Why Focus More on Alzheimer’s Disease

Why Focus More on Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease is the most dreaded disease after cancer, even though a lot of people do not realize its fatality. The fear emanates from the features that are manifested by the disease such as suffering, loss of mind, loss of independence, and disability (Turkington & Mitchell, 2010). It is, therefore, common for the affected people and their families to experience stigma, often preventing them from seeking medical interventions. Seeking prompt medical interventions is essential in enhancing the quality of life as patients and their caregivers get informed and connected with programs essential in sustaining quality life. Many a times, people affected with Alzheimer’s disease and their families are financially burdened, stressed, depressed and have poor physical health, all due to adverse outcomes associated with stigma.

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Apparently, stigma seems to be perpetuated by lack of knowledge regarding this disease.

More emphasis is placed on other diseases as compared to Alzheimer’s disease; hence fewer resources are devoted into consideration how this disease impacts on the affected patients and their families. Therefore, the objective of this article is to disambiguate Alzheimer’s disease so that stigma against people affected, the caregivers and their families may stop. It is also my intent to bring into understanding the symptoms of this disease, so that those involved in providing patients with care may be able to develop appropriate methods to cater for the patients.

This is essential in improving health outcomes.

Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia, which is a neurodegenerative disorder, that presents with memory loss and cognitive changes. Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain and changes an individual’s personality, memory, ability to learn, think, and social life. The symptoms usually progress to the point of preventing an individual from leading a normal life.

Alzheimer’s disease was first described in 1907 by Alois Alzheimer, but it was in 1970s that the disease received more attention. Alzheimer described a case of a woman who was in her fifties, presenting with, “severe cognitive disorders pertaining to memory, language, and social interaction” (Kachaturian & Radebaugh 1996, p. 73). On the death of the patient, Alzheimer carried out an autopsy on the brain tissue and observed abnormal formations called, “senile plaques and Neurofibrillary tangles” (Kachturian & Radebaugh 1996, p. 73). He also noticed atrophy of the gray matter surrounding the brain and loss of neural connections in the brain.

Alzheimer linked the lesions to the condition of the woman. Prior to Alzheimer’s discovery, people perceived dementia as a normal aging process; hence they regarded senility as aging mechanisms. The disease was also confused with other forms of age-related dementia until Alzheimer’s discovery. In spite of Alzheimer’s description, the disorder was not to be accepted

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as a disease until when intense neurological studies commenced in 1970s, which gave rise to the biological basis of Alzheimer’s disease.

The exact etiology of Alzheimer’s disease has not been fully elucidated, but is thought to occur as a result of interplay of environmental and genetic factors. The other factors attributable to the etiology of Alzheimer include old age, family background, obese, high blood pressure, and traumatic injuries to the head. It has also been suggested that factors such as Down’s syndrome, insulin resistance and tissue integrity are precursor conditions to the development of Alzheimer’s disease (Turkington & Mitchell, 2010). Worldwide, it is estimated that over 35 million people have Alzheimer’s disease, and this disease is ranked in the top five causes of death on the geriatric population. More women are affected by Alzheimer’s disease as compared to men, majorly because women have higher longevity and their likelihood of developing Alzheimer as they advance in age is higher. However, gender does not increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease when age is taken into consideration. Some studies have also indicated that people who have low education achievements are more predisposed to develop Alzheimer’s disease, as compared to those with more years of education. This trend, however, may be connected to the cognitive advantage conferred by learning, hence minimizing the symptoms of Alzheimer in people who are more learned. This may also be attributed to the fact that learned people are more knowledgeable about risk factors and have access to medical care as compared to those with less education attainment, who are mostly found in the poor social-economic classes.

A lot of misconceptions have been construed about Alzheimer’s disease as a result of the limited understanding people have about the disease. Lack of understanding arises from the fact that people are more focused on the other diseases as compared to Alzheimer’s disease. The most

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common belief is that Alzheimer’s disease is a normal aging process. Though the disease currently has no cure nor can it be prevented, the misconception that Alzheimer is a normal geriatric process forms a barrier against effective diagnosis and treatment of the symptoms.

Whereas advanced age is known to be a risk factor for the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease, this disease is not a normal part of aging. Alzheimer’s disease can appear as early as when someone is 45 years of age. This type of Alzheimer is called early onset, and about 5 percent of people have this type of Alzheimer (Turkington & Mitchell, 2010). Another common misconception is the notion that all people with Alzheimer’s disease are upset, violent and aggressive. However, this is not true since this disease follows different course in different individuals; hence some patient may exhibit behaviors like agitation and aggression while others may exhibit opposite behaviors like being depressed and withdrawn. It is also commonly perceived that people with Alzheimer’s disease cannot live a normal, functional and quality life where they can enjoy the pleasures of life. Though the effects of this disease are not reversible and are detrimental, they can be helped to maintain quality of life through early diagnosis and medical interventions.

Lack of focus on Alzheimer’s disease stratifies the misconceptions about the disease, negatively impacting on the healthcare outcome. The perception that Alzheimer’s disease is a normal aging process prevents the affected individuals and caregivers from exploiting available therapies and supportive services, which usually affects their ability to make responsible decisions about their future. Lack of understanding about this disease often makes individuals in the early phases of Alzheimer’s disease think that they are condemned to death with the disease, instead of knowing how to live with the condition. These people are unlikely to seek diagnosis and medication, causing them to lead meaningless lives. The apparent mass labeling of patient

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symptoms hinders the caregivers and families from developing individualized methods to communicate with patients in order to curb the negative behavior.

As a result of poor focus on the individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, people do not know the etiological mechanisms and symptoms of this disease. This has made most people to devalue old age, hence stigmatization of the elderly. By placing more attention on the disease, it is possible to determine the enormous cost of Alzheimer’s disease to the society. As a result, necessary support could be mobilized for policy formulation. Alzheimer’s disease imposes social and financial burden to the patients, the caregivers, families, and the community in general (Turkington & Mitchell, 2010). Caring for patients with this disease is financially demanding through expenses incurred in diagnosis, treatment and care for patients. Focusing on the disease helps in knowing the health impacts of the disease and the resultant symptoms. This fosters increased understanding of the disease and the subsequent symptoms exhibited by the people affected. This also leads to development of health care approaches that are geared towards managing the symptoms through enhanced communication. After understanding the disease, it is easier for the care givers and the families of the affected person to develop personcentered strategies. No two people with Alzheimer’s disease have exactly a similar course of the disease, hence the importance of providing person-centered care. Knowing how to manage Alzheimer-related behavior is significant in lessening the burden for the patient, the family and caregivers.

Being able to provide appropriate care to people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease minimizes the chances of hospitalization. Hospitalization has been shown to increase adverse outcomes for these individuals, often leading to, “institutionalization, mental decline or death” (Turkington & Mitchell 2010, p. 166). If much attention is not directed towards Alzheimer’s

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disease, the health care system is likely to be overwhelmed with time. This is because life expectancy has improved; hence it is projected that the aging population is going to increase significantly. This will see the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease increase markedly. Given the low focus on Alzheimer’s disease, the health care system is going to be on a crisis, unless appropriate mechanisms are initiated to change this.

In conclusion, understanding Alzheimer’s disease entails overcoming the myths and misconception about the disease, and how the patient, caregivers, and their families are affected.

It is important for people at the early phases Alzheimer to understand that they are living with the disease, but not dying from the disease. In the later phases of Alzheimer, it is imperative that patients are appreciated as whole human beings; thus patients should be involved in meaningful and active lives. It should be recognized that lack of cure or prevention does not necessarily translate into unavailability of diagnosis and management of symptoms; hence Alzheimer should be treated as a fatal disease and not an aging process. This will be an integral step in encouraging people having Alzheimer’s disease to make important plans regarding their lives. In addition, different people present with different symptoms when they are affected with this disease. Mass labeling of the patients as agitated, violent and aggressive hinders caregivers and families from developing appropriate and individualized strategies to care for patients. It is essential that people gain an in-depth knowledge about Alzheimer’s so that the affected individuals can benefit from personalized and better health care. This will also help in lessening discrimination as people will learn to be compassionate to the patients; hence treat them with dignity, while appreciating those involved in caring for patients. This can only be achieved through increasing focus on Alzheimer’s disease.

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References Khachaturian, Z. S., & Radebaugh, T. S. (1996). Alzheimer’s disease: Cause(s), diagnosis, treatment and care. New York: CRC Press.

Turkington, C. & Mitchell, R. D. (2010). The Encyclopedia of Alzheimer’s disease, 2nd ed. New York, NY: Infobase Publishing.