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Alzheimer’s disease: something most people don’t discuss
By Denise Dick
canfield
Every 70 seconds, someone in America is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
It’s a brain disease that produces problems with memory, thought and behavior. Plaques form in the brain, beginning in the region important for memory.
There is no cure. The disease is fatal. Medications only slow the progression.
Its symptoms don’t cause physical pain and while it affects one out of eight people 65 and older and nearly one out of two people 85 or older, it’s something most people don’t talk about.
“There’s a stigma,” said Pamela C. Schuellerman, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Greater East Ohio Chapter.
People need to talk about it, she said.
“There are 5.3 million people in this country living with Alzheimer’s disease,” Schuellerman said.
November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month.
“It’s a closet disease,” said JoAnn Claycomb of Austintown.
Her husband, Barry, was diagnosed with the disease in May 2009 at age 63.
The Alzheimer’s Association offers a variety of services for people with the disease, their family and caregivers.
“They’ve been a blessing,” JoAnn Claycomb said.
She and Barry talk about the disease to increase awareness and to help others.
“This took us completely by surprise and we want to help other people who are like us,” JoAnn Claycomb said.
The association can help with a 24-hour HelpLine, caregiver support groups, programs for people in the disease’s early stages, education and information.
While survivors of other diseases are the most vocal advocates, speaking about their battles, with Alzheimer’s there are no survivors.
The average lifetime cost of Alzheimer’s is $174,000 per person, the association reports, and the total annual cost in the U.S. is $100 billion — making it the third most expensive disease.
Once a family has a diagnosis, they have to start planning for the future in ways they likely hadn’t considered before. Legal documents like living wills, durable power of attorney for health care and advanced directives must be considered.
Decisions also must be made about care and how to pay for it. Options include in-home care, adult day care, assisted living and nursing homes. Schuellerman said the association can offer assistance as families weigh all of those decisions.