Alzheimer's Narrative

was all I knew. The house was my childhood home. It was a family member to me.

The disease called Alzheimer’s is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (Weiner, 1987). It is estimated that the elderly population will double between now and 2030. During this period, the number of elderly will grow by an average of 2.8% annually (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). By 2050, the number of people with Alzheimer’s is estimated to range from 11.3 million to 16 million (Alzheimer’s Association, 2005). These startling numbers should prompt an examination into one of the leading causes of death among this group of people. Understanding what Alzheimer’s is and the known causes of the disease are a good starting point. For those who have aging family members, knowing the risk factors and warning

Alzheimer’s Disease is a disease of the future. With the growing aged population, this disease, which affects primarily the elderly, will become of increasing relevance to the medical profession. Also, the high frequency of Alzheimer’s, and the high cost in labor, money, and material of caring for its victims shall put considerable burden on the society as a whole. Here, however, these issues are not going to be debated. Instead the pathology of Alzheimer’s will be reviewed to the extent it is known today.

We were living at my uncle’s house in California. I shared a bedroom with 3 other kids including my brother. I didn’t mind sharing a room because it was always better than my house in Mexico where I didn’t even have a bedroom! My father at the time was working for Construction Company and my mother stayed at the house. My parents had been saving every penny they could so that we were able to buy a house for ourselves. My father has always been a hardworking man. I just love how he is a very optimistic and motivational person. Every time he came home he would always be in such a positive and energetic mood no matter what the circumstances were. Life was good at the moment, until I had started my first year of school

The words moved into her mind, like leaves on an autumn breeze. She awoke to find the phone between her cheek and the pillow, the insistent buzzing the only sound from the black receiver. Had there been a voice on the line? Or had she only dreamed it? Or was she even hallucinating? She had had dreams before, but the kind that would wake her like an alarm bell. Heart pounding, pulse racing, it would take her several moments to get her to know where she was and that she had been dreaming.

She welcomes anyone who comes into view yet stands near her husband. She develops small talk with her close knit family, the people she recognizes. Extended relatives and a few measly encounters do not form a new bond in her mind. She repeats stories, she repeats sentences and she repeats questions. She poses for a picture with her sister, lifts up the bottom crease of her sweater and pulls out a bright pink scarf to swing over her neck. She illustrates a world of imagination and fun through the playful pose. She represents a disease of heartbreak and loss. The woman shows early signs of Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a merciless disease in the family that killed her brother and is grabbing hold of the rest of her siblings.

     Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking and behavior. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is the lost of thinking, remembering and reasoning so bad it screws up ability to do daily functions and eventually resolves in death. Dr. Alois Alzheimer’s first discovered the disease in 1906. Since then research has developed a deeper understanding of the changes in the brain. Warning sign’s of Alzheimer's are memory loss that affects home and job skills, problem in speaking, poor judgment, and difficulty in learning. The last stage of Alzheimer's disease is when you’re unable to take care of

I was 16 when I learned what it meant to be dead. I had known of it before, but I didn’t really know death -- I was too young to really understand. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to ward off the waves from washing away my grandparents when they were in Mexico, and I was here. We were separated by oceans of land so our contact was limited. And the oceans only got deeper as I realized that Alzheimer's meant something beyond just memory loss. It meant I watched my Abuelito’s glassy eyes lead to an empty attic, and knew I was waiting for a tsunami to take it over like it had the rest of him.

The house my mother couldn't pay for. The house I was embarrassed of. The house I use to love as a child and learned to hate as a teenager.

Have you ever forgotten names of places and objects like forgetting conversations and events that just happened ? If so, you might suffer from Alzheimer's, also known as AD. AD is an irreversible progressive brain disorder. One of the major effects of AD is that, it slowly abolishes the memory and the ability to remember the closest events. In addition, patients will not be able to remember their names sometimes. In most people, symptoms of AD do not emerge in the early stages. They appear in the mid-sixties. ‘‘Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among older adults .’’[1] When we get older, our brains change, just like our bodies.

Direct costs are medical and social support costs that include diagnosis, home care, and nursing home care. Most formal health care comes from direct-care workers who include nurse aides, personal aides, and home health aides. They assist with personal care, housekeeping, and food preparation (Alzheimer’s Association, 2011).

It looked like a completely different house. Whenever we were done with the job I went up and knocked on millys door and told her to come outside and take a look. She started balling, at that moment I did not care how much sweat or money was to be made at that job. The look on millys face said it all for me.

Every morning I wake up and it is the same routine. I start with brushing my teeth, shower, get ready, make breakfast, and head to work. When and if I miss doing something because I ran out of time or I was in a hurry and just forgot I find myself frustrated. Can you imagine waking up and not remembering your routine at all? Image waking up and not remembering a loved one, how do you feel? At this moment you are feeling like someone with Alzheimer’s disease.

There are places where people with Alzheimer’s are better fit if the family members are no longer able to perform the tasks. There are retirements housing which may be appropriate for someone with early-stage Alzheimer’s who is able to take care of them, most of the part, but finds it difficult to manage a home. This type of housing barely has any supervision and does have many activities, transportation, and simple necessities. Another type of housing is Assisted Living, which is the middleman between living independently and going to a nursing home. What are normally provided is housing, meals, activities, and necessities. Depending on the resident case they are able to have 24 hour help and that is where Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants, and Caregivers come into play. They are in charge of caring for the patient as well as med reminders, taking patients showers, putting the patient in bed, and other day-to-day needs. There are nursing homes also known as skilled nursing facility or custodial care. Nursing homes provide 24-hour care and basically do everything for the patient. Alzheimer special care units are designed to meet the specific needs of the individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

This study evaluated how people with Alzheimer’s disease present their life story. The authors utilized a narrative design using interviews as their basis for researching the importance in developing the knowledge about how people with Alzheimer’s disease present their life story, since life story work is believed to be a key concept in person-centered care according to these authors. A total of nine (9) participants (5 women and 4 men), aged 60-81 years were recruited via a geriatric clinic, healthcare center or by advertisement in local newspapers. All data collection, through interviews, was conducted in the patient’s home. Participants were asked questions pertaining to the following areas of their life: childhood, adult life, occupations,