You can have Alzheimer’s and live longer
Having Alzheimer’s or Dementia doesn’t have to mean an instant death sentence or forgetting everyone and everything familiar within a decade.
Plenty of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or Dementia lead productive and happy lives for many years, even decades after diagnosis. On average, longevity of life after onset of Alzheimer’s is thought to be 20 years.
If you add the knowledge that early diagnosis extends those healthy years, 20 years may become 25-30 years. Then, Alzheimer’s isn’t quite so scary. So recognizing early symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia can lead to a longer and healthier life if proper diagnosis and treatment is begun at the earliest stages.
Early diagnosis means starting medication too slow Alzheimer’s progress sooner.
Early diagnosis means learning behavioral modifications that can lengthen productive years.
Though there is no cure, there are treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia. And some of those medications can slow the progress of this disease.
Previously, the thought of having Alzheimer’s or Dementia was so frightening that most people ignored the symptoms and delayed consultation with their family doctor.
A few physicians have ignored the signs, themselves, rather than give their patient a timely diagnosis of such dire circumstance. These actions can mean postponing the very medication that can extend productive years and slow the progression of both.
True, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia. But it is no longer an instant death sentence, nor does it have to mean years of living in a mindless maize of jumbled thoughts if an early diagnosis is achieved and proper medications and treatments begun.
“People aren’t recognizing the signs and going to the doctor’s office to be diagnosed early on. We’re finding it turns into a crisis later on,” said Lynn Moffat, the executive director of the Alzheimer Society of Kenora/Rainy River Districts. “It’s important to get early diagnosis. There’s a lot of support and there’s a lot of medication available to slow down (the process).”
So we need to acknowledge the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Be aware when your memory loss is more than normal aging.
See your doctor. Be aggressive, insist on tests for Alzheimer’s.
The sooner tested and diagnosed, the sooner you can start medication to slow the disease and live a longer and more productive life.
Watch for these warning signs and symptoms in yourself:
- Difficulty performing familiar tasks
- Memory Loss that affects day to day ability
- Problems with language
- Disorientation in time and space.
- Impairment judgement
- Problem with abstract thinking
- Misplacing things (ie. putting a watch in the sugar bowl)
- Changes in mood and behavior (ie. warm coat in the summer)
- Changes in personality (ie. quick to anger)
- Loss of initiative.
Watch for these signs and symptoms in a loved one:
You may notice these new behaviors in a loved one, occasionally at first, then more and more frequently as time goes on.
- A loved one who was previously warm and friendly but suddenly seems more grouchy and agitated.
- An outgoing person who laughs and jokes may suddenly turn his/her humor into inappropriate, sexual innuendo or mean accusations about another
- The woman who prepared every family dinner can no longer create a casserole
- The family financier often forgets to pay the bills.
- The fastidious house keeper suddenly has junk mail on every surface.
- The fashion fashionista wears the same dress or pant suit every day.
- The ballerina or ballroom dancer may suddenly trip over their own feet.
- The crowd loving person may suddenly prefer being home, alone.
- The person may confuse all hand held devices, attempt to use the TV remote as a telephone.
- Little energy to interact with other people and more and more often this person begins to isolate themself.
Recognize and Remember these signs and symptoms. Reach out to your physician if you have any questions regarding any of these symptoms. Get an early diagnoses.
Begin an early strategy to beat Alzheimer’s and Add many productive years to your life.
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Louann says
08/05 at 10:02 amMy mother was just put in facility for Moderate Alzheimer’s. Her sister died a few months ago after 15 yrs of symptoms, grandmother had more dementia. I am 50. I am very scared to say the least…I may scare myself into forgetting things and then am convinced I have it!. What or who do I make appt to see to assess me if I am showing early symptoms and can possibly be medicated now? Thanks,
by Sandy Spencer says
08/05 at 4:03 pmLouann, I’m very sorry that this is happening to your Mom. Very sad that her sister and Mom had dementia also. I’m sort of in the same spot you are.
My Mom passed away 5 years ago with Alzheimer’s and so did her mother and one brother. Still, we just never know. It doesn’t always pass down family lines in any structured way. I can imagine that you are fearful though, as I am too. Every time I forget the slightest thing, I’m thinking this is it.
Yet, folks with dementia can live ordinary lives for many many years. It’s a very slow progressive disease. As your Mom’s sister lived with symptoms for 15 years and I think my Mom probably had symptoms for that long as well.
Your regular, family doctor can give you a few tests and judge whether your forgetting may be dementia related, though he wouldn’t be able to state for certain and may send you to a specialist for more tests.
We have a few mini tests here on the site that you can do at home.
If you’re worried about it though, it might be best to have testing done to settle your nerves. You may have no worries at all about dementia in your future. And, as you said, the earlier you take medication the more you can delay symptoms. Either way, it will be a win/win for you to see your family doctor and have more knowledge.
All our best with you, Louann. Thank you so much for letting us know how you are feeling,
~Sandy
Lane Simonian says
09/25 at 8:47 amFigures for the average life span with Alzheimer’s disease vary, but it is around 5 years. Twenty years is the upper limit of survival for a person with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease (through complications) is a death sentence unless a person dies from something else in the meantime. Current medications only briefly slow down the progress of the disease and in some people not even that.
That’s the bad news. Here is the good news. Alzheimer’s disease can be effectively treated with a variety of essential oils through aromatherapy (cinnamon leaf, clove, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, sage, etc.). These essential scavenge peroxynitrites and partially reverse the damage that peroxynitrities do to receptors involved in smell, sleep, mood, smell, awareness, and short-term memory. Animal studies, case studies, and clinical trials (Jimbo et al. and Akhondzadeh et al.) have shown that essential oils can improve cognitive function for those affected by the disease.
~ Sandy says
10/05 at 9:36 amMany things factor into the life span of someone with Alzheimer’s. My Mom had it for many years before diagnosis and several years after. Eventually, an entirely different disease took her life which was probably inevitable since she was 83 years old.
caring.com has an informative article discussing Alzheimer’s and Life Expectancy. Quoted Below
What’s the average life expectancy of someone with Alzheimer’s?