When I visited India as a teenager, my uncles, aunts and cousins always inundated me with questions about America. What was life like here? Was it as fast-paced as depicted in the movies? Was everyplace clean? Aren’t there any poor people here? They marveled over electronic gadgets that we took for granted.
They always had so much praise for this country until the subject turned to marriage and the elderly. Why don’t Americans stay married? And why do they stick their parents in nursing homes when they get old. I never had any answers then. I still don’t when it comes to why 50 percent of Americans are divorced. But I plan to tell my relatives now that people in this society do not shun their seniors as commonly believed. And I will tell them the story of Ric Gomes and his father, Jesus .
Jesus, who turned 80 last month, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in August. His wife had just died and the question of who would take care of Jesus was never really posed. “Family is family,” said Ric, 52. “Family is number one.”
Last summer, Ric moved in with his dad and went from being a successful commercial producer in Palm Desert to full-time caregiver. It’s a job Ric has taken on with passion. He cooks for his father. He chooses his clothes and lays them out in the order they should be worn every morning. He makes sure his father exercises, takes his medication and a cocktail of antioxidants.
Greg Duch from Gaslamp Quarter
February 23, 2008 at 11:33 PM
Dear Amita,
Excellent reporting on the toll that Alzheimer's Disease has taken ; and will continue to take on the people of this country.
For nearly ten years, I volunteered on the "Demntia Unit" of a nursing home in Rochester, NY. This particular facility was probably as advanced and well-suited to work with patients with dementia, as any in the country.
It was a privilege to work among such dedicated professionals.
At that time of my volunteer involvement, society had a real problem differentiating between Alzheimer's, dementia, and senility. Often they were treated as synonyms.
I have often tried to make the point that DEMENTIA is a symptom of an underlying disease or medical problem
Dementia is akin to a fever.. Many problems can cause a fever-- the flu, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, appendicitis, strep throat, and so many other conditions.
MANY MEDICAL DYSFUNCTIONS can cause dementia. Alzheimer's is perhaps the best known; but not the only cause.
Some others are Multi-infarct dementia, injury to the brain, systemic infection or toxic poisoning, AIDS, EVEN SOME medications can bring on a state of dementia.
Thats is why I am glad that the doctor on the program made the distinction between "Dementia" and Alzheimer's.
Dementia is symptomatic of Alzheimer's, just as a raging fever is symptomatic of acute appendicitis.
The importance of taking a full range of tmedical tests to make this differential diagnosis cannot be stressed enough.
Once again, excellent reporting!
Greg Duch from Gaslamp Quarter
February 24, 2008 at 12:18 AM
Dear Amita,
The reason for my comment above is to underscore the importance of treating each individual, patient free of stereotypes.
When I volunteered in a different nursing home, Alzheimer's, dementia, and senility were all looked upon as synonymous.
People BECAME DEFINED BY their disease.
People suffering from dementia were all too often labeled as "Alzheimer's" .
Then they just became room numbers, and treated more like furniture than human beings.
(***** This description is based upon my experiences at another nursing home in Rochester, which thankfully is no more. It was a horror.****)
I quickly became aware of the disservice that is done to people by "lumping" them all into one category.
Some dementias CAN be treated with varying degrees of success.
That is why differentiating the cause for dementia is critically important.
A person who presents with dementia can be suffering from the toxic effects of a medication, such as Digoxin, a commonly prescribed medication for heart failure in the elderly. Its effects can mimic the symptoms of Alzheimer's on the surface.
A second opinion is never a bad idea for someone who shows signs of dementia.
Once the medication is withdrawn or titrated , the patient returns to a more functional state.
This is not meant to minimize the extent of the problem of Alzheimer's.
It is simply a caution that a full medical evaluation needs to be done, to rule out other precipitating causes of dementia.
Thanks for your time...
