Summary
Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, illustrates how cruel the disease can be when it robs patients of entire years of their lives, as well as the memory of family and friends. Gene therapy and some medicines are showing positive results in treating the disease, but it goes on largely unchecked.
Charlotte Tullock, the administrator at the Elms at Tanglewood assisted-living facility, said good health is the best defense. "We've found that things good for your heart are good for your brain," Tullock said.
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When my Great-Aunt Mary, who was like a grandmother to me, turned 80, she was showing clear signs of dementia.
We would joke with her when she did things like make her fourth slice of toast and third cup of tea, claiming she hadn't eaten anything all morning.
Although she had lived with us our entire lives, she suddenly would get our names mixed up, or even worse - called us by our aunts' names.
That happened more than 20 years ago, but I still remember the look that washed over her face when she realized that I was right and she couldn't account for 10 years of her life.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of this thieving disease.
While there is no cure, such treatments as gene therapy and combining different medications are showing some promise in slowing the disease.
"It is a cruel disease," said Kaye Cooper, the assistant administrator at Clemmons Village Assisted Living.
She added that slightly more than 10 percent of her patient population has Alzheimer's disease.
"It's a sliding slope that doesn't get any better, and it's been my experience that the younger the person is, the hardest they are hit by the disease," Cooper said.
According to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org), this progressive brain disorder destroys memory along with cognitive thinking skills, including the ability to reason, make judgments and even communicate.
As the symptoms crept in on my aunt, and she got progressively worse, I saw the common changes in her personality and character.
Charlotte Tullock, the administrator at the Elms at Tanglewood assisted-living facility, said that there are many signs of the
disease, including everyday confusion and even wandering, but it generally does not strike two people the same.
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