Have you ever entered a room to bring something then discovered that you can’t remember what you acutely wanted to get, or park your car at the mall then forget where it was parked? Such things can happen to us every now and then. We laugh them out as we eventually remember where we parked. But for people with Alzheimer’s this is not a laughing matter.
Alzheimer’s is a disease of the brain that usually affect people over the age of 60 years. However, some people do develop it at a younger age. People with Alzheimer’s experience memory loss and other problems such as using and understanding language, getting lost in familiar places and losing basic life skills such as washing, cleaning, preparing food, managing money and even taking care of their personal hygiene. Eventually, a person with Alzheimer’s would need help and assistance from a caregiver, who is often a close family member.
According to International studies conducted in 2019 there were 55 million worldwide living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. This number is expected to reach 78 million by the year 2030. These figures call for all countries to take action in improving the detection and management of people with Alzheimer’s.
This is why the theme for this year’s World Alzheimer’s Month is “know Alzheimer’s, know dementia” which highlights the importance of knowing the early signs and when to get a professional opinion.
From my experience at the memory clinic at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, which was established in 2011, most people bring their loved ones to the clinic after a year or more of the start of the problem. This can be attributed to a lack of knowledge about the symptoms of Alzheimer’s since many people think forgetfulness is a normal part of ageing. Also since older people are often exempted from housework, no one notices when they lose their basic life skills. Yet, some people are in denial of the problem. Such denial is not limited to the person with Alzheimer’s but can involve close family members who try to excuse the change in their behaviour.
There are many advantages to seeking an early diagnosis. These include finding an explanation for the changes in the person’s behaviour. Sometimes the symptoms cause changes in the person’s capacity to deal with others. So a kind person may turn into an angry and critical person who is difficult to please, or a generous person starts accusing close family members of stealing money and other belongings when in fact he misplaces them and forgets where he kept them.
Another advantage to early diagnosis is that current medications that help slow down the disease work better at the early stages of the illness.
Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s can be exhausting, especially when the caregiver has his job or has his own family responsibilities. This is why some caregivers experience anxiety, depression and burnout.
According to international studies, more than 80 per cent of caregivers are women, typically a wife looking after a husband or daughters looking after their mother or father. This is why providing practical and psychological support to caregivers is of paramount importance. This can take the form of an educational programme that focuses on improving communication with the person with Alzheimer’s and dealing with the different behavioural changes that emerge as the disease progress.
So, if you know someone with Alzheimer’s, keep visiting and offer help to the caregivers as they often suffer in silence, listen to them and acknowledge their feeling, as sometimes that’s what they need the most, learn about the early signs and advice your loved ones to seek medical advice if they develop the symptoms.
(The writer is Senior Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist, SQUH and Chairman of Oman Alzheimer’s Society)
