Battling For Health

By Linda J Bruton

Alzheimer’s disease represents a dismal future for older adults in this country. An Alzheimer’s diagnoses is the most devastating news that one can receive from a Doctor as it relates to personal health or the healthy of a loved ones. There are no drugs on the market that can cure Alzheimer’s. The diagnosis is an agonizing death sentence because death is the final result.

The most frustrating part of the Alzheimer’s crisis is there is no known single cause. There are some specific statistics concerning Alzheimer’s that may help you understand the wide spread devastation of this disease and how it can impact families, communities. and the nation as a whole.

These facts and figures were provided from the database of the Alzheimer’s Association National Office Chicago, IL. and a combination of other white papers, USA government research. grants on Alzheimer’s.

In the vast majority of cases, age is the primary risk factor for Alzheimer’s.

1) The odds of developing Alzheimer’s double every five years over age 65, and by age 85, the odds of developing the disease are 1 in 2.

2) Alzheimer’s comes in third as the most expensive illness for older people. Heart attack and cancer are numbers 1 and 2.

3) The federal government budgeted $645 million for Alzheimer’s research for 2007.

5) The federal government will spend 7 million less in 2007 than the government spent in 2006.

6) In contrast, $2.6 billion was allocated for research into HIV/AIDS, which afflicts only one million Americans.

7) After 100 years there is no cure and no drug that stops the devastation of the brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients.

After only 10 years, AIDS went from being a death sentence to being a manageable disease.

9) Alzheimer’s disease affects approximately 4.5 million people in the U.S.

10 There are over 12 million people nationwide affected by Alzheimer’s.

11). Current direct and indirect cost of caring for the 4.5 million of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are at least 100 Billion annually.

12) The duration of the disease can last from 3-20 years.

13) $200 million in research grants have been awarded from The Alzheimer’s Association for since 1982

14) By the year 2050, 11.3 million to 16 million Americans are predicted to have Alzheimer’s disease.

15) People with Alzheimer’s disease survive about 1/2 as long as those of similar age that do not Alzheimer’s disease.

16) More than 7 out of 10 people with Alzheimer’s disease live at home, where almost 75 percent of their care is provided by family and friends.

17) One half of all nursing home residents have Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder.

18) Nursing home care costs approximately $42,000 per year but can go as high as can $70,000 per year in some areas of the country.

19) The average lifetime cost of care for an individual with Alzheimer’s is $174,000.

20) Medicare costs for beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s are expected to increase 75 percent, from $91 billion in 2005 to $160 billion in 2010.

21) Medicaid expenditures on residential dementia care will increase 14 percent to $24 billion in 2010, according to a report commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Association.

The fact and figures relating to Alzheimer’s are grim and offer little hope. However researchers, scientist are finding clues daily to the cause of this disease. There is a national movement from private and public sources dedicated to defeating this disease.

The human spirit can not be defeated. There is hope. Azheimer’s disease is a disease that will be defeated by the ingenuity and creative endeavors of thousands of brilliant minds whose aim in life is to find the cause and the cure for Alzheimers and other related dementias.

For more information on alzheimers statistics, treatment, caregiving, and support resources, please visit www.alzheimersdiseasetips.com for helpful tips. Be sure to read the article on alzheimers disease early symptom detection.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_J_Bruton

Share This

By Yvonne Nahat

Loving a schizophrenic is almost an impossible task. The person is usually unstable, sometimes aggressive, often abusive and very hurtful. While I was going through my psychosis I alienated my husband, family and friends. By the end of my psychosis only a handful of people were still left who were even willing to know me, let alone love me. As a matter of fact, except for my mother, everybody else had given up on me: sisters, father, husband and most friends. It has taken time and effort to rebuild broken relations and friendships after my recovery.

This essay then, is to encourage all those confronted with a schizophrenic family member or partner to not give up hope and love even if it seems impossible.

A schizophrenic is undergoing extreme labors of the psyche. Voices, hallucinations, visions and so called delusions are what they are going through. They have severed all ties with exterior reality and are living in a completely interior world. As a family member, spouse or friend, try to find out what exactly these visions, hallucinations, delusions and voices are made up of. Dare to enter the mind set of the schizophrenic. Soon you will realize that there are real stories and dramas evolving in the psyche of the schizophrenic and that there is room for love. For a closer look at entering the mind of a schizophrenic please see my essay How to understand the interior life of a schizophrenic.

I believe that most schizophrenics want to be understood. Textbook medicine describes them as being closed, unresponsive and non-communicative. This however is only to the cold observer. Numerous psychologists and psychiatrists have made the experience that opening themselves up to the psychotic, accepting their story, being genuinely interested in it will open doors to the heart of the psychotic.

Most psychotics are experiencing, as already mentioned, real drama. They might be confronted with a world take over scheme, they might be threatened by evil forces, feel that they can foresee catastrophes in the near future. Voices might be accusing them, calling them names, talking dirty and using derogatory language. Visual hallucinations might make them see things such as light apparitions, figures who ware not there and the like. Delusions might make them interpret visual stimulation in a negative way. A group of people shopping can become a group of persecutors to the psychotic. Once someone shares this interior world with a psychotic, then understanding and a dialogue can unfold. Without this sharing schizophrenics are left alone in their world of trials.

Entering the world of the psychotic is one way of loving them. There are however numerous instances when family members, spouses and friends are hard pressed to find a loving connection to the schizophrenic. They might be sending you hate mail, accusing you of unbelievable things. In such cases refute the accusations in a kind and loving manner. For example should you be accused of participating in a world take over scheme where you might be perceived as harming the psychotic, calm them down. Say that you would never join evil forces or that you would never dream of hurting the psychotic, your loved one. Reassure them of your goodwill and trust. I accused my family of cannibalism during my psychosis. They were so shocked; they did not know how to respond. This in my psychotic mind was an affirmation of my darkest most dreaded suspicion. Instead my family should have spoken to me calmly, saying that they would never do such a thing. Not in a shocked manner, but as an affirmation of their goodwill and love. This would have helped me a lot.

Should you receive hate mail, do not be hurt, think of the hallucinations and delusions your loved one is going through. Respond to the letter; let the person know that you love them anyway. If the person refuses to see you, pushes you away, stay there, keep contact. Don’t give up. During my initial stay at hospital I refused my mother contact with the doctors. Because of my age the doctors had to respect this wish of mine. My mother did not stop calling me and the doctors to make sure I was not given electro-shocks and that I was being treated well at the clinic.

If a schizophrenic stops paying the rent, rearranges the entire apartment without seeming rhyme or reason keep in mind, that to the schizophrenic things like paying the rent seem unreal and unimportant. Don’t get angry at them but try and get them help. On how to get a schizophrenic help please see my essay How to get a schizophrenic to the doctor.

During my psychosis I alienated my entire family, husband and friends. My father, sisters and husband refused contact with me. It was only my mother left who kept on trying to make contact with me although I was pushing her away, accusing her of the most terrible things, writing her hate mail and making hate phone calls.. She called me regularly, she called friends that they would come and look after me, she called neighbors and social services to look after me. She traveled to see me as much as possible. As we were living in different countries this made matters very difficult. Most of our friends did not realize just how psychotic I was. I thought I was having trouble with my mother and did not want to get involved. Family members had had enough of my abuses. One of my sisters even went so far as to accept were I to die. One day my mother and younger sister had traveled the 1000 Kilometers to see me in my too expensive new apartment I had bought during my psychosis. They came with a dear friend of mine. I refused to open the door. I was very abusive and sent them away although they had been waiting for me for hours. The poor things had to leave only with my screams in their ears, the tantrums I made and the abuse I had for them.

Loving a schizophrenic is a very difficult task indeed because it is precisely the person whom you want to love who is oftentimes pushing you away. It takes a tremendous amount of love and endurance to stick with a schizophrenic, to not give up on them and to not despair. But your love is all the schizophrenic has as a last contact to the non-psychotic world. So don’t sever that link.

Love is a king quality of the soul. Love can move mountains and it can make the greatest obstacles disappear. Often a psychotic is refashioning love in his or her psychosis. Visions of love often characterize a psychosis. Behind the mask of abuse and pain somewhere there is an idea and high ideal of love lurking. Try and tap into that. Be soft and gentle with the schizophrenic. Speak with them about love and how much you love them. This might open a door to their heart and be the first step towards healing.

Yvonne Nahat has undergone a schizophrenic experience for eight years. For further insight and information please visit her website at www.schizophrenia-help-online.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yvonne_Nahat

Advertisement: Raise Capital in 90 Days Online - Now! Learn How This Works .. Bedzzz Inn, Inc Raised $92,867 with this system!

Share This