Most people do not become interested in advocating a particular disease until it strikes their family or themselves personally. It's simply human nature. Out of sight, out of mind. Alzheimer's disease is no exception. Yet, if your parent or grandparent has or had the disease would you want to know what your odds are of also inheriting the gene?
Do you have a predisposition for Alzheimer's Disease?
Do you have a predisposition for Alzheimer's Disease?
This is where we are at in the medical community. Identifying Alzheimer's disease before we are actually afflicted with the signs and symptoms.
The guidelines in place currently have not been changed since 1984 -- before that, only an autopsy could say with certainty whether a person had Alzheimer's disease. This is all about to change.
Experts proposed new criteria for diagnosing Alzheimer's this past week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2010. The experts suggest using plaques in the brain and specific proteins -- to diagnose Alzheimer's. These biomarkers can be found with MRI scans, PET imaging and tests of cerebrospinal fluid. Specific results would better reflect the various stages of the disease, the scientists say.
Like cancer and many other diseases, a person may not even know that they already have the illness because they feel fine and show no outward signs or symptoms. Alzheimers falls into the same grouping.
There are 5.3 million people living with Alzheimer's in the United States who face the terrifying possibility of inheriting a predisposition to the disease. Now that there are tests in the works for early detection of Alzheimer's, as well as other biological markers of the disease, the question becomes: Would you want to know?
I am one of the 5.3 million people who had a father who died from Alzheimer's disease. My father was only 58 years old when he started to display symptoms. He had the disease 16 years until he died from it. The biggest misconception is that Alzheimer's disease is a disease that only elderly people can get. Wrong. I have seen people in their early 40's diagnosed with it.
Would I want to know if I have a predisposition for it? Actually, no I would not. That is simply my choice. If there was a definite cure, then I would consider it. But right now at this point in my life I would have to say no.
The pendulum seems to swing both ways with children of parents who have Alzheimer's. They either definitely want to know, or they don't want to know at all. I guess I'm in the latter trend.
In the same way that you shouldn't wait until you have a heart attack to engage in lifestyle and medication interventions, Alzheimer's should be diagnosed much earlier, so that precautions can be taken, said Maria Carrillo, senior director of medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer's Association.
Also, research has found that taking fish oil and eating foods with omega-3 fatty acids, has been suggested to improve cognition. (I've been taking fish oil for years and my passion is seafood!)
Keeping your mind active as you forge through the aging process is also very important. Crossword puzzles, reading, online games and any other form of mental stimulation is excellent for your cognitive skills. Don't wait until your in your 60's to begin doing these puzzle twisters either. Start doing them now. (I'm an avid crossword puzzle addict, but Sudoku I am hopeless at! Numbers have scared me since grade school!)
For those who have a loved one currently with Alzheimers there is a lot of community support out there. It amazes me that when my father was diagnosed, years ago, there was very little assistance. The times have changed for the better! Let research work it's magic and maybe one day this will be an acute illness instead of a terminal one. Keep the faith and remember you are not alone....
Check-out the slide show below for more info on Alzheimer's disease.
In West Palm Beach, there is a multitude of resources for a loved one with dementia. Morse Geriatrics has a wonderful daycare for dementia patients. As well as the West Palm Beach Alzheimer's Association, with all the info you will ever need.. Here are their links:http://www.alz.org/seflorida/ http://www.morselife.org/
My Contact: LisaRKohl@aol.com Email me anytime. (Always confidential) Thank you for subscribing to both my columns...:)
Image via WikipediaI ONLY KNEW...Share
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 12:38pm
"If I only knew it would be the last time I’d see you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly, and whisper I love you oh so slightly.
If I only knew it would be the last time I’d see you walk out the door, I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for so many more.
If I only knew it would be the last time I’d hear your voice calling back to me, “I Love You”, I would have recorded it on tape, every action and word, so then I could play it over and over.
If I only knew it would be the last time I could spare an extra minute or two, to stop and say that “I Love You”, instead of assuming that you already know, I would have spent so many more than a few.
If I only knew that my assurance of you having another day to share wasn’t so definite I would have shared it instead of letting it slip away.
By me thinking surely there’s always tomorrow to make up for the time overlooked, before we know it that time could be took. We always think there’s always another day to say our “I Love You’s” and certainly there’s another chance to say our “anything I can do’s”?, but for when I might be wrong, and today is all I get, I’d like to say how much I Love You, and Hope you never forget!
Tomorrow is never promised to anyone, whether you are young our old, and today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved ones tight. So instead of waiting until tomorrow, why not make it Today? For if tomorrow never comes, you’d surely regret the day you chose to overlook, or didn’t take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a simple little kiss.
Why find out that the time you found you where to busy, only turned out to be someone’s last wish, you never granted. So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear, tell them how much you love them and that you’ll always hold them dear.
Never just assume there’s going to be another year. Take the time to share some cheer. So when the time comes they say goodbye, it will be easier to let it fly."
Shawna Stacye
POSTED IN JASMINE ELISA BLOGSPOT BLOG PAGE
1 comments: