Alzheimer’s Disease: what you should Know about it

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Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term that is applied to memory loss and other cognitive abilities that interfere with daily life. The Alzheimer's disease is in the same way a social and public health problem that affects not only the sick, and their family circle, but also affects the whole society (Henslin, 2018). It is necessary that administrations, economic and social agents and citizens in general are involved in the design of specific care plans for Alzheimer's patients, and in the allocation of resources and in the realization of projects to alleviate the needs of the patients and their families (Goedert & Spillantini, 2014).

Alzheimer's disease is responsible for an immense percent of cases of dementia; although, Alzheimer's is not a normal feature of aging, it is a progressive disease with one of the most noticeable symptoms known as dementia progressively takes away from the individual personality and memories over the years (Henslin, 2018). It begins by striking with memory loss is slight, to the advancement to lose the ability to hold a conversation and respond to the environment. The memory loss disease if one of the top leading causes of death in the United States, not to exclude places in Europe such as Spain (Goedert et al, 2014). Must people with this disease live an average of eight years after symptoms become evident, but survival can range from four to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions (Gehrman, Gooneratne, Brewster, Richards, & Karlawish, 2018). With all the break troughs of science today; a cure for this devastating disease has not been found, treatments to aid the victims of this silence killer are in place for the symptoms as research continues (Cheng, Mak, Lau, Ng, & Lam, 2016). Alzheimer's treatments are not in place or capable stop the progression of the disease; they can slow down the symptoms for a while and improve the quality of life for people with Alzheimer's and their caregivers.

At the early stages one of the most common symptoms is the part of the brain that controls the learning, that is why individuals with of Alzheimer's is the difficulty of remembering newly learned information because the changes caused by Alzheimer's (Goedert et al, 2014). The progression of Alzheimer's our brain deteriorates as the symptoms like disorientation; changes in mood and behavior; (Cheng et al, 2016) serious confusion increase in relation to events, hours, and places; unfounded suspicions about family members, friends and professional caregivers; loss of memory and changes in the most serious behavior; finally, difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking (Gehrman et al, 2018). Must of individuals with memory loss and other possible signs of Alzheimer's experience difficulty recognizing of being affected by it (Henslin, 2018). Practically other signs like dementia may be more obvious to family members or friends, these symptoms noticeable to those of dementia should seek medical attention and guidance. Medical facilities with experienced staff of doctors can begin evaluating memory complications; prompt intervention methods, as well as diagnose can improve treatment options and sources of support can improve quality of life (Goedert, 2014). To support it follows obedience, and a pleasant reward of blessings I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought (1 Corinthians 1:10, NIV).

Impact to family

The core of the family is formed by those people who constitute without electing them an important part of everyone in life, not being a choice that at a certain moment we detach ourselves from them (Henslin, 2018). The constant support among them in the family nucleus without taking into account how each one of the members that are part of them, help each other in good times as well as in bad times. In various successions we move in the direction of ignoring the considerable value that is found by supporting each other in the family environment especially in tormented situations, as they are in the presence of a disease (Park, Sung, Kim, & Lee, 2015). Any illness such as that of a cold to the most unexpected such as cancer or the memory of one of the members of that family become factors that destabilize the entire family structure. All kinds of diseases that can be acquired or genetically presented, and often cause all kinds of ailments not only for the patient but for the whole family; naturally, they need help to care for their needs and that need normally causes a great deal of suffering which results in a great emotional and physical exhaustion (Rabin, Smart, & Amariglio, 2017).

You can always find help for all kinds of diseases; in the other hand, when a disease is less common and if this disease possibly takes you by surprise since it was not hereditary (Gehrman et al, 2018), you may feel confused and just for the same reason (Henslin, 2018). It is helpful to investigate the disease and the different auxiliary means. All kinds of diseases that attack the family nucleus are difficult; per in the case of the care of a patient with Alzheimer's carries a significant physical and emotional burden that affects the health of the caregiver (Rabin et al, 2017). The main caregiver of the family is an unqualified person with limitations, to which is added the fact that the needs of the patient with Alzheimer's grow as the disease progresses. For this reason, the caregiver is subject to a constant psychic and physical stress that weakens him. The caregiver wants to help you in the best way possible, but as time passes he suffers the consequences not able to provide the assistance or service he would like, either due to lack of resources or strength, or because of the patient's needs. When you first face the disease, you usually ask yourself why it happened to you or to that person you love so much (Henslin, 2018). Many times we feel so overwhelmed and perhaps disconsolate because of the seriousness of the situation but it is in these cases that our loved ones need our support and attention. Being strong is not an option but a necessity, keeping your feet firmly on the ground, being attentive to find solutions and listening to whoever gives us a helping hand, are some ways you can fight the disease. There are an immense number of people who, out of compassion or for their own experiences, decide to make foundations to help others, and that is where you find the answers to all those questions that you did for courage one day. Nowadays, it is common for celebrities to take the initiative to raise awareness either through social media or foundations.

Impact to the church

Alzheimer's disease, as it is, involves a cognitive deterioration that affects the performance of daily life activities since mental functions such as memory, language, or reasoning are altered. This cognitive deterioration caused by Alzheimer's exposing the person to be progressively affected, losing their ability to carry out daily activities autonomously; and to a greater extent, depending to a greater degree on other people. In the human environment we must try to facilitate communication, show empathy and understanding with their needs and their confusion (Henslin, 2018). In the physical environment we can simplify the contents of the cabinets, for example, leaving only appropriate clothes for the season of the year and without excess quantity. It is also useful to use signs or labels identifying what is behind each door. We can also ensure adequate lighting, or make small reforms or adaptations at home to increase safety and facilitate the implementation of some activities.

Many people today, live with immense anguish because of the fear of this disease, since this fearsome disease seems capable of stealing our soul and annihilating our personality, as are the advanced activities that allow a person to fully develop autonomous in his day to day and in the work and social environment that surrounds him. This disease does not contain greater strength or authority than God's, it only has the power to lock him up for a season, until the One who made us recover from his troubled sleep. The psyche does not die, but enters a place where neither the moth nor the rust can corrupt it, where the thieves cannot enter and steal. ""It is with our mind that we accept Christ,"" we thought, ""and by accepting Christ, we are saved, but if that is the case, salvation will not rob me of an illness that erases my memory of accepting Christ, or changes of the person who made that decision This line of reasoning has a certain appearance of logic, but it is based on two false premises: First, and more importantly, our salvation is not based on something we do ""works"", but something that Christ did ""by grace."" Although we are called to receive and accept that grace, it is grace that saves us, not our acceptance of it; therefore, we can expect children who die in infancy before they are equipped mentally to accept the grace of God can be saved by that grace, as it is written They helped every one his neighbor; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee (Isaiah 41: 6-13, NIV).

Impact to the community

Family groups have exist today, with a diverse orientation; therefore, the concepts of self-help, mutual help, support groups, therapeutic groups, not always well clarified, have given rise to a set of different practices (Lykens, Moayad, Biswas, Reyes-Ortiz, & Singh, 2014). Dementia is a crisis that threatens the community but is not yet properly agreed (Henslin, 2018). The basic functions are support, information and emotional support. To identify the main elements in the different orientations, we could differentiate three kinds of groups: information groups, mutual help groups and support groups (McGee & Mayers, 2014). Even though research to discover the impact of Alzheimer's disease among Hispanics is just beginning, what is known so far suggests that Hispanics may have a higher risk of developing dementia than other racial or ethnic groups. In a brief description, each of these community bases assists the family and the sick as: Informative groups: In them, medical information and / or nursing care is provided. The goal is to help families take better care of the sick (Lykens et al 2014).

In every community there are mutual aid groups, in these groups, the fundamental thing is the support that is offered among its members. Large parts of the surrounding community, specifically the elderly, face a lack of domination and adaptation to the system that evolves in the community that surrounds them (Lykens et al 2014). Planning to search for services and continue to implement policies that perceive the importance of Alzheimer's disease in the community, which affects without taking into account the race that one belongs to, as well as the individual and family needs of those who are affected, the diversity of this great ethnic group must be taken into account, with its great variations in origin, generational experience, language preference and assimilation to the culture by giving a name to the change of way of life (Henslin, 2018). Information about the disease or about social resources circulates spontaneously. Its members support each other by suggesting strategies regarding the situation they serve (McGee et al, 2014). Emotional Support integrates the above aspects: information about the disease and social resources also supportive guidance from its members (McGee et al, 2014). The characteristic is the incorporation of an expert professional, so that stable they can work in situations of emotional stress in the group. The members of the family and the associations have been defining this professional demand towards the figure of the psychologist. As the years go by, as well as the number of inhabitants in all the communities' increases, so does the need to take into account the promotion of organized programs to include the church as support for the family in every community (Lykens et al 2014).

Conclusion

For every situation, regardless of the level of difficulty, no challenges those individual experiences, should be experienced along, the church and the community can be exposed to a heavy burden unless this family helps each other, the church is part of this same support, and the community extends its help to not only provide financial help, but also education and information due to everyone who needs it. There are no limits to any kind of challenges that our society faces, as long as we support each other without limitations since there is power in unity, supporting each other through the ease of times should strengthen our abilities to be there and support one another in the difficult ones, adhered by a common practice of care and understanding (Stuckey, 2014). Allowing a disease such as Alzheimer's and any other disease no one should feel as if their lives have come to a strain and separate their lives from the rest of us, we should accommodate our time to ensure that at the time of sorrow support can be available for all (Werner, Mittelman, Goldstein, & Heinik, 2015).

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Alzheimer's Disease: What You Should Know About It. (2019, Apr 12). Retrieved April 20, 2024 , from
https://studydriver.com/alzheimers-disease-what-you-should-know-about-it/

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