Scourge of Alzheimer’s — A slow dying of memory

PEOPLE do not realize that Alzheimer’s disease is not necessarily old age forgetfulness.

It is a progressive and fatal affliction, and a staggering number of people develop this dementia every day.

You do not just wake up one day with dementia or Alzheimer’s as these conditions are developmental and progressive.

It used to be that people were afraid to talk about it; they feel ashamed of having this complex brain disease.

But why?

It’s not infectious and has nothing to do with one’s personal hygiene, social standing or economic background.

It crosses racial, religious and gender bias, and it does not reflect your sexual preference or IQ.

According to the Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia (ADFM) in 2020, the population of persons living with dementia that, in its end-stage, leaves them dependent on 24-hour care, is estimated to be at 204,000 to 264,000 (8.5 per cent to 11 per cent of those aged above 60 years).

This number is projected to rise to 637,500 to 825,000 by 2050 – a prediction largely based on data showing that Malaysia is fast becoming an ageing nation.

Moreover, lifestyle and environmental risk factors also contribute to exponential growth in numbers of dementia cases, the foundation has reported.

Alzheimer’s is so common nowadays that it has touched everyone’s lives – a close family member, a good friend, some former work colleagues, and public personalities everywhere.

In my own family, it devastated us when my own mother was afflicted by it at age 73.

She succumbed to it when she had developed other complications at age 87.

At the early stage, she still had her lucidity on good days and could look after herself till the later stages when other complications had set in.

Her Alzheimer’s had set in motion an even stronger bonding among our family, as Dad had been completely devoted to staying by her side throughout the entire period.

It had also brought us her five children even closer, despite the distances as some had to travel constantly from Europe and Singapore.

It had also meant that many times at critical periods of her home-care and medical emergencies, we had to make many decisions that affected hers and our father’s well-being and continued healthcare.

With five very individualistic characters and very different personalities, we had managed to always come to a common consensus when faced with such life-altering decisions.

We were guided by the old adage that although our loved one might not remember us anymore, or might even do things that frustrated or flustered us, we knew that this was the time that she had needed us the most.

We had lived by the rule of love being a symbol of eternity, and it’s sweeping away all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end, insofar as our feelings for our mother was concerned.

Ultimately, our trust and our devotion for our Lord God triumph over all.

As a Baby Boomer myself (those born between 1946 and 1964), I count my blessings each day as many of us have just started to enter our statistical ‘bonus years’.

The Department of Statistics (DoSM) informs us that the current life expectancy for a Sarawakian is 75.2 years, so if you have passed this precise age, you are now considered to be living on ‘bonus time’.

In recent weeks, I have had news of a number of very dear and close friends here and overseas who have left us for the Heavenly shores – a few were older than me, and there were some who were younger too.

It is extremely sad and distressing upon learning that three of my former classmates at the St Thomas’ School in Kuching have Alzheimer’s; they are almost my same age.

The one who is two years older than me is at an advanced stage; another at an early stage; whilst the third is in transition between early and middle.

They are all being well taken care of: two at home, and one in a facility.

The tragedy of Alzheimer’s is that no one knows how the disease originates; thus, it is not possible to either prevent it or find a cure for it.

So far, medical research is continually being updated and recently, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, there was an update on April 24 titled ‘Nine recent breakthroughs in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease’ – here’s the link for those interested to read: https://www.weforum.org/stories/wellbeing-and-mental-health/alzheimers-disease-breakthroughs-health/.

It is my personal belief that one person caring for another represents life’s greatest value.

Caring for our seniors is perhaps the greatest responsibility we have.

Those who walked before us have given us so much, and have made possible the life that we all enjoy now.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Love is the strongest thing in the world.

Nothing can touch it. Nothing comes close.

Love is the biggest thing there is. In the end, if you have tried and you have cared, sometimes that is enough.

May God bless all those who are going through their trials, and may He grant their caregivers comfort, rest and solace and most of all – love.