Alzheimer's Disease and the Cruelty of Youth

My son has a stock comedy routine that he goes into whenever I admit to having forgotten something or, as was the case this morning, report hearing a sound (like thunder) that he didn't hear because he was watching a video with his earphones on.

The routine goes like this: In a syrupy, pseudo-sympathetic tone, accompanied by pats on the hand or shoulder if he can reach me, my son says, "Did you forget to take your medicine? You know what the doctor said...."

That' it. It's not terribly funny, certainly not funny enough to warrant repeating, but repeat it he does.

My son is not sadistic; he's just young. He doesn't know that there is a bogeyman in all our futures or that the older you get, the closer you get to that bogeyman. That bogeyman is Alzheimer's Disease.

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness month but I'm going to jump the gun a little (It's not that I have forgotten that this is just October 18th.) and talk about the bogeyman.

I think that we Baby Boomers have one of three attitudes toward Alzheimer's Disease. Some of us are sure that it couldn't happen to us. Some of us are afraid that it could happen to us. And some of us know that it could happen to us because it has already happened to someone we love.

The 2010 Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures report released these statistics:

* An estimated 5.3 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s disease.

* This figure includes 5.1 million people aged 65 and older

* 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer’s

* One in eight people aged 65 and older (13 percent)

have Alzheimer’s disease.

Every 70 seconds, someone in America develops

Alzheimer’s. By mid-century, someone will develop

the disease every 33 seconds.

* Dementia is a syndrome that can be caused by a number of progressive disorders that affect memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Other types include vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia.

* After age 65, the likelihood of developing dementia roughly doubles every five years.

Alzheimer’s disease can affect different people in different ways, but the most common symptom pattern begins with gradually worsening difficulty in remembering new information. This is because disruption of brain cells usually begins in regions involved in forming new memories. As damage spreads, individuals experience other difficulties.

The following are warning signs of Alzheimer’s:

• Memory loss that disrupts daily life

• Challenges in planning or solving problems

• Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work

or at leisure

• Confusion with time or place

• Trouble understanding visual images and spatial

relationships

• New problems with words in speaking or writing

• Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace

steps

• Decreased or poor judgment

• Withdrawal from work or social activities

• Changes in mood and personality

No treatment is available to slow or stop the deterioration of brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved five drugs that

temporarily slow worsening of symptoms for about six to 12 months, on average, for about half of the individuals who take them. Researchers have identified treatment strategies that may have the potential to change its course. Approximately 90 experimental

therapies aimed at slowing or stopping the progression of Alzheimer’s are in clinical testing in human volunteers.

A growing body of evidence suggests that the health of the brain — one of the body’s most highly vascular organs — is closely linked to the overall health of the heart and blood vessels. This would seem to indicate that controlling high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity and physical inactivity may help avoid or delay cognitive decline.

More limited data suggest that a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables may support brain health, as may a robust social network and a lifetime of intellectual curiosity and

mental stimulation.

So, eat right, control your risk factors, maintain your social network, stimulate your brain - and avoid smart-aleck young people who are unintentionally cruel.