The excerpt below was taken with permission from Robert Smith’s book Alzheimer‘s Disease, Aconselhamento Series, Faithful Editor.
“Grandpa, did you put the car keys in the fridge?
- What might have been a funny mistake concerned Joe’s 30-year-old grandson and other Evans family members.
- This was part of a series of symptoms felt by the family patriarch: Grandpa had lost his glasses and the family found them in his library in the office.
- Sometimes he didn’t seem to recognize where he was.
- The elderly man was a retired 75-year-old math teacher who had been active all his life and even retired.
- Continued to play golf.
- A succession of events that included taking the wrong path on the way home after golf.
- Forgetting to stick the letters that were in the front seat of the car and not remembering the name of a close friend.
- The family asked if there was a bigger problem than mere forgetfulness or distraction.
- It was also disconcerting that Grandpa.
- Who was generally kind and pious.
- Seemed to become more easily irritated than usual.
The episode with the refrigerator led them to seek medical assistance, they took him to the GP for a full physical examination, the absence of any possible treatable cause of memory problems (such as low thyroid hormone levels, vitamin B12 deficiency, brain tumor, stroke). or brain clots) was helpful but daunting news. It was helpful to know that I had none of these problems, but to discover that there was no treatment to reverse the situation was daunting. Although there was no specific test to diagnose the disease, the doctor thought Joe was suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (EA).
If you have a loved one diagnosed with EA, the scenario described above may seem quite familiar, even if the details are different. It faces a multitude of questions about treatments, short- and long-term care options, and how you can manage future changes. Rest a sure that God’s grace will help you in every new stage of this battle.
As a family member and/or someone considering caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, you also face important life-changing challenges. During all these challenges and changes, remember that you and your loved one have a Savior who knows what it’s like to suffer. and that offers strength and resources.
Come to him to receive the comfort Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 1,3-4: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of mercy, and God of all consolation!Is he the one who comforts us in all our tribulations, so that we may comfort the afflicted, with the comfort with which God contemplates ourselves?
Trust in the God of comfort and wisdom to guide and care for you and your loved one. Even if you do not know the specific problems that the disease will cause, count on the Word of God and the wisdom to guide you as you walk this path. way with him.
From a young age, you will be faced with the difficulty of having no known cure or treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (nothing will be able to reverse or slow the progression of your loved one’s disease). As you learn how the disease affects your loved one, you will find damage to the brain at the cellular level that is progressive and irreversible. This damage will affect memory, thinking, and the ability to learn, being responsible for the mild memory problem that you have probably noticed. You will also find that as Alzheimer’s disease progresses in the brain, it leads to a severe increase in symptoms, including: disorientation, mood and behavior changes; deep confusion about events, time and place; unfounded suspicions about family, friends and caregivers; more severe memory loss and changes in behavior; and difficulty speaking, swallowing, and walking? [i] . 1 While it is painful to think that your loved one is going through a situation like this, understanding the consequences of the illness will help you consider potential problems and recognize that decreased memory and ability to think and reason with Clarity, along with impaired discernment, will require the wisdom and grace of God. It is important to understand that there will come a time when your loved one will not be able to perform even the simplest tasks necessary in daily life, and it is convenient to start preparing for it.
As you begin to struggle with the reality of disease progression, it’s important to realize that there are things you can do to prevent your loved one from deteriorating too quickly. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, the person must “be involved and active for as long as possible and as long as possible. “One way to help your loved one with Alzheimer’s disease stay involved is to plan ways you can spend time with family and friends doing activities you enjoy. For example, if you liked ladies and dominoes, play these games together. Even if the person can no longer plan and think as before, they can still enjoy the game. Try to choose games or activities that require little short-term memory. You can always encourage and even practice the right exercises with your loved one. It can help a lot, both the body and the mind. Encourage your friends to participate in these activities to keep you interested, active, and socially connected. These activities allow everyone directly involved to have fun together.
[i] Alzheimer’s Association, What is Alzheimer’s ?, www. alz. org/alzheimersdementia/what-is-alzheimers (In Brazil, there is the Brazilian Alzheimer’s Association, www. abraz. org. br