How To Make Sure You Have Alzheimer's Disease?

ali.ma@wecistanche.com

In 2018, about 50 million people worldwide suffered from Alzheimer's disease (Alzheimer's disease, hereinafter referred to as "AD", commonly known as Alzheimer's disease), and by 2050, this number will increase to 152 million, which will triple as much. There is currently no specific test to confirm whether a person has AD. Doctors use the information provided by the patient and the results of various tests that can help diagnose the disease.

Methods of detecting Alzheimer's disease

To help differentiate other causes of memory loss from Alzheimer's disease, doctors currently rely on the following types of tests: Physical exams and neurological exams

Your doctor will do a physical exam to assess your nervous system health by examining the following points: reflexes, muscle strength, ability to get up from a chair or walk around the house, touch and vision, coordination, and balance.

Laboratory testing

Blood tests can help doctors rule out other potential causes of memory loss and confusion, such as thyroid disease or vitamin deficiencies.

Psychological test

The doctor may do a short psychological test to assess the patient's memory and other thinking skills and complete a small psychological test in about 10 minutes.

Neuropsychological testing

Doctors may want to conduct a more comprehensive assessment of a patient's thinking and memory, which doctors usually test using some scales. Longer neuropsychological tests, which can take hours to complete, can provide detailed information about a patient's mental functioning compared to peers of similar backgrounds. This type of test can be very helpful if the doctor thinks he has early AD or other dementia.

Brain imaging test

Brain imaging currently in use targets visible abnormalities associated with diseases other than Alzheimer's disease, such as stroke, trauma, or tumors, which can cause cognitive changes. Novel imaging techniques currently in use in large medical institutions or in clinical trials are helping physicians detect specific brain changes due to Alzheimer's disease. Brain imaging techniques include:

A Computed tomography (CT). During a CT scan, the patient lies on an examination table and slides into a small room. The X-rays will hit your body at different angles, and a computer will use this information to synthesize a cross-sectional image of your brain. The test is painless and takes about 20 minutes. It is currently mainly used to rule out brain tumors, strokes, and head injuries.

B Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI uses radio waves and strong magnetic fields to produce detailed effects on the brain. MRI is currently mainly used to exclude other diseases with cognitive symptoms.

C Positron emission tomography (PET). During a PET scan, a low-grade wireless probexi is placed in the patient's vein. New PET technology detects plaque levels in patients' brains.

Currently, researchers are working with physicians to develop new diagnostic tools to help diagnose Alzheimer's disease. New technologies being developed include other methods of imaging the brain, more sensitive psychological tests, and measuring important proteins or protein types in blood or spinal fluid. It is believed that with the advancement of science and technology and the efforts of a lot of medical work, the diagnosis of AD will be more accurate so that the majority of patients can receive treatment as soon as possible.

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How to recognize Alzheimer's disease

The early identification of Alzheimer's disease is often not easily mastered by the public, thus missing the best opportunity for early treatment. Here, we will share with you the warning signs of AD.

Memory decline that affects daily life

Ordinary people occasionally forget meetings and calls from friends, but they will remember them after a while or after a reminder. Alzheimer's disease patients forget more frequently, and cannot recall even after being reminded.

Incompetent for familiar tasks

For example, English teachers no longer understand what "book" means; drivers often go the wrong way; bank clerks can't count the banknotes; chefs don't know how to cook vegetables, etc. These are the pathogenic signals of Alzheimer's disease.

Problems with expression

If you are struggling to find the right word to define an object, then this is an early sign of AD, such as difficulty expressing ideas or having a hard time conversing with people. Alzheimer's disease patients often fail to express their meaning, and even use "substitute" to explain simple words, such as "mailer" to mean "postman", "things used to write" instead of "pen", etc.

Loss of concept of time and place

AD sufferers can't figure out the year, day or night, and get lost around their homes.

Poor judgment and reduced alertness

There will be thrilling pictures when driving; crossing the street without looking at traffic lights; lending money to strangers; listening to advertisements to buy a lot of medicine; eating a week's worth of medicine at one time, etc.

Difficulty with abstract thinking

Unable to understand the abstract meaning in the speech and have wrong reactions, such as unable to understand or understand the operation instructions of microwave ovens, remote controls, and other electrical appliances; hope that others will repeatedly give examples to help understand, etc.

Misplaced things

Ordinary people occasionally place items arbitrarily, but Alzheimer's disease patients are more frequent, or very wrong, such as fruit in the closet, slippers in the quilt, urine in the wine bottle, etc.

Changes in behavior and mood

The mood of AD patients changes quickly, crying or scolding people all of a sudden; there may also be behaviors that are different from normal, such as spitting, taking the items in the goods without giving money, etc.

personality change

As you get older, your personality will change slightly, but AD patients may be more obvious, such as being suspicious of serious illnesses, not choosing words, being overly extroverted, unable to restrain themselves, or being taciturn.

Do not want to do

When the judgment of the elderly deteriorates, in addition to timely medical treatment for diagnosis, family members should also pay attention to the details, pay attention to the changes in the elderly’s condition in time, and avoid accidental loss and falls.

Increased red-light crossings

In this case, running a red light is not because of time constraints, but because of an error in judging the distance to the red light. AD may impair certain brain abilities, including understanding spatial relationships, interpreting what you see, and even a sense of time and orientation.

Abnormal behavior

Maybe feeling anxious, confused, or depressed for no reason, maybe more impatient or aggressive than before, maybe easily restless or fearful for no apparent reason. At the same time, people with AD will begin to distance themselves from hobbies and social activities they once enjoyed.

Trembling when walking

This scientific theory is not yet fully developed, but three new studies prove it. The researchers found that changes in gait, such as changes in swing, may suggest cognitive decline and provide an early clue to AD.

What to do after a diagnosis of Alzheimer's

How can a parent or relative be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, his or her memory will be greatly affected, so that the ability to do things, in the end, is also greatly reduced, then as a child or relative, what should you do? Here's what Dr. Gary Small, a psychiatry and biobehavioral expert at UCLA, tells us.

The first problem is getting the right information

There are a lot of misunderstandings about Alzheimer's, and many people get scared the first time they hear that a parent or loved one has been diagnosed with AD. Find a doctor who has experience treating AD and seek support from organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association.

Plan for the future

Make sure the patient (older) has updated wills and related legal documents. When the patient's mind is still relatively clear, it is necessary to make plans early.

Create a warm and safe home environment

If you feel there is a danger to the patient in the home, block the stairwell or raise the doorknob so that the patient has no chance to reach it.

Keep it programmatic

Keep your daily routine as routine as possible, and put things around the room to help with memory and habit formation, such as clocks and calendars.

Keep the patient in a moderate amount of exercise

Exercise is good for brain and heart health, and regular exercise is important for people with Alzheimer's disease. For example, caregivers can walk with patients after meals.

Eat a diet that is good for your brain

AD patients should eat a low-fat diet, eat more fruits and vegetables, and fish containing a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, which are also good for patients.

How to Reach Out to People with Alzheimer's

AD is no stranger to everyone, but what makes everyone confused and helpless is how to communicate and contact AD patients. We hear very little about how to improve the quality of life of these patients, we don't really know how to maintain meaningful relationships with these patients, and we really don't pay enough attention to AD patients.

As AD progresses, friends and loved ones around the patient often feel that they are less likely to communicate with the patient as they did before. Damage to brain cells in patients affects their ability to communicate and interact with people. Although difficult, people with AD struggle to express their thoughts, and caregivers or loved ones struggle to understand what they mean.

However, a 21-year AD expert, Dr. Judith L. London (registered clinical psychologist working on AD and other dementias), tells us that family members, friends, and caregivers of people with AD can break through this barrier To understand the meaning expressed by the patient, the key is that we should actively communicate and contact with the patient, and be good at trying to figure out the meaning behind the patient's speech fragments.

Although AD patients cannot communicate and express themselves as they used to, it does not mean that they have nothing to say. Here are 7 ways to communicate with someone with AD:

1. Trust that you can communicate meaningfully with patients.

2. Smile. Let patients feel our love on their faces.

3. Treat patients the way we want: with kindness and respect.

4. No matter what the patient says, we have to listen patiently. This is the patient's way of telling us something.

5. Put yourself in the patient's shoes: imagine and feel what is going on inside the patient.

6. Connect the words spoken by the patient with the bits and pieces in the thoughts we feel so that we can fully understand his thoughts.

7. Tell the patient what we understand about what he is saying.

If we misunderstand the meaning of the patient, he will correct it; if we understand it correctly, he will agree. We need a heart-to-heart, mind-to-thought exchange with our patients. As long as we make efforts, you will find that the patients around you will live better and better, and we are full of ideas for the future.

Patient Story: My Mother

This is a memoir written by a family member of a patient with AD (the patient's daughter), chronicling seventeen years of caring for an ailing mother.

Her mother suffered from AD for many years and was completely bedridden for the last three years. Eventually, she passed away peacefully in the early morning of January 28, 2012, at the age of 82 due to multiple organ failure.

I can't tell the exact year she was diagnosed with AD, which is something I regret very much. At first, I only knew that after her retirement, her temperament and temperament changed dramatically. She became impatient, stubborn, suspicious, and her memory declined sharply. For example, for things that never happened, she would repeatedly say to the children: You have taken my property, you must return it to me. Another example is to say to others: My wife is dead. etc.

Later, my father told my sister and me that my mother had AD.

She had a long disease course, starting to show symptoms almost after retirement, and then gradually developing over seventeen years. In the last three years of her life, I gave up all my work, and even if I went out shopping, I would not be away from her for more than an hour each time. I'm always afraid that when I'm not around her, care will go wrong. A nanny and I take care of it 24 hours a day and night and don't dare to burn out. I haven't had a day off in three years. Sometimes when I think about it, I don't even know how I managed to persevere.

The seventeen-year development of the disease can be roughly divided into the following four stages in retrospect:

Stage 1: Six years: My own impression of her happened about thirteen or four years ago. One day I was out doing errands, and I passed by my mother's house near noon, I wanted to go home and have a look. As soon as I got out of the elevator door, I smelled the strong smell of coal in the corridor. I also thought: Who forgot to turn off the fire when cooking... Who knows when I opened my door and walked through the kitchen, I saw my mother standing in front of the gas stove. The gas was off, but the switch was on, and she stood there unresponsive.

My father wasn't home either, so I was terrified and immediately turned off the gas and opened the windows to ventilate. I asked her: what are you doing? She replied: I am cooking. I asked: where is my father? (It was only later that I found out that my father was out) She replied: I don't know. Only then did I realize the seriousness of the problem.

At this stage, her memory and self-consciousness are gradually lost. She lost all awareness of her family. She didn't know us; to my father, she always said: Who is this man? He's not from our family, hurry up and get out. The last relative she forgot was my son. She still recognized my son and called him by name when she didn't know much about the family. When my son was writing when he was a child, he wrote about it twice, and he said: I was the last person my grandma forgot.

The second stage: three years. By this stage, my family had found a nanny for her. The nanny does not live at home and comes over every day to help with housework. At that time, although my mother was confused, she was still able to take care of her personal life, she could eat by herself, and she could go to the bathroom with the help of her father.

Stage 3: Five years: I have a live-in nanny. At this stage, the mother can't take care of herself anymore, all activities need to be accompanied by a nanny, but she can still move around until 2009. At that time, she had not yet inserted a nasogastric tube, and could still be fed by a nanny, used a wheelchair to go downstairs to bask in the sun, and could walk. It's just that feeding is very difficult. She is gradually losing her ability to swallow. It takes an hour or two to eat a meal. She feeds too fast and coughs. Walking is also walking and resting, and you need support, otherwise, you will fall due to weak feet.

The fourth stage: that is, for the last three years, completely bedridden. At the end of 2009, she suddenly had a fever and was admitted to the hospital. At that time, she was diagnosed with bronchitis, which was an inflammation of the respiratory tract caused by a cold combined with feeding and choking. At that time, the doctor said that her illness this time belonged to the "waterfall effect", that is, the problems that had developed and accumulated slowly for a long time before suddenly broke out.

I discussed it with my sister and also asked my father for advice. Doctors recommend a "fistula" in the stomach, where food is injected directly into the stomach. After our family balance, because my mother has diabetes, the skin wound is not easy to heal, which is more troublesome, so we finally decided to accept a lower nasogastric tube.

After the gastric tube, the choking situation improved, but a new problem appeared: my mother often had to remove the gastric tube because of the discomfort. Another problem is that the nanny's nursing skills are poor and unprofessional, and the food is pushed into the stomach tube too thickly and too quickly, causing the stomach tube to be blocked. In July 2010, we sent her to change the stomach tube once because of the blockage of the stomach tube. The operation problem of the doctor caused another big attack of bronchial inflammation, and she was hospitalized for a long time.

From July 2010 to the end of 2010, my mother's respiratory tract disease developed rapidly. Now, to sum up, it was caused by the unprofessional operation of nursing staff or doctors. There are no professional family caregivers in China. The situation of the nanny is: first, the education level is low, generally not even a junior high school education; Be patient and do as instructed.

Doctors have told our family many times that AD has developed to the stage of inability to swallow, walk, and is completely bedridden. Only professional, effective and patient care can ensure the patient's life. At this point, the quality of life is not at all to speak of. The medicines my mother and son take at this stage are all for certain symptoms: for example, if there is too much phlegm, take medicine for quick expectoration; after the stomach tube is placed, if the esophagus is inflamed, take medicine for the treatment of esophagitis; eat bowel-stimulating drugs.

Caring for AD patients is a long, difficult and painful process for every member of the family and for the family members who are personally involved in the care. If you are not in it, you will not be able to experience the hardships and pains of body and mind. I personally always choose to take care of myself. I can't advise others on how to choose. Each family member has different circumstances, the patient's disease course is different, and the severity of the disease is different. Therefore, it is necessary for the patient's family to make a choice based on their own and the actual situation of the family.

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