I don’t know much about Alzheimer’s Disease

This World Alzheimer’s Day, Yusuf Amin shares a personal account of how Alzheimer’s Disease has touched his life.

Unfortunately, I have come to the realisation that I don’t really know much about this disease; even though it is something close to home.

From what I know, Alzheimer’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder which causes dementia. There are close to one million people experiencing Alzheimer’s in the United Kingdom.

To put this into perspective, it impacts nearly 1/12th of the total population above the age of 65. If my maths serves me correctly, that is a lot of people.

The number totals close to 40 million people worldwide.

The symptoms differ; some people become erratic in their frustration and others become more mellow; trying to come to terms with their new world. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I did not fully grasp what this truly means.

I have actually seen the implications in my family; those diagnosed quickly lose themselves and their identity. It is as though they become an entirely different person (but they look the same).

I tried the classic google search of “cures for Alzheimer’s Disease” but unfortunately came up short. I tried another age-old method of making her some hibiscus tea infused with the finest ginger and honey known to humankind –

Me – “Here’s my special recipe Nan – this is the secret potion to cure you”

Nan – ?

The confusion in this circumstance was warranted, and my excitement was not reciprocated.

Thinking about it, the most important point that can come out of this piece is that the disease affects us all in some form; whether it is the person suffering or the people supporting them.

And I have the feeling that many people do not actually know how to come to terms with such changes; historically, including myself. In hindsight, I was not as helpful as I made out to be.

So, what can we do about it?

I suppose I would start with finding out helpful ways to assist those with the disease. Start by arming yourself with knowledge of what the disease is and understanding how this affects your loved ones. After extensive research, I have come to find out that the tea is fine to make.

After that, ensure that as many artefacts from the person’s “old world” remain with them as they approach their “new world”; keep scrapbooks of photos, and facilitate activities which they would normally enjoy.

Most importantly, I would encourage the practice of patience. I know it is easy to try and find out why something happened but start with the fact that it is quite simply not their fault.

World Alzheimer’s Day is every day; but today, it is precisely there to encourage awareness into something which literally affects everybody in society.

I have also come to appreciate the work of social workers and care home workers alike trying to imagine how it would feel to implement these techniques every day. It is an important task which should be celebrated every day.

Finally, please keep up with the developments from Alzheimer’s Research UK. They are doing very important work in their research into the causes of dementia. They also do a much better job than me of explaining what you can do to support those experiencing the disease. Other well renowned bodies include BRACE and Alzheimer’s Disease International.

I am still in the process of learning how this disease impacted my loved ones. Because you can ultimately never know enough with things like this.

The contents of this article are for the purposes of general awareness only. They do not purport to constitute legal or professional advice. The law may have changed since this article was published. Readers should not act on the basis of the information included and should take appropriate professional advice upon their own particular circumstances.