Читать книгу The Alzheimer's Epidemic - Danton O'Day - Страница 15

No matter how you slice it, Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that wreaks havoc on the lives of individuals and their families. We notice that, as we age, it can be difficult to remember a work or a name. As a senior, I was shocked when I was playing Mario Kart on my Nintendo with my grandson. I thought I was doing quite well motoring along, dropping a few banana peels and turtle shells to slow his progress. But I was 100% focused on controlling my car. The game was all I could concentrate on. Meanwhile, my grandson was not only doing everything I was doing, he was giving me hints on things I could do as well as carrying on a conversation with three other people in the room. If that didn’t demonstrate to me the loss of cognitive ability I was suffering, nothing could.

But Alzheimer’s disease presents itself as more than a short-term loss of memory or forgetfulness, it begins with a major loss in one’s ability to recall and reason. More importantly, it can progress to the state were the sufferer is often confused about where they are or what they are doing. It can cause them to forget who their loved ones are. Having said this, the disease is not something that is a natural extension of growing old. Also, the progression from loss of memory to full-fledged dementia is not a given. Understanding exactly what separates simple loss of memory from aging versus true Alzheimer’s disease is important and will become much clearer as the reader progresses through this volume.