WORLD ALZHEIMER'S DAY

Click here to see how you can make today a meaningful World Alzheimer's Day.

There's at least one thing you can do that doesn't seem to be mentioned much at the linked site, so here it is: If you know a caregiver or someone you know who has Alzheimer's Disease, commit yourself to doing at least one thing that will lift that person's spirits.

And here's something else: If you know anyone involved in public policy (in the broadest sense, including health and insurance as well as government) take some time to talk with that person about what that person can do to improve things for people with Alzheimer's Disease (or similar conditions) and their caregivers. There's much to be done.

And here's a book I recommend to anyone who is a caregiver to a person with dementia: Learning to Speak Alzheimer's, by Joanne Koenig Coste. You can find some of its tips here.

It's hard to know where to start (and where to finish) when it comes to this subject because Alzheimer's Disease is another one of those health nightmares that exposes myriad flaws in how a society functions and malfunctions. We've already seen AIDS mow down millions of people while governments reacted with appalling sluggishness. And, with Alzheimer's Disease and other illnesses that utterly disable people (about 47% of seniors over 85 are diagnosed with Alzheimer's), we can see something similar taking place.

Millions of people with Alzheimer's Disease and similar conditions must be cared for by other people, but the demands of caring often put an inordinate emotional, physical, and financial strain on caregivers and society at large. The stress takes a heavy toll on primary and secondary caregivers that is felt throughout their circles; hired caregivers are often underpaid, undertrained, and under-motivated. In a culture where many people think that "everyone has to take care of themselves," patients who cannot take care of themselves must be taken care of others who are expected to take care of themselves too. Right at a time when the stress levels can become nearly unbearable, caregivers often face myriad legal and financial and health care hurdles hindering them from doing what any sane person would want to do. (Example: If someone with Alzheimer's, who is often not in a position to act rationally, does nothing to protect his or her estate, it is extremely vulnerable to being cleaned out to pay for home care and/or nursing home care. The default policy is that the mentally disabled person will hemorrhage cash; it takes a considerable effort—by others in many cases—to do what most sane people would do: Legally safeguard the estate so that it will "stay in the family.")

The vulnerability of so much of our population is staggering. I was very moved by this Nightline piece on the effect of Alzheimer's Disease and sleazy and uncaring real estate dealers on onetime health advocate Dr. Janet Mitchell and her loved ones. It's a great example of how a well-prepared ten minute segment can go a long way in communicating a problem. The before-and-after footage is as sad as it is devastating. Please take a look at it. Here's a text version.