Saw this article on reddit and thought I would share it.
Alzheimer’s is a nasty disease/condition. It would terrify me if I was diagnosed with it, or if someone I loved was. I don’t _think_ anyone in my extended family has ever been diagnosed, but you never know – it could go undiagnosed or simply get called “dementia” instead. Dementia is not a “normal” condition of aging. It’s quite sad that it seems to be accepted as that.
Anyway – here’s a small excerpt from it:
For years, Alzheimer’s disease had been conflated with ageing; that decline in an individual’s memory and mental acuity must happen to us all. However, though minor change to mental function is indeed inevitable, changes that disrupt daily life are not. This is an important distinction to make, as it underscores that dementia ought not be accepted; rather, developing effective treatments is imperative . Unfortunately, the drive for Alzheimer’s treatment has yet to yield any success; something that we have been reminded of with the recent death of Terry Pratchett, a national treasure diagnosed with the disease in 2007, who recently died due to lack of appropriate treatment.
My grandmother had Alzheimer’s and sadly, her three daughters, one being my mother,also died of this disease. My mother was 64 years old when diagnosed and succumbed 16 years later. It was a devastating diagnosis; I was 28 years-old. One year ago this week, my remaining aunt for whom I was legally responsible, passed away at the age of 95. I had been involved with her care for more than 3 years.
Wow that’s hard. I am very sorry for all your losses. It’s definitely a devastating disease. People don’t understand it all that well – like how people “die” from it. People think it’s just forgetfulness and things like that. It’s so much more, and so cruel.