Alzheimer’s disease is a cognitive disorder that impairs brain functions. The patient’s cognitive abilities progressively worsen until the person suffering from the disease passes away. It affects memory and body movement by degenerating nerve cells. The end result is elderly individuals that need assistance in all aspects of their lives, and it can be devastating to families as they watch their loved one have more and more difficulty each day.
One of the reasons why this disease occurs is because of toxic amyloid peptides spreading throughout the brain, and a drug called Edaravone has been found to help bind them. Researchers hope that this will help to slow down the disease, improving quality of life for those suffering from Alzheimer’s. The drug is already being used in parts of Asia for help with the treatment of ischemic stroke, but this new finding helps make the drug even more attractive. Now that it has been shown to have a new potential use, further study will be required before the FDA approves it for use within the United States, but it is a big step and hints that treating Alzheimer’s more effectively is a thing that’s right around the corner.
This doesn’t mean that your job is going to be any easier when it comes to helping family members with the disease. There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, and arranging for senior care is still going to be a high priority. The big difference that will be created if this drug is deemed to be successful will be the fact that those suffering from the disease will have a longer amount of time before the disease progresses to the point where it completely takes over their life. The years that would be spent struggling will hopefully be better used and improved upon. It’s a small thing, but if it can make people’s lives better, than it’s a very good small thing.
Arranging for senior care should be one of the first things you do when you learn that a loved one has incurable dementia. In-home care can be helpful, but because of the complexities that are associated with Alzheimer’s, your home is not always the best place for this to occur. There are safety issues to take into account, and if these can be resolved, then the home can be a great setting. The familiarity of their own home can be a good thing, and alone it can slow the spread of symptoms. It’s just important that they are kept as safe as possible and that things like wandering outside, falling down stairs, or any other type of injury cannot easily occur. If these things are still an issue, then alternative types of care like assisted living can be used. Many facilities have security on site, and are able to monitor residents 24 hours a day, every day. The care isn’t able to be quite as personal, but it is very thorough and can be exactly what you are looking for to keep your loved one safe and happy.
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