There are some misperceptions related to the diagnosis and symptoms of patients with early stage dementia.
People with a recent diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease may find it difficult to cope with their diagnosis. Photo: Shutterstock.
This condition encompasses a group of symptoms characterized by memory loss, language problems, mood swings, and deficits in thinking and reasoning that interfere with activities of daily living. AD is the most common form of dementia y It affects more than 6 million people in the United States.
It is worth mentioning that it is a progressive disease that implies a constant worsening of the symptoms of dementia over time. People with AD are often able to function independently in the early stages of the disease, but have to rely more and more on their caregivers for daily activities as the disease progresses.
People with a recent diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer they may have difficulty coping with their diagnosis and need support. Although friends and family often have a desire to be supportive, they may avoid interacting with the person with AD for fear of negatively affecting their mood.
Avoid associating with people with AD promotes a sense of isolation and stigma, and it can damage your sense of self-esteem. Here are some of the common misperceptions regarding AD that friends and family have, according to people with dementia in early stage.
Due to better surveillance, individuals are increasingly being diagnosed at earlier stages of AD. It is important to recognize that these early stage people are still able to live independently and they continue to have goals that they may wish to achieve.
Caregivers and family members may be able to help people plan for the future and maintain a good quality of life as the disease progresses.
- An AD diagnosis does not define a person
Patients maintain a sense of self until the final stages of dementia and family members they must be careful not to see them simply through the prism of their illness.
the evil of Alzheimer it does not alter the individual’s preference for activities or relationships. People continue to enjoy meaningful activities of daily living, including gatherings with friends and family, well into the later stages of the disease.
Dr. Peter Rabins, a professor emeritus at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, said, “In the early stages of Alzheimer’s Alzheimer, many people are able to maintain their usual level of social and personal interactions. As the disease progresses, this can become more difficult if long-time friends and acquaintances have become estranged from the person.”
“At each stage of the disease, it is more important that a person interacts with others and less important exactly what is said,” he added.
Family members should listen patiently to people with AD and avoid patronizing or engaging in “elder talk.”
- Symptom fluctuation
The symptoms presented by patients fluctuate from one day to the next. On certain days, they may exhibit improved cognitive function and improved mood. However, the same individual may exhibit more severe symptoms, such as anxiety, agitation, irritability, and increased repetition of words on bad days.
- Alzheimer early start
Though It mainly affects people over 65 years of age.Younger people account for around 5-10% of all cases. The appearance of this disease in people under 65 years of age is called Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer early onset.
The perception that it is a condition that only affects older people can cause younger people to ignore symptoms of the EA and delay the search for the necessary help.
Friends or family members may not be sure how to react to the news of a person’s diagnosis. This may lead them to communicate with the spouse or caregiver regarding the patients’ health.
People who live with dementia tend to perceive such conversations as condescending, which reinforces a sense of loneliness and shame. Instead, a direct conversation with the patient regarding his health is more likely to be received as caring.
Denial is also a common reaction among friends and family of people with a recent diagnosis.. This denial can manifest itself in comments that the individual is too young or appears to be functioning “normally” to be diagnosed.
Although not malicious, such comments may come across as dismissive. They might overlook the psychological struggles of coping with the diagnosis experienced by the individual with AD and the impairment caused by the condition itself.
- Measures to raise awareness
These myths emphasize the need for a concerted effort to eradicate the stigma and misperception associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer.
Dr. Joseph Gaugler, director of the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation at the University of Minnesota, said, “Too often we see the Alzheimer through the biomedical lens of disease, but as people living with dementiaare still ‘here’ and They have dreams and preferences that we must honor.
“Individuals, program planners, and policymakers need to keep in mind that people need different supports depending on who they are, what their lifelong interests have been, and what disease they are currently in,” Dr. Rabins said.
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