A girl remembers no name: Ageing and Alzheimer's

Ahem, ahem. Pardon me for starting the challenge with the scariest topic of today's time - ageing and diseases. But it's high time we speak about it to learn about a condition that is fast growing today. Not many years ago, as I watched my grandfather helplessly succumb to the nameless monster we never knew existed, I wished we had a solution to his problem. But sadly, they said his condition didn't have much scope for cure. Years later, when I realised that he had Alzheimer's at a time when we lacked awareness about the disease, I resolved to talk and write more about it to let people know what really Alzheimer's is. 

Let's assume we all know how scary ageing is if not for Alzheimer's. Rightly so, not many of us might know of the condition because awareness hasn't been created actively, and research and treatment on it are only in the developing phase. Like many, if you too have little idea about it, keep reading to learn more.

You know how they say never to ask a man for his salary and a woman her age? I never got my mind around it until someone came to me and asked me both! The panic of uttering the numbers that felt foreign to me was real. In my mind, I was still in my twenties, but saying out the inevitable two digits in the thirty sequences was horrifying. The first time that happened I knew I was scared of ageing and the judgement that comes with it as you age - "Oh, you are so old and have no children yet? What about settling sooner since your biological clock is ticking? So, in another few years you will be forty? Look at you being so irresponsible in your thirties" and so on. That gave me the answer that I had been looking for for a long time. But I feel the same goes for men as well. The fear of judgement is more terrorising than the actual signs of ageing itself like wrinkles, backache and belly fat. 

Do you know what's the real trouble other than the free judgment that comes with advancing age? Health issues! And I think that's even more scarier than the former one. First, let's get into the science of it. As we age, the the damage at the molecular and cellular level keeps accumulating in addition to the weakening immune system and gets blown out of proportion at one point leading to the development of many disorders and, one of them is Alzheimer's. So, what exactly is Alzheimer's disease? Why are people going berserk about it? 

In simpler terms, Alzheimer's is a progressive destruction happening at the cellular level in the brain. Just like how the signs of ageing can be masked while the ageing process can't be halted, this condition can't be halted permanently once it has set in. The disease mainly sets in after the fifth or sixth decade of life and starts as forgetfulness and slowly progresses to behavioural change, cognitive dysfunction and speech difficulty. The affected person slowly loses their ability to think and reason, keeps repeating the same kind of words or actions, develops mood swings, isolates themselves from social gatherings, develops emotional outbursts and mostly forgets everyone and everything around them at the end stage.

Just like the alpha male heroes of the early 90s Indian cinema and, unfortunately, a few of current movies, Alzheimer's also sadly seems to be more interested in hunting women for some weird reasons which are quite interesting. Just like how we always try to blame women in every other scenario, the blame for developing Alzheimer's more than men is also on us -  researchers say women just happen to live longer than men and hence the result! And no, that's not the only one. Genetic and hormonal factors also seem to be biased towards women, throwing us under the bus. But when men develop the disease, it's supposedly more aggressive than what women experience. 

Just like how bad, unrealistic movies exist, there are also movies that are life-like and bring to screens the everyday scenes from reality. One such film I would encourage you all to see related to Alzheimer's is 'Oh Kadhal Kanmani' by Mani Ratnam. I am unsure about the Hindi version because I haven't seen it and can't speak for it. But in Tamil, the incorporation of Alzheimer's in the story by depicting Bhavani's character was perfection. The nuance with which it was portrayed really touched me. A once energetic and charismatic Bhavani losing her way home, standing clueless in the middle of the road depending on someone in her every step because of the deadly condition, was heartbreaking. 

Not to scare you or anything, but even with a lot of medications to improve cognitive function and control the condition, it still seems to be unbeatable. These are drugs that will only help improve the symptoms and delay the complications, but there's only so much they can do against the vastly progressing creeper that slowly replaces the brain cells with scar tissues. Sadly, nothing effectively prevents the development of the disease, though adopting a healthy lifestyle may help to some extent is what research says. Most people succumb to the complications of the disease in the last stage, like aspiration pneumonia, stroke, and falls, leading to severe injuries, dehydration, malnutrition and other infections. 

Though there's not much to cure the patient, there's a lot one can offer to the patient as their caretaker or, spouse or immediate relative. What can you do when you have someone in your family with this condition?

- Be kind enough to talk to them often and give them their space when needed. 

- Listen to them and offer emotional support; be there for them. 

- A physiotherapist will do them good with active and passive exercises that will avoid joint stiffness because of long-term disuse. 

- Get them a walking stick or a walker for walking assistance. 

- Some might require water or air beds and a frequent change in posture to avoid bed sores when their ability to walk has been hampered. 

- The caretaker must feed them from time to time in proper upright posture, preferably smashed or liquid foods, to avoid choking or aspiration. 

- Help them maintain adequate foot care, dental and intimate hygiene as they may be unable to identify and communicate about them.

- Give them their medications on time.

- Encourage them to be a part of a support group.

- Encourage them with activities that might help them improve their motor skills and memory.

- Treat them as how you would want yourself to be treated when you turn old.

Let's hope to give people with Alzheimer's the respect and quality of life they deserve, however tricky it may be. All that individuals with Alzheimer's will benefit from is the best supportive measures and tender love and care to add life to their days. I hope this was helpful, and let me know in the comments if you need to know more about it. I will meet you in the next post with another one. 

This post is a part of Blogchatter’s A2Zchallenge 2024