managed. Many would choose to keep them happy rather than perpetuate the inevitable. In an interview with Darlene Merkler, an expert consultant and advocate for senior health care, when asked about the issue of “Quantity vs. Quality” she remarked, “Many facilities cut corners to save money which gives our seniors a poor quality of care and therefore a poor quality of life and it's hard to find staff who are trained well in taking care of people with this disease.” This indicates that quality care might be a better choice performed in the home. Experts in the area of dementia and AD are working together not only to find a cure, but to find appropriate ways to educate the public towards better quality of care for the patients. Not only will this improve the quality of life and quantity of life. This is ultimately what is needed, not to have to make a decision between the two (quality vs. quantity) but to choose both and work together with family members and health care technicians to provide exemplary quality and thus extend the quantity of life. Grants have been extended to defray the cost of this quality education and continue research in the direction of a cure. Like anything, it is all about education. Educating ourselves and educating others. In the conclusion of my interview with Mrs. Merkler I asked her, “If you were given an audience, what platform would you take in regards to this issue, and why'” Her response was this: Hannah 5 I would encourage education. I am involved right now with a great program that is a good example. The Riverside County Office on Aging just received a grant through Mental Health that provides a series of 12 workshop support group classes for family caregivers. The classes are great and the depression levels of the attendees are improved after the 12 weeks. This is proof that education is one of the things that caregivers need. My husband and I have the pleasure of experiencing this workshop with Mrs. Merkler and numerous other educators on topics such as: grief, how to talk to your doctor, stress, Alzheimer’s Association, stimulating the brain, etc. On August 1, 1998 my mom read the eulogy written for her own mother, whom we had cared for in the last six months of her life. She had been diagnosed with AD and neither her husband nor the assisted living facility they were in could continue to care for her condition. During those six months, I watched her lose her abilities one at a time and in the last week before she died I watched her eyes as the nurse inserted the feeding tube. She couldn’t speak but I could tell she was not happy, her eyes begged me to have it stop. Three days later, her husband kissed her goodbye as he left for church and no sooner than the door was closed behind him, she took her last breath and let go. Today, I sat in the hospital room with my mom and tried to look into her eyes to see if I could read how she is feeling. All I see is a shadow of the person I could recognize as my mom, the woman who gave birth to me and raised me the best she knew how. I immediately wonder if my daughter will be doing the same with me in 30 years. My mom has lived with my family and Hannah 6 me since August 2008. She was diagnosed with AD in July of 2007. They told us the early onset was due to post traumatic stress of my parent’s separation after 34 years, and at the time gave her six months at the most. When she found out he had remarried in May of 2009 she slipped a little further into the disease. I truly believe that patients who are cared for by their life partner would have the best quality of care. In my mom’s case that was out of the question, so she got the next best thing, her oldest daughter (me). Regardless of any other aspect of care, unconditional love and patience are the most important. I chose to care for my mom because I knew that if I sacrificed a few years to give her the best possible care, then I could also educate my children about the disease. Hannah 7 Works Cited Merkler, Darlene. “Merkler’s Consulting Services.” Inland Empire, California. 6 October, 2011: (Interview citation) California Office of Aging. Edmund G. Brown, Jr, governor. 2011. State of California. 8 October, 2011. http://www.aging.ca.gov/ (website citation) Riggs, Rachel. “ Looking at Alzheimer’s care from a local perspective.” Times Standard. 4 October, 2011: A14 (newspaper citation) Yahoo! Health. Gale Cenage learning. 2011. Alzheimer’s Disease Health Article. http://health.yahoo.net/channel/alzheimers-disease.html (website citation) Ruby’s Emporium: Health perspectives and ideas. 1993. History of vaccines up to 1993. 10 October, 2011: http://www.rubysemporium.org/vaccine_history_to_1993.html (website citation)