What is Alzheimer’s dementia is a common question. Once the diagnosis is made, many family members are relieved that there is a name for what is happening to the older person in their life.
Once a diagnosis is made, that’s when the health care or medical system really fails its patients and families. Over time, family caregivers will feel a sense of disappointment and become disconnected from health professionals. While healthcare professionals can diagnose and prescribe medications, they don’t see or experience what you are at home.
I can’t tell you how many times family caregivers have been overwhelmed and frustrated with a situation and behaviors exhibited at home, only to be told that it is part of the illness. No solution offered or referral to a community resource that would be beneficial.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive form of dementia. It is the most common of all dementias. Although it is not understood what causes Alzheimer’s, scientists have discovered that this disease causes serious damage to brain cells.
There are two types of brain cell damage that occur in people with this terrible disease. The buildup of plaque, a normally harmless protein, interferes with brain cell communications and causes cell death.
Unnatural entanglements of brain cells occur causing them to twist and die. As the disease progresses and brain cell death increases, the behaviors and physical abilities described in the stages of Alzheimer’s disease occur.
More on What is Alzheimer’s dementia? We have a diagnosis, what do we do now?
The progression of this disease gives families time to educate themselves and prepare for what lies ahead when a diagnosis is made. There are seven stages of Alzheimer’s disease. These stages are based on the behavioral, physical, and cognitive changes that may occur as the disease progresses.
It is important to understand that while the stages have behaviors and physical changes that occur at each level, each individual is different and will not exhibit a clear pattern specific to each stage.
What I mean is that a person will not display all of the listed behaviors or physical changes. Nor will an individual always follow the rules, as far as being in one stage at a time. Many people will display a variety of behaviors in two or three stages at a time.
There are times when an individual will stay in one stage and stabilize for a long period of time. Other times, rapid deterioration can occur and an individual may appear to skip a stage.
It is important to start preparing for the future care needs of older people with Alzheimer’s, as well as family caregivers.
In most situations, I find that there is a primary caregiver, a spouse, or an adult child who has the responsibility of caring for the older person. The family caregiver often does not initially realize that this care journey could be as long as 20 years or as short as 3 years.
Therefore, it is very important that the family caregiver becomes the main focus together with their older relative with Alzheimer’s dementia. Caregiving emotions will encompass chronic grief, depression, anger, frustration, and social isolation. Caregiver stress is very real and has serious health consequences, if left untreated, for the caregiver.
It’s never easy when you’re diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia. It’s important that when you or a family member receives that diagnosis, you take action right away and plan for future care needs.
That would include the family caregiver learning as much as they can about the disease, exploring, and joining support systems like the Alzheimer’s organization to help guide and prepare them for this unknown journey.