Alzheimers disease
a. What impact do you think Alzheimer’s disease has on the patient’s family and/or caregivers?
I can say, from personal experience, that Alzheimer’s disease has a huge impact on a patient’s family and/or caregiver. My grandmother is starting to show some signs of Alzheimer’s as she ages and my great grandmother, her mother, had stage 4 Alzheimer’s which inevitably led to her death several years ago. Alzheimer’s, in my opinion, is one of the worst diseases that a family can embark on together. There is nothing worse than having a close family member gradually not know who you are. My great grandmother was a very bright beautiful older woman that was otherwise healthy but could not even recognize her own children near the end of her life. In the videos the patient’s family and/or caregivers struggle with worry, priority and surveillance of the individual with Alzheimer’s. My family struggled with all of the same aspects through our experiences with this disease. At one point my great grandmother got lost in Dallas and ended up in a bad area, she was robbed at gunpoint and beaten by an individual. This tragic event was horrible for my family because we were trying to keep her within one area, much like the video, while still treating her like a person. The biggest struggle was trying to love and treat her as we once knew her while her mind diminished as the years went on. Like I mentioned before this disease is a process for not only the patient but the family as well. At some points it seemed as if it would be better to die abruptly than to die so slowly. I would not wish this illness on anyone and pray that those who are dealing with it make it along as my family did.
b. How did it make you feel personally when you watched these videos? Have you had any personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease in your own family or friends? How did it affect your family?
These videos brought back some rough memories for me, but it also reminded me of my great
I can say, from personal experience, that Alzheimer’s disease has a huge impact on a patient’s family and/or caregiver. My grandmother is starting to show some signs of Alzheimer’s as she ages and my great grandmother, her mother, had stage 4 Alzheimer’s which inevitably led to her death several years ago. Alzheimer’s, in my opinion, is one of the worst diseases that a family can embark on together. There is nothing worse than having a close family member gradually not know who you are. My great grandmother was a very bright beautiful older woman that was otherwise healthy but could not even recognize her own children near the end of her life. In the videos the patient’s family and/or caregivers struggle with worry, priority and surveillance of the individual with Alzheimer’s. My family struggled with all of the same aspects through our experiences with this disease. At one point my great grandmother got lost in Dallas and ended up in a bad area, she was robbed at gunpoint and beaten by an individual. This tragic event was horrible for my family because we were trying to keep her within one area, much like the video, while still treating her like a person. The biggest struggle was trying to love and treat her as we once knew her while her mind diminished as the years went on. Like I mentioned before this disease is a process for not only the patient but the family as well. At some points it seemed as if it would be better to die abruptly than to die so slowly. I would not wish this illness on anyone and pray that those who are dealing with it make it along as my family did.
b. How did it make you feel personally when you watched these videos? Have you had any personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease in your own family or friends? How did it affect your family?
These videos brought back some rough memories for me, but it also reminded me of my great