Don Barrett
 

Number of Alzheimer sufferers will increase as baby boomers age

    Currently 300,000 Canadians have Alzheimer disease. 15,000 are in Alberta. However, as the baby boomers age the number of Alzheimer patients will increase. Numbers are likely to triple in the next 15 years.
    Not enough is being done to educate and fund research about the disease, according to Don Barrett, executive director of the Alzheimer Society of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
    Alzheimer disease strikes people as young as 20 –25 years old, while most patients are over 70 years. It is a progressive disease that is fatal.
    Six of 100 people will get the disease, which may last as long as from three to 20 years.
    Symptoms of Alzheimer disease include loss of memory, judgment and reasoning, and changes in mood and behaviour. Some people forget how to swallow or breath.
    Barrett said that sometimes people fail to recognize these symptoms and think that such behaviour is a normal part of aging.  The symptoms may develop gradually and go unnoticed for a long time.
    Alzheimer disease can be stressful for caregivers as well as for sufferers. Costs for business or enormous, amounting to almost a half billion dollars in Canada for lost time and replacement workers.  In direct costs may be $5 billion a year.
    There is currently no cure for Alzheimer disease.  However, if diagnosed, drugs can slow down the progress of the disease in its early stages.
    The Alzheimer Society provides support for suffers and caregivers as well as research. A home support program gives caregivers training and allows them time-off. A new residential centre in Edmonton will allow the spouse to live with the sufferer and not be saddled with his or fer care.

10 Warning signs of Alzheimer Disease

1. Memory loss that affects day-to-day function
It's normal to occasionally forget appointments, colleagues' names or a friend's phone number and remember them later. A person with Alzheimer Disease may forget things more often and not remember them later, especially things that have happened more recently.

2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks
Busy people can be so distracted from time to time that they may leave the carrots on the stove and only remember to serve them at the end of a meal. A person with Alzheimer Disease may be unable to prepare any part of a meal or forget they ate it.

3. Problems with language
Everyone has trouble finding the right word sometimes, but a person with Alzheimer Disease may forget simple words or substitute inappropriate words, making his or her sentences difficult to understand.

4. Disorientation of time and place
It's normal to forget the day of the week or your destination - for a moment. But a person with Alzheimer Disease can become lost on their own street, not knowing how they got there or how to get home.

5. Poor or decreased judgement
People may sometimes put off going to a doctor if they have an infection, but eventually seek medical attention. A person with Alzheimer Disease may not recognize the infection as a problem or go to the doctor at all. Or they may dress inappropriately, wearing heavy clothing on a hot day.

6. Problems with abstract thinking
From time to time, people may find balancing a cheque-book difficult. Someone with Alzheimer Disease could forget completely what the numbers are and what needs to be done with them. Celebrating a birthday is something many people do, but a person with Alzheimer Disease may not understand what a birthday is.

7. Misplacing things
Anyone can temporarily misplace a wallet or keys. A person with Alzheimer Disease may put things in inappropriate places: an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.

8. Changes in mood and behaviour
Everyone becomes sad or moody from time to time. Someone with Alzheimer Disease can exhibit rapid mood swings - from calm to tears to anger - for no apparent reason.

9. Changes in personality
People's personalities can change somewhat with age. But a person with Alzheimer Disease can change dramatically, becoming extremely confused, suspicious or withdrawn. Changes may also include apathy, fearfulness or acting inappropriately.

10. Loss of initiative
It's normal to tire of housework, business activities or social obligations, but most people regain their initiative. A person with Alzheimer Disease may become very passive, and require cues and prompting to become involved.

Alzheimer Society of Canada (http://www.alzheimer.ca)


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Created February 16, 2000
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