- There are currently 35 million people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
- In the case of Mexico, it is estimated that there are 800,000 adults with this form of dementia.
- An exponential increase is expected in the future due to the increase in life expectancy.
The Alzheimer disease It impacts the person who suffers from it and also their family. Physiological, cognitive, affective, social and labor problems can occur in the caregiver of the patient, so it is essential to develop life skills, that is, the necessary skills to have an adequate and positive behavior that allows to effectively face daily demands.
The professor of the Faculty of Psychology (FP) of the UNAM, María Eugenia Gutiérrez Ordóñez, referred that it is a neurocognitive disorder involving an impairment in higher brain functions due to neuronal death. It appears from the age of 65 and as age increases the probability of its occurrence increases. At age 87 it is 47 percent.
Disease without cure but its appearance can be delayed
In fact There are no strategies to prevent it. In most cases it appears due to genetic issues, up to five previous generations. However, it has been found that stimulating the brain with reading or crossword puzzles, for example, maintains the cognitive activity that helps prevent deterioration in that organ.
It evolves and consists of three stages: mild, moderate and severe. Some authors propose others, which range from the fact that the patient does not present changes in their mood or any intellectual problem, to loss of language, difficulties in walking and a rigid body, when Alzheimer’s is severe and it is the most difficult for family.
When the diagnosis is delivered, the relatives do not believe it and begin to seek other medical opinions. They present anguish and anxiety that lead to strong fears for the future that awaits them. Family dynamics are transformed when the patient moves with a child to be cared for.
Sometimes it is considered that it is an inopportune moment, because the members of the family study or work, and nobody stays at home. Feelings of ambivalence begin to arise because they think: “he is my dad and I have to take care of him”, but the activities that can no longer be carried out are considered.
Repercussions on the patient’s relatives
With the next stage, moderate Alzheimer’s, feelings of helplessness arrive because the family cannot do much in the face of the progress of the disease. Sadness and affective lability arise. You can feel that you love the patient or that you hate yourself, suffer from depression or frustration. In the severe one there is a strong tiredness, because the patient loses functions and requires help to bathe, walk, eat, etc. There is also a feeling of loneliness in the caregiver because he has had social isolation.
Add to that the economic impact, as this is an expensive disorder. The drugs needed to stop the deterioration process, ie neurological drugs, are expensive.
The university student added that it is also complicated because it can vary from one moment to another and quickly reach a severe episode. This depends on each person.
When the disease begins, family members share the care; however, as it progresses, it is usually one person who takes charge. Physiological problems such as tachycardia and muscle tension are recorded in this primary caregiver, blood pressure and heart and respiratory rates can increase; also, present depression of the immune system. Also hernias and low back pain due to the effort of carrying or moving the patient.
Similarly, cognitive problems such as lack of attention and concentration, worries, the appearance of repetitive thoughts and memory impairments, which is delicate because taking medications can be repeated and even cases of patient intoxication are recorded.
The primary caregiver can also show emotional or affective difficulties: fear, anxiety, anguish, excitement, anger, which are not favorable and can even lead to ill-treatment of the patient. In addition, social problems, including little free time and overload of domestic activities; and labor, such as job loss due to absenteeism, among other factors.
Often they cannot be subjected to long therapy or intervention. Therefore, psychologists must provide strategies, called life skills, established the expert at the conference organized by the Unit for the Development of Teaching Materials and Technological Appropriation of FP.
Among them, Gutiérrez Ordóñez detailed, self-knowledge or recognizing our being, our character, strengths, values, likes and dislikes; empathy or the ability to recognize and understand the emotions of others. The motivations and reasons that explain their behavior. As well as assertive communication, or the ability to express oneself clearly in a certain situation, in this case asking for help from other members of the family.
At the end, María Eugenia Gutiérrez advised seeking serious information, guidance and attention. In some cases, you also have to take care of the patient’s financial affairs, share feelings and problems, and organize yourself. Meanwhile, the patient must accept his limitations, that is, live with the disease.
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