Last July, I wrote the beginnings of a post on Alzheimer’s Disease. I found out during my graduation that my granddad was going for tests to see if he had it.
That was over a year ago, and that post is still sat in my drafts document; with all the details of senile plaques being toxic to neurons and theories of neurofibillary tangles helping balance out oxygen levels…
I’ve gone back to it so many times, but I didn’t take any courses in dementia or aging – I know the brain regions and I know how chemicals affect neuronal structure.
But “severe loss of life”, I do not know about.
And I’ve found I really don’t want to know.
Emotional Reactions
I think of myself as a scholar and a seeker, I’m intrigued by life, keen to understand the world and to create my own senses through writing.
I’m not sure I can even entertain the idea of being slave to a condition “which strips away your living self a bit at a time.” (Terry Pratchett)
But there I was yesterday, sat next to the man who used to laugh, to go on and on about being hospitable to others and providing a service for your neighbours. The man who hiked up mountains until a few years ago and who told me I should do whatever it was that made me happy – countering every other male in my family who went on and on about getting A-grades.
He is the only decent male role model I’ve ever had, and he is fading.
The man sat next to me yesterday was depressing, picking up on negatives which weren’t there, focusing on how “I seem to have another qualification but no one wants to employ me” and talking about how there’s no point being here when everything in his body is falling apart. (I only finished at University last Thursday, I’m not worried about not having a job yet).
And then he spoke, looking at me, trying desperately to remember my name.
Last night, I dreamt of writing to Terry Pratchett; despite his particular variant meaning he can no longer read.
Knowledge
My granddad does still remember my name, after prompting a few times. This is the early stage, I know. They’ll have assessed the density of the plaques and tangles and judged him “early”. Each time I visit, I see decline, and I’m reminded “it’s only going to get worse”.
They’ve taken him off the Aricept medication, as it caused side-effects to his heart. He’s still able to speak, still able to move his hands and legs, still able to pour drinks and to play croquet with us.
He’s survived skin cancer, a knee operation, eye treatment and is now losing his mind; a little bit each day.
All I find myself wanting to do is to remember every moment with him and to distil those memories of him, and the lessons he wants. I want to make a guidebook for my life with all of his knowledge and beliefs within it… so that he can still give me guidance once he’s no longer there.
~ ~ ~
I was reading Ellie’s post over at The Headologist a few weeks ago, thinking of my granddad as I read each word about the Aricept, the frustration and that sense of loss she felt as Terry would never read a word she had written.
And I realised my grandfather will probably never see my life – he may see it, but he won’t recognise it. I’ll be the first one he forgets; being the youngest (the most recent new memory), the less-often-visiting. He’ll forget my name, and not understand why I tell him about any job I get, any achievements I have… when I tell him I’m happy; that I did what he asked and did something I enjoyed… he’ll wonder why I’m telling him.
If he lives long enough to meet my kids, he will never know them, and they will never know him.
The Scientist
I feel I need to know about this. His wife and my mum have both asked what’s happening in his brain, and I could only open a textbook and try to read it out loud, explaining the jargon as best I could.
I don’t want to know, to foresee his future. Yet I do.
Next his speech will go, he’ll lose the ability to perform daily tasks, his long-term memory will start to fade and I will most likely be removed then.
And then, if he survives any falls and lives beyond that, he’ll reach “advanced” and will be able to perhaps use phrases of speech, fall into apathy/exhaustion and no longer be able to feed himself or move.
~ ~ ~
I cannot be a scientist when the only person who has made an effort to be compassionate and just, is leaving me. I cannot explain the biological function of plaques when the main motivation for all my studying and all my work will never see me complete it.
And I will only have memories from when I was too young to understand, to guide me in how to be a decent human being.
Mostly though, I’m mourning that he won’t be playing chess again; the game he taught me was the answer to all of life’s problems.
– Rose –
Also, this is an important documentary about the problems Terry wanted to look at with Alzheimer’s as a mental deterioration on the topic of Assisted Suicide: http://vimeo.com/25239708
*gentle hugs* This disease is such a destroyer of lives – and the worlds that surround those lives. To have to watch someone you love and look up to decline like that… I can’t imagine. The closest I’ve come is brushing up against Terry’s struggle with it, and that’s hard enough (which probably makes me sound like a stalker, but there it is).
All we can do, scientist or not, is to be there for the rest of our loved one’s lucid days and soak up as much time as we can with who they actually are before the disease strips that away. I hope you get to do that with your grandfather. <3
Thank you. I wouldn’t say it’s stalker-like – it’s human connection. I just hope I get to spend time with him even once I have a job and live further away. Thanks for your comment. x
My father died last July of Alzheimer’s disease. He had nine children and in the end, he didn’t remember any of us. It seemed to me that his memory started to fade after my mom died, as if he didn’t really want to be here anymore without her. I tried to write something about that on my site also…..
It was hard.
I can’t do better than be sympathetic to your grief process, Rose, but as a former professional caregiver to dementia patients, I would advise you both to study published material, even if just “what to do” pamphlets, and find a support group near you, where others will share their tips and be able to empathize.
Part of the acceptance process of incurable diseases and conditions is re-framing. This process of helping your grandfather continue with dignity has great potential to open up your life, certainly as much as it does of robbing you. For everything you lose, you gain something else. One way to re-think the situation is to consider that in many ways, he will not be losing his mind or himself so much as becoming his most simple, essential self. I helped about one person/week pass, and even those who were mute and immobile were communicative through the eyes, responsive to a loving touch and a soothing tone of voice, to – the – last – breath. You can still have many, many opportunities to share your love and gratitude. Even when he doesn’t remember the next day, or an hour later, he WILL appreciate it “in the moment”. So can you.
Beautifully spoken. To us they may seem to have lost their minds but once they stop talking they do not stop feeling. As a volunteer I rubbed a woman over her back after she had shouted “I don’t know anything anymore!” This woman hardly ever spoke, but seemed to respond to me. I rubbed her back and said that we all feel like that sometimes. That comforted her. Then she said “oh, that’s nice,” as I rubbed her upper back some more.
Once we can no longer communicate verbally we can still massage their hands, their backs, their feet, should they be receptive to it. I think this is very often overlooked both at home and in care centres.
I like how you put it, he is going back to his most essential self. I hope your words help. All of life is really in the present moment. If we could all live in the moment, we would appreciate every bit of life and this would transform our experience of these tragedies. To Rose, I truly hope the best for you. It takes a lot of courage to share something like this and I so happy you did.
It’s good to be reminded that in that moment, they will appreciate it and that’s one more moment of their overall life you’ve made positive. Thanks for your comment.
Sounds like you have had a really wonderful relationship with him.
I spend time last night talking to my mother about her childhood memories and her grandparents, aunts and uncles (I’d discovered a family tree so had prompts) and we were both surprised by all she could remember.
Liked the idea of going back to the ‘essential self’ and trying to hold on to the person you love. It’s hard to watch them suffer.
Mikey, I really liked your comment. My grandfather died at 95 and had fairly severe Alzheimers for the last 5 years of his life. He had a real bond with my son who was born in the year he turned 90. He ironically remembered him longer than other relatives.When he was 2, we visited with his Fisher Price Laptop and my grandfather who had been sleeping non stop at this point and didn’t even register Santa, was a different person with Jonathon and was operating the laptop and following the instructions to use the mouse. The change was so radical that the staff were all taking notes.It was quite extraordinary. You can’t always predict how this disease will pan out.
Cool post, I enjoyed it.
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Wow!
Thanks for sharing such a personal story.
So many have been affected
By this disease.
My heart goes out to you
My grandmother had alzheimer’s. I remember is going over to her and my granddad’s house when I was younger and being spoiled rotten-I was their favorite grandchild. She was a beautiful, energetic, and incredibly headstrong woman and I miss her a lot. Watching her fade away was horrible, and the fact that my dad died earlier that year didn’t exactly help. I understand and feel your pain and all I can say is we have to focus on the good memories we have, not the bad. <3
it is my understanding and my experience that anger is one step of the grieving process in coming to terms with the loss of the person and the memories you knew. I can only feel gutted that you are so sad in your experience right now. I know it sometimes is possible to concentrate more on what you can give to him each day so that he knows in his heart that he is loved so much. he may not know why, or even by whom, but it is a way of allowing him to experience each moment with you. You focus on what you are getting or not getting by his loss. Try focussing on what you can now give to him with a loving heart.
OMG! You made me cry. My grandma had that and my dad was also recently diagnosed as pre-alzheimer. I do believe there may be ways to get better and not worse, but it has to do with diet and lifestyle and I don’t think I’ll get to convince my family of this. And I’m the one who is 7,000 miles away anyways. I did try, I even started translating a book for them that I thought could help, but they were just not interested. If your family will listen to you, you can still try. Check out the book The UltraMind Solution (http://www.amazon.com/The-UltraMind-Solution-Depression-Overcome/dp/1416549722/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345764794&sr=8-1&keywords=the+ultramind+solution) for some ideas. The book is not about Alzheimer but it does explains bit how diet and lifestyle can help it. In the meanwhile I’ll also keep trying with my own family… <3
I completely agree. I think diet has a lot to do with it. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the rate of Alzheimer’s and other diseases has risen coincident with the changes in our diets. I am in the process of treating Parkinson’s and hypothyroidism with a purified diet. I’ve posted a couple of blogs if you’re interested: http://fredphillips.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/healing-parkinsons-part-two/
The most common non-genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s that have been scientifically verified so far include high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. These conditions increase the likelihood of finding cholesterol plaques in brain tissue, the main pathological basis for diagnosis of the disease. That makes diet a secondary factor, since a lifetime diet excessive in fat, sugar and/or deficient in Vitamin B12 (alcoholics) contributes to causing these chronic diseases.
You can not cure or “turn around” the process that occurs in Alzheimer’s, not through diet or any other lifestyle factor. All treatment and care for Alzheimer’s patients is considered palliative, things we do to alleviate excess pain and anxiety for patients, and providing safety in their environment. So far nothing we know of affects or slows the rate of decline unless the patient is responsive to certain drugs that reduce cholesterol and control diabetes and hypertension. Eating healthy and performing exercise will promote better quality of whatever life the person has left, but there’s no evidence it has any effect upon the progress of the disease itself. I’m so sorry to have to put it so bluntly.
I appreciate the ideas here but agree with Mikey. There is no “getting back” or “getting better”, just making the forward progress of the disease as slow as possible. We’re not sure of the cause as he has low blood pressure, a very healthy diet and no background of diabetes or being overweight. I just hope they can put him on some “backup” medication to slow it as the Aricept caused side effects they wouldnt risk. Thanks for all your comments.
Please accept my deepest sympathies on your grandfather’s condition. Keep a notebook of the experience and join a support group. You are not alone. Many share your journey. Don’t be afraid to accept help. Learn as much as you can about this disease. Treat each day with your grandfather as a gift. Even a hug or a touch can mean a lot to those whose memory is fading.
I… this was also a topic I couldn’t talk or think about for a long time without bursting into hysterical tears.
My dad, at 62 was diagnosed with early onset, I was 26. The same thoughts you mentioned, that he would never be there to walk me down the aisle, play with my kids like he did with me, that even if he was in body, he was not the same man I’d grown up with, learned from, knew as “dad”.
The first 3 years the progression was minute, hardly noticeable, but recently it has become bad. He asked me not an hour before I read this, looking at our cable box which displayed the time, “what does that six, zero, zero mean over there?” I said, it means it’s 6pm, its a clock, it shows the time. He continued “but is that all it means?” my mother chimed in that sometimes it also showed what channel you were watching. He seemed confused. He said “it means there might be people out there who have to be doing things”. I know what he meant by this, that there were programs on and he now believes that what is on TV is a part of his reality and he might be missing out on…. helping a newscast or something.
I almost cried when he asked me what the six, zero, zero meant….so lost, I miss my dad so much sometimes, I really miss him, and he’s sitting right there.
I hope time brings you rest. I’ve been through an extreme situation with a loved one and accepting and relearning your relationship to the new person takes time. I’m still learning…
I’m sorry to hear about your experiences. -hug- We’re about 2-3 years into the symptoms for my grandfather which suggests a) it’s hopefully slow progressive and b) it’s about to get worse more noticeably. At least he remembers numbers, and he remembers there WAS some other use for it – it’s as if the information really is still all there and they just cant access it. Thanks for commenting.
Reblogged this on I am an Afterschool Special and commented:
This was also a topic I couldn’t talk or think about for a long time without bursting into hysterical tears.
My dad, at 62 was diagnosed with early onset, I was 26. The same thoughts you mentioned, that he would never be there to walk me down the aisle, play with my kids like he did with me, that even if he was in body, he was not the same man I’d grown up with, learned from, knew as “dad”.
The first 3 years the progression was minute, hardly noticeable, but recently it has become bad. He asked me not an hour before I read this, looking at our cable box which displayed the time, “what does that six, zero, zero mean over there?” I said, it means it’s 6pm, its a clock, it shows the time. He continued “but is that all it means?” my mother chimed in that sometimes it also showed what channel you were watching. He seemed confused. He said “it means there might be people out there who have to be doing things”. I know what he meant by this, that there were programs on and he now believes that what is on TV is a part of his reality and he might be missing out on…. helping a newscast or something.
I almost cried when he asked me what the six, zero, zero meant….so lost, I miss my dad so much sometimes, I really miss him, and he’s sitting right there.
My mom in law has Alzheimer’s. There are day’s when she’s totally out of it. There are day’s when she’s “pretty good.”
As a family we accept the fact that each day can be so different.
I have learned to do all the talking. At times I can engage her.
I show her photographs of family members and talk about as much as I know.
Sometimes I show her my beads. She becomes fascinated. Many times she cannot be reached at all. Yes, she has also forgotten my name on really bad days.
I love her dearly. I am grateful for her “good” days. These are precious. I know like the rest of my family she will fade completely. We hope it will be a long way off.
My heart goes out to you.
My sympathies to you and your family. My grandfather has Alzheimer’s Disease, and I have been his 24/7 caregiver since Jan of this year. It is a difficult disease for both the person and the family. I have turned to the Alzheimer’s Organization for help, they have a wonderful website. Stay strong! ~Ariesgrl
Well done for being his caretaker – I can’t imagine the frustrations and emotional drainage of that kind of role. I’ve got a couple of websites on my favourites links in case I need anything, but as a granddaughter, I only see him 4-5 times a year so it’s difficult to have a consistent kind of experience and really get used the differences.
I’m so sorry for you and your grandfather and all who love you both. My mom had this and I know now that many of the people I cared for when I was working in a convalescent hospital in my teens, also had it. I encourage you to care well for yourself, support him as you can and get the support you can.
alz.org is a great resource.
You have my complete empathy. It is such a devastating condition. I am dealing with the effects on two members of my community. One is progressing much in the same way, the other has turned violent and after a recent incident of spousal abuse is now being committed to long term care. It is so sad, breaks my heart. May you experience occassional ‘good’ moments to treasure. Blessings.
Oh, how I feel your pain. I lost my mother to that horrible disease. (((Big hugs))).
I’m sorry to hear this – I share your experience and I can’t do much but to express sympathy.
I too, said that there was no point in the completion of my degree when the only person who had been compassionate, non-judgmental and kind was leaving me. I too, could not tell how the motivation for my hard-work meant anything when she would never see the day I achieved something big. And indeed, I only have memories of the past, when I was too young to understand.
I couldn’t tell what was on her mind – she couldn’t say it, or I couldn’t understand it. I was still a kid then, and I didn’t even know why she wasn’t answering my questions appropriately.
I live with regrets today. I hope, you will not – please take care. And the only thing I can do now, maybe, is like yourself, at times writing to share the symptoms and feelings – hoping that someone out there will learn about these issues before it is too late.
My partner’s mother had dementia (not Alzheimer’s) but in the end it progressed to the extent that she could virtually do nothing or even speak. One of the good things that came out of her illness however was that they became close in the last few years. Her whole personality changed as she lost her memory, and instead of a bitter person who was very negative about many things she became the sweet, loving mother he had always wanted but never had. It was as if a circuit board had been removed and another one replaced. There were times of immense sadness but also times of joy when she touched his face and said “we have the same eyebrows”. She even found a lovely man who was besotted with her and visited her from his room almost until the end. We used to take them to lunch at a little cafe on the premises of the retirement village when she was in the early stages and he always dressed up for the occasion. We still have photos of them together at Xmas parties at the village. She had taught ballet and performed in theatre, and almost to the end if she heard classical music her eyes would brighten and she would move her arms and legs to the music. Cherish the moments of lucidity and remember the good times you spent together. You will honour his memory by going on with your life and achieving things whether you can share these memories with him or not.
Hi There…
Im sorry about what you and your grandad are going through… I found this a few weeks ago.. not sure if it holds any credibility or anything… But I think its totally worth trying… http://youtu.be/ZZOR-Qd3QSg
Huge warm Hugs!
I can relate, unfortunately. I am the only caretaker for my mom who is almost 81 & my step-dad who will be 97 in two months. I do come home just before dinner to be with my husband since my mother is not totally lost. She does have a bone marrow disease that there is no cure or treatment for so she has her own physical problems… extreme fatigue being only one of them. Your story is very touching since you reveal so much of yourself in your writing. I tend to do that too from time to time, especially my post on cancer & it’s effects on the family as well as the person. I’m sorry that you have to go through this, but you sound like you well understand that it is the disease and therefore you can’t take it personally. That’s not to say that you don’t feel like ripping your hair out some days and dealing with a broken heart on others. It’s the emotional roller-coaster for me, so I imagine it is for most people. Our “fight of the moment” is that my step-dad refuses to give up his car. Thank goodness we live in a relatively small town, and he doesn’t escape often, but when he does…. it drives me insane. Sine his son lives here and won’t take the car away or the keys, I can’t either. I just try to intervene in the violent episodes since he is still at home with my mom.
Bless you for all you do, and you have my empathy and prayers.
wow. this was a very powerful and moving post.
i can also relate, unfortunately as well. my grandmother passed away from alzheimers when i was young. i think the hardest part was watching her deteriorate to the point that she didn’t recognize me anymore. it’s very hard, and it takes a lot of courage and a lot of bravery to express and talk about how it makes you feel. i understand that sometimes you don’t really know what you feel other than scared but i think you’re doing a good thing in writing about it here.
keep your chin up, stay strong and know that you’re not alone. you and your family are in my thoughts. x
Thanks for your comment. It’s helpful also to know that I’m not alone – to think that there are so many others just like me, and just like him. Takes some of the fear out of it.
Beautiful post!
Both of my grandmothers have moderate stage Alzheimer’s. It is rough to see them regress over time, but I try to take heart in the good days and happy moments they have, even if they don’t remember them. They remember who I am in theory, but haven’t recognized me in person without reminders and prompts for over a year each. They don’t know my husband. I live away similarly to you, which is tough… I see the change more markedly than those who are nearby. They are well cares for, though, and loved.
Your Grandfather sounds like a great guy! I hope you enjoy the times you get to spend. Sorry you have to cope with his terrible disease.
Take care!
I saw an amazing episode on Dr. Oz on how to avoid Alzheimer’s completely.
spread the word, it might just help someone
Thanks for sharing and congrats on the FP!
As science has yet to understand what the causes are, there is nothing that will ensure it does not develop. Maybe one day, but certainly not now.
At fifty-four, I’m the oldest man in our family. My father died at age thirty-nine, when I was one month from turning seventeen. My mother’s father died when she was twelve, and I never knew my paternal grandfather, he died when I was quite young. Three of my grandparents died in the same summer in the late 1980′s, all too young to have suffered Alzheimer’s.
In the year 1905, the average age of death was but forty-five.
We’ve come a very long way in the last century, and it appears that Alzheimer’s is one of the prices we pay for living extended lives.
Touching post, I wish you the best in a difficult and trying circumstance.
My Mother had it, and a sister-in-law has it.
While the person is still alive, and after the person has died, there is great satisfaction and comfort from knowing that your understanding and resourcefulness made their time the best it could be, at each stage of your loved one’s decline.
But that requires knowing as much as possible about the various stages, Especially, you need to know as much as possible about how the person with dementia experiences the world at each stage. A good source is Joanne Koenig Coste, “Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s”.
For example, it is not obvious that what the person remembers has small “ups” as well as “downs”. You may visit, and feel sure that the person, sitting immobile and staring, doesn’t know who you are, and doesn’t care, and then learn that after you left she smiled and said your name. It is not obvious that a person with Alzheimer’s can derive pleasure from music music even when little else of their former self remains.
The frequency of contact with you matters a lot. Even when the person no longer understands who you are, they know whether you are or are not a frequent feature in their current life.
One consolation is that, beyond a certain point, the person’s life is not as nightmarish to them as it would be to a person who could remember having been confused and powerless or in physical pain for a long time prior to the present moment. The person knows only about the moment. Everything more than a minute or two prior has been forgotten.
Not all dementia is Alzheimer’s. That is the most common kind, but vascular dementia is common, too. There are also several other types of dementia. It is worth finding out which it is, because the stages and the methods for slowing the decline differ. Neurologists do not always take the initiative to find out which kind of dementia a person has.
The primary care giver needs to take frequent breaks, and at least a few extended breaks.
Maintain an updated list of medications, drug allergies and other reactions, blood type, etc., on a word processor file. The primary care giver should print out a few copies before every visit to a doctor or to a hospital (and there will be many of those). Otherwise doctors and nurses will administer or prescribe drugs that cause bad interactions, or will fail to continue giving needed drugs. Doctors and nurses are in a hurry. They won’t pause to think about these aspects. So make sure you know what each drug does, look up something about its side effects on Wikipedia and WorstPills/BestPills, and update you computerized list with how much of each is administered, and how often.
Even a fully capable person needs someone to visit frequently in the hospital and to intervene with the staff there. The staff are always busy. Some of them write off any one who is near the end of their life. Make sure that the staff wash their hands before touching the patient. My Mother acquired a infection by MRSA from a stay in a hospital. Make sure that the staff frequently check for bed sores, and turn the person often enough. Also, hospitals do not place high enough priority on relieving pain. They are under pressure to avoid addicting the patient, even for patients who will die within months. So you have to monitor discomfort and pain, and intervene with the staff.
Some assisted living institutions that specialize in dementia are not staffed and equipped to handle any but minor medical problems. When the person most needs medical assistance, they have to move out.
We were lucky to find a small group home (only 4 or five patients) that specialized in dementia and was run by a Nurse Practitioner, who really understood what was needed.
Towards the end, speak to a Palliative Care Specialist during the person’s inevitable hospital stays. A crucial step occurs when the Palliative Care Specialist recommends a transition to hospice status. (A person can be in hospice status even at home, or in a group home.) That means that relieving pain will become a priority, and that the nurses will be those who chose to work with the terminally ill, that a special bed that prevents bed sores will be provided, and that Medicare will cover all that, and the drugs as well. (Medicare is willing to cover completely severe situations that are predicted to have a very limited term, and only those.)
Best wishes.
Thank you for the book title, I may have a look at that. the other items you mentioned seems so clinical to me at this stage, but I know where to get information on the practicalities when they become paramount.
Thank you for having the courage to take on this post. I hope and pray that you and your grandfather can enjoy moments stolen back from Alzheimer’s over the course of his life.
I guess suffering is an unavoidable part of life. Its a shame we all have to go through something disturbing in our lives and thats why talent shows annoy me, trivialising peoples suffering, as the people saying they are doing it for their gran/dad etc obviously they aren’t or they would not try and make it into a sob story to win a contest, I find the notion of public grieving for someone people never met quite disturbing and ghoulish at times.
Your post, by contrast, shows great dignity. In a more general sense I hope medical advances are made, the fact they come too late for some poor child who hasn’t lived life, doesn’t mean their invention is pointless as they can stop it happening to someone else’s child or relative, but I would understand if anyone going through a troubling situation would want these advances immediately if at all possible. But I guess there will always be death and illness no matter what progress society and medicine makes. Its unavoidable, sadly.
Thank you for your comment. I can’t say I share your views about talent shows (i find them annoying, but I’d never judge someone because they’ve gone on one with a back-story – it’s legitimate if their gran really wants them to be happy and their happiness includes fame or recognition).
Death is a part of the world I am okay with. The loss of life while still alive, i am not so clear cut with. Thanks for your comment, I’m sure that one day we will understand this condition better in order to make it less severe or cause less harm overall.
I remember reading something that went along the lines of it being caused by lack of constant physical activity through-out the years.
This could be said for any condition on earth, for humans or animals. A healthy lifestyle will help keep the body (including brain) healthy, but a) no evidence suggests lack of exercise will specifically cause dementia, and b) he climbed mountains up until he was diagnosed and still rambles and plays croquet/golf etc even now.
One day we may know the causes, but now it’s such a wide variety of things which may or may not affect it, we cannot say.
Bodies are machines, and all types of tissues have expiration dates. Because more people live to old age, more people develop dementia each year. The older you get, the greater chance you have of developing it, no matter what your previous life was like. If you are over 90, you have a one-in-ten chance. 10% of all people over 90 develop dementia, with Alzheimer’s being over 3/4 of those.
Exercise helps preserve muscle tissue, one of the renewable kinds, and improves circulatory function. Bones and skin also renew, though healing rates slow with age. Nerve tissue, like the brain and spinal cord is not renewable at all, by exercise or other means we have so far. When it goes, it’s gone. There are many kinds of research being done involving stem cells to help restore nerve cell function, but there’s a huge amount of political opposition to doing it in the U.S. and it’s all in very early stages.
[...] spoken before about my grandfather, and his Alzheimer’s Disease, but as with all stories, changes and new instalments [...]