ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Alzheimers disease robs you of intellectual and social abilities and interferes with regular life. About 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimers Disease. The disease usually affects seniors over the age of 65. As the population ages this number is expected to quadruple.
There is no cure for Alzheimers disease. There is progress being made by researchers to improve the quality of life for those who have Alzheimers. Drugs are being discovered and studied which may lead to treatments of the disease.

If you have been a caretaker of a loved one with Alzheimers disease, or have a loved one suffering with it, you know that it takes patience and love to keep you and them going.

If you think a loved one may be showing early signs of Alzheimers Disease, what should you look for? One of the most prominent signs of Alzheimers Disease is forgetfulness. It starts out with occasional forgetting simple directions or recent events. It progressively gets worse until the patient may forget even family members names and objects they see every day. They also may repeat things they’ve already told someone, and put objects down and forget where they placed them. On the other hand, they might put something away so they will remember where they put it, and put it in such an illogical place that no one can find it.
Early Alzheimers Disease patients have trouble conducting conversation and finding the right words to say. They may have a hard time following conversations or expressing their feelings. Eventually their reading and writing ability will also be affected.

Abstract thinking is something else that these patients with Alzheimers disease have. They may suddenly be unable to deal with numbers, especially in balancing the checkbook. Disorientation causes them to lose track of time, and it is easier for them to get lost. They may feel they are in unfamiliar surroundings even if they are home.

They have trouble with everyday problems, such as knowing that food has been on the stove too long. Patients with Alzheimers disease eventually have problems dealing with planning, judgment, and decision-making. Familiar tasks become a struggle, even the basic activities like dressing or remembering to bathe.
One of the most distressing symptoms of Alzheimers disease is the personality changes that affect them. It is not uncommon for a patient with Alzheimers disease to have extreme mood swings and often accompanied by depression. They may begin distrusting those around them, be increasingly stubborn, and withdraw from family and friends. As their Alzheimers disease get progressively worse, they may become defiant, stubborn, aggressive, and take part in inappropriate behavior.

One report tells of a wonderful woman, whom was a good mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother that had been afflicted with Alzheimers disease. When her family was forced to put her in a nursing home due to the Alzheimers disease, she became aggressive to other patients and began using language she never would have dreamed of using before she fell victim to Alzheimers disease. The staff had a hard time in restraining her in the nursing home. They found she was sneaking in to other patient’s rooms, uncovering them, and leaving them. This was so unlike the mother and grandmother they knew before the affliction of Alzheimers disease, they had a hard time even visiting. Most of the time, she wouldn’t remember her daughter being there that morning. Finally, her family put an erasable board in her room so her visitors could write their name and the date they visited allowing the family to know who was there and when.

Unfortunately, families don’t often recognize the onset of Alzheimers disease because it starts out so slow. There usually are no sudden changes in the personality to alert family members there is a problem. As the symptoms gradually get worse, or they realize memory is fleeting for their loved one, they may not realize until the patient is far into the advanced stages of Alzheimers disease.

How Alzheimers disease progresses and what the average survival rate will be depends on the individual. The average survival rate is eight years. Some live fewer years, and some could live up to 20 years with the disease. People with Alzheimers disease eventually will no longer be able to take care of themselves. This leaves loved ones with the burden of deciding whether to place the patient in a long-term care facility or try to take care of them at home. It’s a difficult decision and everyone must realize that it takes considerable attention, love, and patience to deal with the problems that come with Alzheimers disease.

About the Author:
Steven Godlewski is a self-made millionaire and is currently working with Life Force International products. He has an extensive background in nutrition as well as other health related fields. For more health-related articles and a FREE bottle of Liquid Vitamins see their website at: http://www.pillfreevitamins.com/ SEE video at: http://www.emii-dcf.org/

Financial Assistance For Elderly Veterans and Their Widows is a Well Kept Secret

Ask an elderly Veteran if they are aware they may be eligible for a pension from the Veteran's Administration and they will tell you "I'm not eligible because I was not injured in the War." This is a common misconception which keeps many Veterans from tapping into a benefit they well earned by serving our country. The fact is elderly, disabled Veterans and their widows may very well qualify for large sums of money, but they have to apply for the funds. There are several Veteran pensions, but the pension designed to help elderly Veterans and Veteran's Widows pay for costly Home Health Care, Assisted Living Facility or Nursing Home fees (if the Veteran is not covered by Medicaid) is called Special Monthly Pension with Aid and Attendance. The pension can pay a married Veteran up to $1,949.00 per month, an unmarried Veteran up to $1,644.00 per month and a Veteran's Widow can receive up to $1,056.00 per month. The amount one receives is based upon their medical expenses and their current financial and medical status. The pension is paid by check directly to the Veteran or Veteran's Widow every month as long as they meet the criteria.

The Special Monthly Pension with Aid and Attendance is the government's best kept secret. I cannot tell you how many seniors have told me that they called Veterans Affairs and were actually told that this pension does not exist or that they do not qualify. For thirteen years, I have assisted Veterans and Veteran's Widows in obtaining these funds - they really do exist.

To get the maximum pension amount, a Veteran must qualify medically and financially and must have served their country for at least one day during "War Time". Also the Veteran must have been honorably discharged. Every case is considered individually. If a Veteran or Veteran's Widow feels they may qualify, they can apply for the pension. The pension can take many months to actually be approved. The average waiting period is three to eight months. The first check will be retroactive to the month the application arrived at the Veterans' Affairs, therefore the first check may be for thousands of dollars. Subsequent checks will arrive monthly for the approved amount. This pension money can mean the difference between affording adequate care for an aging Veteran/ Widow or having no care at all.

As with any governmental program, success is all in the paperwork. The pension application is many pages long and some of it is in essay form. It is the exact wording used in the essay areas that mean the difference between approval and denial. Also, Veteran's Affairs does not tell Veterans about all the supporting documents that they would like to see. The better the medical and financial records, the better the chances are of approval. Including the right medical forms signed by a doctor is very important for approval. Also typical of governmental red tape is the frustrating lack of communication. Once the application is filed and in the process of being reviewed, it is nearly impossible to get an update or check on the status of the application unless the Veteran/ Widow make the call themselves. For most of our clients, they are too ill or too confused to make a call like that. (continued at Elder-AbuseCa.com)