The fearful situation I selected in my previous blog #1 post was experiencing Alzheimer’s and dementia. I picked these two diseases because they overtake your life so drastically, which is truly unfortunate. Not all cases are the same, and some can range widely in severity, from acute to mild to severe, depending on the progression. The disease strikes a lot of fear into me because I’m the oldest child, and being independent has always been the norm for me. I crave and live for my alone time, and I’m appreciative every day I have an able body, which allows me to perform my everyday tasks and then some without assistance. I couldn’t fathom not even being able to use the bathroom without assistance due to my worsening health conditions. You often see severe dementia and Alzheimer’s disease patients needing to be in high-security-level facilities for fear they may escape and end up on the highway. I don’t want to be that grandma someone finds in the middle of the night at McDonald’s, wearing only my PJs…
Another condition that comes with the disease is memory loss. I’m big on nostalgia and reminiscing about old stories with my loved ones, and to lose my ability to do so would be heartbreaking. I’ve always taken pride in having a good memory and being able to recount so many stories. To lose that special trait would be a slight identity crisis because that was such a great character trait I had.
If I were to be diagnosed with the disease, I would be in denial more than likely. Depending on the severity, the loss of physical and mental cognates might not be as severe. However, regardless, knowing that the person I once was won’t be the same would be devastating. It would be hard for me to adjust. I’m sure my family would call me grumpy because I’m not always open to them coming into my house to try to rearrange my belongings. Once again, I’m a stubborn, independent person, and I know it will only get worse with age because as I lose control of my body functions, I will want the ability to try to control something.
The first step to achieve resilience is to connect with my community. Finding elderly individuals who share similar concerns or have already been diagnosed with the disease to gather their thoughts and opinions. I’m also extending the invitation to my loved ones so they can see a better perspective on my point of view. This would equip not only me but also my family members on how interactions may start to shift as we navigate the aging process.
The second step would be to set goals and tasks for myself to accomplish on a weekly basis. That looks like three laps around the neighborhood daily, or finishing one crossword puzzle weekly, etc. Setting up goals and rewards motivates me to complete my tasks. After every accomplishment, I treat myself to a little gift, such as a sweet treat, a new perfume, or nice shoes—at least one item to keep rewarding myself and watering my own flowers. Self-care and love are the best acts you can do for yourself.
Dementia is a prevalent and widespread disease, and by the year 2050, it is projected that 130 million people will be diagnosed with it. Typically, dementia is accompanied by other medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. It can be caused by brain injury or disease. This surprised me because, to my knowledge, dementia was only caused by unpreventable brain diseases. This raises concerns about sports players, such as football players and wrestlers, who frequently experience head trauma during physical activities. I am aware of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and its dangers, but I wonder if these athletes are also more susceptible to developing dementia. Most people diagnosed with dementia have a mixed form, which is a combination of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID). Essentially, dementia is an umbrella term that includes various cognitive diseases leading to impairment of both physical and mental health. I always associated dementia primarily with Alzheimer’s disease, but now I understand it is also linked with other diseases like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease. It is no surprise that when testing for dementia, it is essential to have someone familiar with the patient’s history to answer questions about their past behaviors. This can highlight uncommon behaviors and provide more information. However, I question how dementia is accurately diagnosed in elderly people who do not have family members and live in nursing homes. Nurses and doctors only know these patients to a limited extent, so how can they truly determine what behaviors are common or uncommon? Also, without family members to provide history or speak on behalf of the patient, I assume that part is trickier.
Reference
Arvanitakis, Z., Shah, R. C., & Bennett, D. A. (2019). Diagnosis and management of dementia: A review. JAMA, 322(16), 1589–1599. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.4782
Something I hadn’t really considered is how a person can be in disbelief—or even somewhat delusional—when facing this kind of diagnosis. We naturally think, “No, not me.” Denial often comes from not wanting to let go of that sense of control.
But the truth is, when someone is affected by this disease, they will definitely need assistance. That’s why I’ve started looking at the choices I make today as an investment in my future. For me, that means learning not to push people away, because I know there may come a time when I’ll need support.
If we ever reach a point where we can’t take care of ourselves, I believe most of us would want our closest family and friends—the people we trust most—to be the ones to care for us.