Aging and Disease

My mother was about 65 when she first started to fool around, and lost her mind. You may think I am too hard when I say what happened like this, but this is what happened. She lost her mind when the Alzheimers disease started to destroy her brain. It is tragic when it happens, and even though it happens to many people each year, I did not know much about it before it happened to my dear mother. First I thought she had got some psychic problems, that her nerves needed some help. But after taking her to hospital, she got the diagnosis Alzheimers Disease.

She, herself, was the first person to recognize that something was wrong. The first symtom, as forgetting, she managed to hide from us for months. Not knowing where to find things, or put things back, in her own house, was a terrible experience for her. Things like not remembering how to brush your teeth or how to tie a shoe become increasingly more difficult. But the worst was when she “saw” people who were not there. Hallucinating and anxiety become a big part of her last years, and it was terrible to be a witness of what was happening to her. The end result is severe brain damage.

There is no cure for Alzheimers disease. Some drugs are used to slow down the process of the disease in some patients. Some medications are used to treat the symptom of the disease which can help to make patients feel better.

Alzheimers disease is a disease that is different from patient to patient. It begins slowly, and can take many years to be a real problem for some, for others, it is much faster. Some Alzheimers disease patient will live only eight years from the time they are diagnosed. Others can live up to twenty years.

My mother left me more or less 2 years before she died. She could have lived longer, but she stopped eating, would not live anymore. Until her last days she had clear moments where she knew me, and was very sad and sorry for what was happening to her. So was I. So am I. Alzheimers disease is a dreadful disease. Those who get it need to have help and understanding night and day, complete care, for years. Not everybody has loved ones to take care of them.

Tags: Cancer, Health

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