Over the weekend, my brother and sister flew down from Utah to visit with my dad. We picked him up at his house and took him across the street to a park and we all sat around and talked.
I could tell he was not too sure what was going on but we just continued to reassure him that everything was fine and we would often remind him who we were.
My brother mentioned that he is really worried that he will develop Alzheimer's. This has been my worry as well. As I see what my dad has gone through and the more research I do, the more scared I become. Will I get it as early as 40? I have a couple more years before I hit 40. I know that I could start to develop Alzheimer's that early and I am worried.
This is the time I get serious with my health and taking every preventative measure I can now. The key is good health. I don't know if I will develop Alzheimer's disease but I do know that I can prevent it by the way I live my life. This I will try to do and from today on I need to stay positive.
5 comments:
I believe this is a common fear among the children of Dementia parents. Because of this, I've decided *NOT* to have kids, so I don't pass this gene on to future generations. My brother and step-sister are already grandparents. I'm just 42, but I'm Mom's caregiver.
Well Baby Sis....most of your siblings are over 40 and this "most ancient sister" is 50 and none of us has had early onset Alzheimers....yet. Out of Dad's 8 siblings, just 2 (a brother and sister) developed Alzheimers before 80. Dad is the youngest of the three to develop it earlier (by his late 60s--dementia and then the Alzheimers came on in his early 70s). I am in contact with most of our cousins, and as far as I know--no one has dementia or Alzheimers. This is particularly interesting since the 6 children of Uncle Bud (who was the brother with Alzheimers) are now in their late 60s and early 70s and none have it. So keep exercising, eat those red fruits and veggies, take your vit. D and omega 3s, and PRAY HARD. Maybe we won't get it after all.
I have 3 paternal aunts that have Alzheimer's and 1 maternal aunt.
Since I have 4 aunts (females) that have Alzheimer's, I fear I may have early onset. I say this because I hear my sister say "I know you told me that" a lot.
If I get tested, will Aricept (sp?) help slow down the progression of early onset?
Yes, it prolongs it but it doesn't reverse it. You can do so many things now to prevent it. Cardio exercise everyday is a start. Also, eat more of an antioxidant enriched diet.
That is a good start!
Thanks :)
Krista
I too am the child of a parent with Alzheimer's. The following information may not be comforting to those who have multiple instances of Alzheimer's in the family, but for the rest of us...
I learned from the website of the Canadian Alzheimer Society (http://www.alzheimer.ca/english/disease/myths.htm) that only 7% of all cases of Alzheimer's are considered the familial type. That means that 93% are NOT related to heredity at all. I find that statistic reassuring. I hope others will too.
There's also a wonderful list about Alzheimer warning signs: http://www.alzheimer.ca/english/disease/warningsigns.htm. I like this list because it clearly differentiates between normal forgetfulness and the particular type of forgetfulness that typically indicates the onset of the disease.
I hope this information is helpful.
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