Alzheimer’s incidence expected to rise; awareness also increasing
Aggie Wagner’s face lit up when her daughter, Sue Mazur, walked into the living room at Woodside Place, a memory care unit at Presbyterian SeniorCare in Washington.
“Oh Lovie, how are you? I’m so happy to see you!” exclaimed Wagner as she clasped Mazur’s hands. “This is wonderful.”
At 90, Wagner is in remarkably good physical health. Tall and trim, she walks without the aid of a cane or walker, and she has no serious health problems.
Eight years ago, however, the former third-grade teacher was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, a devastating neurogenerative disease which slowly erodes memory and other cognitive functions.
Wagner is one of an estimated 5.7 million people in the United States with Alzheimer’s disease.
As the population in the country continues to age, the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is projected to increase to about 14 million by 2050.
November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, aimed at making people more aware of the disease, and bringing to light care options available for those affected and their caregivers.
Dr. Carole Schramke, a neuropsychologist at Allegheny General Hospital who diagnoses patients with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, said confronting Alzheimer’s is difficult and scary for patients and their families.
“What makes Alzheimer’s so devastating is that is affects what makes us who we are. It’s our relationships, our memories, and how we act that is the essence of who we are,” she said.
Wagner, for example, often confuses Mazur for Wagner’s sister, and gets anxious thinking she has lost track of students because there are no children in the building.
Because doctors can’t definitively diagnose Alzheimer’s until after death, a probable diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is determined by administering cognitive tests and by ruling out other medical disorders, said Dr. Schramke.
For loved ones, establishing a caregiving strategy at home or looking into a nursing home or other health care facility for Alzheimer’s patients can be overwhelming.
Mazur quit her job as a kindergarten teacher and modified her Upper St. Clair home so her mother could live with her.
Wagner, whose own mother was diagnosed in her mid-60s with early-onset Alzheimer’s, lived with Mazur for six years, until Mazur grew concerned her mother’s safety was at risk.
“When it got to the point where we were moving her here, I was ready. It was 24/7. She would get into things that were not safe for her,” said Mazur. “In many ways, it was like watching a three-year-old.”
The most difficult part of the Alzheimer’s diagnosis, said Mazur, is watching her mother – who had volunteered for Meals on Wheels and at St. Clair Hospital, belonged to Ladies of Charity (where she played bingo and led sing-alongs at a nursing home), played in a bridge club, raised five children and had been adored by the students she taught over the years – drastically decline mentally.
“It was such a hard thing to see her getting worse and worse and worse, when everything in you expects her to get better. To see her mentally go backwards really is surreal. It is an awful thing to watch,” said Mazur.
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, and current treatment options available for Alzheimer’s include several classes of drugs designed to reduce some symptoms and help control some behavioral symptoms.
Research into a cure for Alzheimer’s, the most expensive disease in America, however, is critical in turning it into a treatable, curable and preventable disease.
While Pfizer, the world’s third largest pharmaceutical company, announced earlier this year it was dropping research and development into new drugs and treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, an additional $425 million for Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding at the National Institutes of Health has been approved for the U.S. government’s 2019 fiscal year, the fourth consecutive year funding has increased, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
And there is reason to hope for medical advances. Earlier this month, the West Virginia University Neuroscience Institute announced its research using ultrasound technology to clear plaques – clusters of proteins that accumulate and block the bran’s connectivity – has shown promising results in its early stages.
Gina Iulucci, lifestyle engagement coordinator at Presbyterian SeniorCare’s Woodside Place, said raising awareness about Alzheimer’s and its impact on patients and caregivers is important. She emphasized there is life after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis – different, but still fulfilling and meaningful.
“Our whole community needs to be aware of dementia. We need to make people aware that people with Alzheimer’s and dementia can live quality lives,” said Iulucci.
She encourages families to participate in support groups and programs, such as Memory Cafe, a gathering designed exclusively for people with dementia and their caregivers and held at 10 a.m. the third Saturday of every month at Eat ‘n Park on Oak Spring Road in Washington.
Dr. Schramke, too, recommends people follow through on offers to help family members caring for dementia patients.
“If you know someone struggling with this, offer help. It’s a really, really difficult thing to deal with. People talk to me all the time about how isolating this is.”
Dr. Schramke also advises people to adopt healthy habits to protect their brains.
“People who are healthier, who exercise, who don’t smoke, who eat a heart-healthy diet, are reducing their risk of health problems that aren’t good for your brain,” said Dr. Schramke.
Mazur said although Alzheimer’s can be a long, sad journey, it turns out Wagner, who dedicated her life to education, is still teaching.
“I’m glad I’ve had these years with her. She teaches me to live in the moment, that all we have is this moment, right now,” said Mazur. “When I’m with her, I can’t talk about the past because she can’t remember, and I can’t talk about the future because she doesn’t understand that concept. When we’re together, we can only talk about right now – the birds outside her window, the songs she’ll sing at the drop of a hat. I’m amazed at how difficult that was at first, at how much time we spend thinking about what’s happened or worrying about what’s going to happen. But really, what’s most important is right now.”