Every 69 seconds, someone in the United is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Of the 10 leading causes of death, it is the only one that cannot be prevented, cured or slowed. While we have made progress with other diseases and actually decreased them as a cause of death, death from Alzheimer’s has increased 66% since 2000. The longer that you live, the greater your chance of getting some form of dementia, including Alzheimer’s. Our average life span is increasing.
Dementia is the loss of cognitive ability – the word literally coming from the Latin roots for loss of mind. It is not a specific disease, but describes a state of being or illness syndrome connected to memory, attention, language, and problem solving. Alzheimer’s Disease is a form of dementia. It is incurable, degenerative, and terminal. If you are living with a loved one who is diagnosed with this disease, you may be able to help them by developing a treatment plan and preparing to die.
Experts in the field have identified certain stages for both dementia and, more specifically, for Alzheimer’s. The stages help us identify certain activities or cognitive functions that can no longer be performed or that are diminishing. Since Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, get a diagnosis and seek treatment from the many organizations available to help.
Planning for the future will include treatment plans, medicine, identifying caregivers, safety concerns, and legal issues. If you are aware of the stages the disease will take and you are armed with the knowledge of how the disease will affect both you and your family member, you will be more prepared to prevent accidents and provide comfort.
Not only will you need to plan for physical needs to be taken care of such as groceries, bathing, dressing, and medicine, but you will need to look at legal matters like wills, power of attorney and living wills. Eventually, you may need to plan for live in caregivers, nursing homes, hospice or funeral arrangements.
Talking to other members of the family and including them in the conversations and plans as you discuss the stages of dementia that you are about to live through is also a good idea.
