Today is International Alzheimer’s Day. Data show that the number of Alzheimer’s patients in China has ranked first in the world.
However, many people and even some doctors still have a large number of misunderstandings about Alzheimer’s disease, resulting in very low treatment rate and treatment rate of Alzheimer’s disease in China.
In fact, early detection and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease can effectively delay the course of the disease. Families with Alzheimer’s patients need the care and help of the whole society.
In other words, to defeat the disease, we need the efforts of each of us.
On this special day, Dr. Clove wants to start by taking you closer to two families with Alzheimer’s patients so that everyone can begin to understand Alzheimer’s disease.
[Mom, I really didn’t take your money]
After her mother became ill, Li Rongrong was no longer able to work at ease. She has made great achievements in the field of gardens, but she had to close her design studio for her mother.
However, she never thought that one day she would become the person her mother did not trust most.
Li Rongrong did accompany his mother to ICBC to report the loss of nearly 200,000 passbooks. At that time, the mother said that she would put it in her daughter’s hand and use it for her granddaughter in the future. Several things were brought together by her mother and became her imagination.
As a result, the mother said to everyone that her daughter had taken 200,000 of her own and called all her close old comrades to complain. The aunts who watched Li Rongrong grow up said, “How did this child become like this?” ]
My mother even changed the door lock to prevent her from entering.
Under great psychological pressure, she accompanied her mother to ICBC twice to consult the staff, but her mother just didn’t believe it.
Li Rongrong even wanted to give her 200,000 yuan, but her mother didn’t want any money, just to be more true. Li Rongrong said: [She often ended up with one sentence: I remember clearly that if I had half a lie, I would go out and let the car kill me! ]
[I am your wife, not your mother]
When he was young, his husband was Pan Guiyun’s guide and compass.
Beijing, Guilin, Yangshuo, Wutai Mountain, Sanya… [He took me anywhere and wouldn’t get lost]. Even when he was old, his husband was always the focus of the university for the elderly because of his extensive knowledge. My husband also likes singing. When he sings on stage, he is often evaluated as a professional.
After her husband became ill, Pan Guiyun could not understand how she looked up to her husband all her life and how she could be equated with dementia.
However, he was gradually forgotten by his husband. As his illness worsened, the husband began to feel that Pan Guiyun did not like him and refused to go out with her. Later, the husband could not even remember Pan Guiyun’s name or recognize her.
Like a child, he tugged at Pan Guiyun’s skirt and called “Mother”.
I am your wife, not your mother! Pan Guiyun only corrected her husband again and again.
This is a battle doomed to failure
Taking care of the elderly suffering from Alzheimer’s disease is a battle doomed to failure, not only because its end point is death, but also because the patient and the disease stand on one side, pulling the caring relatives to the deep pool of despair.
In China, there are currently 10 million families in this battlefield, engaged in this doomed battle.
This figure does not seem terrible, but:
The world’s first case of Alzheimer’s disease was diagnosed more than 110 years ago.
In this long century or so, we have discovered antibiotics, eliminated many infectious diseases, found ways to cure some cancers, and developed vaccines that are promising to prevent AIDS…
But for Alzheimer’s disease, what we can do in 2017 is not much worse than that more than 100 years ago:
At present, we still have not found an effective way to cure Alzheimer’s disease.
Existing drugs can only help patients slow down the development of brain diseases and delay the impact of diseases.
However, once Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed, there is currently no effective method to cure the disease.
Worse still, this is largely because more people do not even know or are willing to admit that this is a [disease]:
[old fool] Well, it’s normal.
Due to the lack of knowledge about dementia, people usually think that dementia is not a disease, but takes it for granted that it is normal for people to get confused when they are old. 47% of caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients believe that the patient’s condition is the result of natural aging.
Some people even think that dementia is a shameful thing, and many patients and their families are unwilling to face this problem.
However, if Alzheimer’s disease can be found as soon as possible and timely intervention and treatment can be carried out at an early stage, patients can maintain their ability to take care of themselves for a longer period of time.
Early detection is of great significance for delaying the disease.
The onset of Alzheimer’s disease is hidden and difficult to find at the initial stage of onset. It is often not paid attention to until the symptoms are obvious.
Therefore, when the elderly in the family reach the age of 60, the relatives around them should pay more attention to some subtle changes, such as:
- It is very clear to remember what happened before, but it is difficult to remember what happened recently. Repeatedly asking questions that have been answered; Difficult to think of some common words during the conversation; Get lost in a familiar place; The deterioration of personal hygiene; Character change, indifference, stubbornness, suspicion, irritability, etc.; Abnormal behavior, such as aimless stroll, picking up junk, etc.; Sleep time disorder, sleep quality decline, etc.
If these changes occur, the family should keep an eye on them and check them as soon as possible so that the doctor can judge the causes of these changes.
Early detection and treatment are of great significance for delaying the progress of the disease.
Each of us should understand that the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer certainly depends not only on the strength of the patient’s family members and medical staff:
- Older people are easy to get lost, so they need the help of each of us. Families caring for Alzheimer’s patients should not work alone. They need to be seen and cared for. More importantly, [Alzheimer’s disease], which is even a bit awkward to read, needs the attention of the whole society. Only in this way can we hope to find a way to treat this disease in the near future.
If you meet Alzheimer’s [old foolish gods] next time, please remember:
They forget a lot of things, maybe even one day they will forget you. However, they will not forget their love for you.
They need you to hold their hands and walk slowly together as they held you when they were young.