People the age of 65 and older are more likely to have this disease in America. It is actually a ratio 1:9. Alzheimer’s disease is very prevalent in our country, 5.3 million people are currently diagnosed with it.
Despite having such large statistics to prove how big of an issue Alzheimer’s is, the disease exists in the shadow of cancer. This deadly disease is barely talked about in media and let alone society. It’s a pain that you cannot understand unless you have been touched by it for yourself.
Alzheimer’s disease is an aggressive form of dementia that currently has no known cause or cure, but some people know all too well the effects. It is hard, especially when you are a young child, to hear your grandmother or grandfather is very sick and won’t be the same again. When you’re eight years old you really cannot grasp the concept of dementia and how you have to cherish every clear moment your loved one has left. At first it is hard for anyone to understand how progressive the disease is and how fast it consumes the diagnosed brain. One day your loved one will be okay and you’ll think things are going to get better, but the next day more parts of them would just disappear. It is almost torture just seeing the sparkle in their eye of the brief moment of pure clarity, it is the calm before the storm.
It is confusing when your grandmother or grandfather starts getting angry at you because they don’t believe you’re family and they aren’t at home. They think they have been kidnapped and are being held hostage. It hurts to watch the person you call your hero disappear right in front of your eyes and you cannot do anything to stop it. They do not remember you, they do not remember the jokes you shared together, they do not remember how they would greet you with the warmest smile and hug. It hurts so much sitting and watching them lose the ability to walk, feed themselves, or even remember to go to the bathroom.
Seeing a loved one suffer for years on end with Alzheimer’s destroys parts of your heart that can never go back to being the same. What pours salt on the wound is having to basically deal with this issue alone since Alzheimer’s is barely talked about so no one outside of your family could understand what was going on. Alzheimer’s disease is not them just forgetting, it is them completely disappearing. Even after they pass on, you cannot wrap your own mind around what had happened to your loved one which makes it so much more difficult to cope.
Alzheimer’s affects not just our senior citizens but also the family that takes care of them. My heart goes out to all of the families who have been touched by Alzheimer’s and those who are currently dealing with it. It is a very hard journey and there are many organizations out there who can help and support you through this difficult time.
