Student report: Alzheimer's affects family
By CHELSEA ARNHOLD
MHS student reporter
As people grow older, they fear becoming a burden on their families. Physical impairment is a great concern for the elderly. But eclipsing this fear is loss of memory. Those who lose their memories lose their past and the awareness of who they are.
Memory is priceless and its loss, tragic. The elderly suffer from the confusion and frustration of not being able to remember where the keys were left or what it was that they did yesterday. But as Alzheimer's disease progresses, confusion gives way to complete loss of memory and eventually, death.
Perhaps the greatest difficulty falls on the immediate family. Megan Helmstead, senior at Marion High School, had a grandfather who had Alzheimer's disease. "He was always very distant," she said. "He didn't socialize much. After Grandma died we didn't see him much."
Former United States President, Ronald Reagan, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the fall of 1994. In late 1993, Maureen Reagan, his daughter, and Reagan were discussing a film he had made in the 1950s, "Prisoner of War." "For years he had told me about the gruesome tortures inflicted on American prisoners by the North Koreans," said Maureen. "But now he seemed to be hearing me tell the stories for the first time. He finally looked at me and said, 'Mermie, I have no recollection of making that movie.'"
That was the "click of awareness" for Maureen. That consists of mainly three parts: they forget commonly-known things, they may show no more major symptoms for months, but then be diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
Symptoms are diverse for every person. Alzheimer's can kill; it is not just forgetfulness. The brain informs the body to do various simple tasks: breathing, waking, swallowing, etc. At some point, these functions break down and the inflicted dies.
Desperate family members who had no place to turn founded the Alzheimer's Association. The association provides "safe return" bracelets to their patients which are registered with the local police, because patients tend to wander.
Therapies are available today that were not here for Ronald Reagan or Megan Helmstead's grandfather. Though they do not cure the disease, they can buy time.
But, perhaps, the best medicine for a patient's family member is love and concern from their friends and community. For them, support is the best medicine.
