In the near future, we should expect there to be a cost effective and noninvasive test for Alzheimer’s disease to be developed, one that can be administered during regular checkups. Scientists have long known that there was a connection between the brain and the eye, and they have known that some of the physiological symptoms of Alzheimer’s can be detected at the back of the eye, but there has not yet been an easy and noninvasive method of conducting this test. A new procedure is currently under development in order to make this a reality.
The early detection of Alzheimer’s would not make the disease curable, but it would help improve the quality of life of those that would otherwise start having severe symptoms much earlier. When the disease is detected before brain cells begin to degenerate and lose function, treatment can be more effectively given, and it can take longer before the symptoms of Alzheimer’s that we are familiar with begin to be problematic.
Those of us that have had a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s have seen firsthand the difficulty that they have grappling with the illness. It isn’t just forgetfulness like so many people think of it as, but a slow and steady decline of the use of the mind and the body. It is an extremely difficult thing to watch someone that you love go through this decline in health. Improving their quality of life just a little bit, even if it is only temporary, is a big deal. Early detection of the disease could help many more people going into the future. It is estimated that over 5 million people in the United States have this disease at this time, and as the size of the population over age 65 grows, this number is expected to go up significantly.
When someone has Alzheimer’s, they have a whole new set of needs. Not only will they need help accomplishing tasks within the home, they need supervision in order to stay safe and healthy. It can become really easy to forget simple things, like eating meals, and having the help of a trained in-home caregiver to assist here can be a huge help for families. It’s no secret that those suffering from AD thrive in familiar settings and do not do well when transported to a nursing home, so keeping your loved one in the home for as long as possible is ideal in most situations. But this is often disruptive to people’s lives and requires them to change their work hours, or even leave their fulltime jobs. In many cases, this just cannot work. Having a fully trained professional in the house to help with supervision and the tasks of daily living can bridge this gap. It can allow you to keep your job and keep supporting all of the other members of your family, and it keeps your mom or dad as safe and healthy as they can be. No one expects their parent to develop this disease, but if they do, there is hope for keeping your family together.
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