ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Defining an Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia or loss of intellectual function. It will destroy memory and judgement and also produces often frightening changes in behaviour. People who had good sense of humour may become morose and suspicious.Dementia, which mainly affects older people over the age of 65, results from brain disease. It “is characterized by a progressive, global deterioration in intellectual abilities, including memory, learning, orientation, language, comprehension, and judgment.” Alzheimer's, the most common cause, is progressive and fatal.The Qur’an specifically mentions this progressive deterioration in intellectual abilities:
“ It is Allah who creates you and takes your souls at death; and of you there are some who are sent back to a feeble age, so that they know nothing after having known(much): for Allah is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.” (Al-Nahl:70)
So, patient also will more helpless, as they forget how to do the ordinary tasks of daily living. For example, they will forgot to do a simple thing like brushing teeth, dressed and also taking a bath become confusing impossible. However as Muslims we must face it with patient because Abu Yahya Suhaib bin Sinan reported that the messenger of Allah said: “How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this is not the case with anyone except a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him.” (Muslim)
The other name of Alzheimer’s disease is the thief of memory, the living death or the long goodbye. No cure for Alzheimer’s disease and no way to prevent it. However, answer must be found to prevent this disease from kill millions people’s.Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease impacts every aspect of your daily life. As Alzheimer’s patients lose one ability after another, while caregiver face tests of stamina, problem-solving, and resiliency. Maintaining your emotional and physical fitness is crucial. Caregivers must prepare themselves, understanding their loved one’s experience, and seeking support from others can be a big help.This negative impact on family members is significant as caring for one’s aging parents is incumbent on Muslims:
“Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord! Bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood”. (Al-Isra:23-24)
For most human history, Alzheimer’s disease was confused with other conditions that produce dementia. Dementia itself is not a disease, however dementia is a general term used to describe a condition in which brain cells are gradually destroyed, leading to a progressive decline in mental function. Dementia is a normal part of aging, the elderly were judged by a different standard then younger people. For example, the Greek philosopher Plato believed that a person “under the influence of old age could not be held accountable for his crimes.”
Some five hundred years after Plato, the Roman physician Galen theorized that a physical ailment might be responsible for the mental decline of some older people. As Dr. Gillick put it, “Aging was essentially a process of dying out and shrivelling up”. This ‘shrivelling’ process affected the mind as surely as the body. These attitudes toward aging in general and dementia in particular were shaped by the rarity of both. Then, in 1907, a German physician named Alois Alzheimer published the case of a woman who died at age fifty-one after her memory and other brain function became progressively impaired over many years. At that time, the symptoms that Dr. Alzheimer described were fairly common among older people. However it was believed that these symptoms were a normal consequence of aging, and they were known as “senile dementia”. For much of human history, the average life span was thirty years or less. Few people lived long enough to develop age-related problems. In such this world, it was not unreasonable to view mental impairment as a normal part of the aging process. Dementia seemed to be as much a part of old age as losing one’s hair or having failing eyesight.
This is a list of ten common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease that identified by the Alzheimer’s Association. Memory loss, the first of the ten signs of Alzheimer's as compiled by the Alzheimer's Association, is also one of the most common. This can be manifested in a number of ways, including forgetting dates, times and events. People with Alzheimer's have particular difficulty recalling recently learned information as a result of an impaired short-term memory. Second, people with dementia often find it hard to plan or complete everyday tasks. Individuals may lose tracks of the steps involved in preparing a meal, taking a bath or playing a game. The third is people with Alzheimer’s disease often forget simple words or substitute unusual words, making their speech and writing hard to understand. Fourth, people with Alzheimer’s disease can become lost in their own neighbourhood, forget where they are and how they got there, and not know how to get home.Confusion regarding the passage of time may be present in people with Alzheimer's. They may be unable to differentiate between the seasons or recognize that certain events happened in the past. For instance, they may be aware of their present surroundings but fail to recall how they got there.The fifth is people with Alzheimer’s may dress inappropriately and has a negative impact on a person's ability to make a thoughtful and rational decision. In other words, due to their multiple cognitive deficits, Alzheimer's sufferers become vulnerable to making bad choices and may be more easily influenced to do things such as redraft their will, for example.
Sixth, someone with Alzheimer’s disease may have unusual difficulty performing complex mental tasks, like forgetting what numbers are for and how they should be used. The seventh is person with Alzheimer’s may forgetting where something was put and having a hard time finding something are common frustrations. However, for the person with Alzheimer's, items are misplaced more frequently and are often found in the strangest of places, such as put eyeglasses in freezer or put iron in microwave. While the eight is they may show rapid mood swings like from calm to tears to anger, for no apparent reason.Ninth, the personalities of people with dementia can change dramatically. Clinical depression is very common in patients with Alzheimer's, and it can make memory deficits worse. In addition to depression, patients with Alzheimer's may become fearful, anxious, irritable or dependent on family member. They may become upset easily. For the last one, a person with Alzheimer’s disease may become very passive, like sitting in front of the TV for hours or sleeping more than usual.
Although there is still no cure for Alzheimer’s disease but we have a ways to prevent progression of Alzheimer’s disease from become worse. The prophet also said: “There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment”. This is several healthy lifestyles you need to prevent progression of Alzheimer’s disease at early stages. To prevent progression you must taking care of your overall health by eating well and do healthy diet.Besides, you also must do regular exercise and get a quality sleep. Furthermore, you must do mental stimulation that involved activities use multiple tasks or requiring communication, interaction, and organization offer the greatest protection.Then, control your stress management and active in social life. This will give you the physical and mental advantage you will need to reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease. While, in Islamic view Alzheimer’s disease can be prevent by prostration because prostration causes more blood to flow into the brain and prevent such disease that are caused by deficiency of blood in the brain. Therefore, prostration forces more blood to flow into blood vessels of the head by the force of gravity. In this context Allah Messenger, (PBUH), used to bid Bilal, the venerable Companion, may Allah be pleased with him: “O Bilal! Call (people) to salat (Islamic prayer)! Relieve us with it!” Narrated by Abu Dawood(4985)and Ahmad(23137).This is because salat (Islamic Prayer) causes both physical and spiritual comfort.
One of the famous life true stories in the context of dementia is between Dr. Alois Alzheimer and Auguste D. In the year 1901, Dr. Alzheimer working at mental hospital in Frankfurt, Germany he encountered patient known Auguste D who began showing symptoms of dementia at the age fifty-one years old. Dr. Alzheimer was determined to find out about this process. It is session between Dr. Alzheimer with Auguste D."She sits on a bed with a helpless expression. What is your name? Auguste. Last name? Auguste. What is your husband's name? Auguste, I think. Your husband. Ah, my husband. She looks as if she didn't understand the question. Are you married? To Auguste. Mrs. D? Yes, yes, Auguste D. How long have you been here? She seems to be trying to remember. Three weeks. What is this? I show her a pencil. A pen”. At lunch she eats cauliflower and pork. Asked what she was eating, she answered “spinach”. As she was chewing the meat and was asked what she was eating, she answered “potatoes” and then “horseradish”. When objects were shown to her, after a short time she did not remember what objects had been shown. In between she always speaks about “twins”. When she asked to write, she holds the book in such a way that one has the impression that she has a reduction of the right visual field. Asked to write “Mrs. Auguste D.,” she tries to write “Mrs.” and forgets the rest. It is necessary to repeat every word. Auguste D deteriorated rapidly. She became unable to talk and lost control of her bowels and bladder. Four and half years after her symptoms began, she died at year 1906. After her death her brained tissue was examined in detail and her syndrome was later named Alzheimer’s disease after her doctor name.
Besides, Alzheimer's disease is highly prevalent, many notable people have developed it. Well-known examples are former United States President Ronald Reagan. In August 1994, at age 83, Ronald Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In his own hand, Ronald Reagan wrote his final farewell to the American people. “I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. At the moment I feel fine. I intend to live the remainder of the years God gives me on this earth doing the things I have always done. I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright down ahead. Thank you, my friend, May God always bless you”. He died ten years later at the age of ninety-three years old after having suffered from Alzheimer's disease for nearly a decade.
Another relevant stories that related to Alzheimer’s disease is a daughter was taking care of her mom has Alzheimer’s. During the day, her mom would sometimes swear at her and not be very kind. But at night when her mom was in bed in a darkened room, the daughter would sit next to her and say, “Where have you been?”. That is when she knew her mom recognised her. This daughter knew her mom despised chin hairs, and if she tried to take them off during the day she would get yelled at. So at night when her mom recognized her tone of voice in the darkened room she would say, “Mom, I see a couple of chin hairs”. And her mom would respond with, “Get them off. Get them off”. And mom would thank her for getting them off. As the saying goes, all’s well that ends well.
The Islamic perspective for Alzheimer’s disease is mentioned in Quran where Allah Almighty tells us that He is controlling the affairs of His servants. He is the One Who created them out of nothing, then He will cause them to die. But there are some of them that He allows to grow old, which is a physical weakness, as Allah says: “O mankind! if you have a doubt about the Resurrection, (consider) that We created you out of dust, then out of sperm, then out of a leech-like clot, then out of a morsel of flesh, and partly unformed, in order that We may manifest (our power) to you; and We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs for an appointed term, then do We bring you out as babies, then (foster you) that you may reach your age of full strength; and some of you are called to die, and some are sent back to the feeblest old age, so that they know nothing after having known (much), and (further), thou see the earth barren and lifeless, but when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs)”. (Al-Hajj:5)
So that they know nothing after having known meaning, after a person knew things, he or she will reach a stage where one knows nothing because of weakness of mind due to old age and senility. Thus Al-Bukhari, when commenting on this issue, reported a narration from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah used to pray: “I seek refuge with You from miserliness, laziness, old age, senility, the punishment of the grave, the Fitnah of the Dajjal and the trials of life and death.”
For international perspective,Nancy Davis Reagan who is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was former First Lady of the United States claimed that “Alzheimer’s disease is a cruel disease that steals lives. It’s hard to know what to expect. The years of exchanging memories of old age are gone. It’s a long, long goodbye.” It may fall on the spouse to care for a patient losing himself to Alzheimer's. This was the case for Nancy Reagan, who tended to her husband after he withdrew from public life in 1994. After years of private care, she spoke to the depth of her loss shortly before his death in 2004."Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him," she said.Instead, notes researcher and popular author Lewis Thomas invoked the “old man’s friend” as the best that the Alzheimer’s disease victim could hope for: “It is the worst of all disease, not just for what it does to the patient, but for its devastating effects on families and friends. It begins with the loss of learned skill-arithmetic and typing, for instance-and progresses inexorably to a total shutting down of mind. It is not in itself lethal,unmercifully; patients go on and on living, essentially brainless but otherwise healthy, into advanced age, unless lucky enough to be saved by pneumonia”.
My own perspective is Alzheimer’s it’s a disease that affects the brain and memory. You slowly start to forget very common things to you, like where your house is, what your husband name, etc. Alzheimer’s disease just like the rest of our bodies, our brains change as we age.Most of us notice some slowed thinking and occasional problems with remembering certain things. However, serious memory loss, confusion and other major changes in the way our minds work are not a normal part of aging. They may be a sign that brain cells are failing.
In a conclusion, Alzheimer's disease is a mysterious, progressive degeneration of the brain that shares some of the characteristics of dementia: memory disorders, changes in personality, deterioration in personal care, impaired reasoning ability, and disorientation. It is the fourth biggest killer in the developed world after heart disease, cancer, and stroke. There are millions of sufferers worldwide. The disease can occur at any age but it is more common among the elderly. Unlike some other forms of secondary dementia, Alzheimer's disease is generally regarded as incurable. The disease may start as early as age 50. This happens with inherited or familial Alzheimer's disease. More typically, Alzheimer's disease occurs in the 60s. People with Alzheimer's disease may have problems with memory loss or decline in memory.Memory loss, including difficulty in remembering recent events and learning new information, is typically the earliest clinical feature of Alzheimer's disease. As the illness progresses, memory of remote events and over learned information (for example, date and place of birth) declines together with other cognitive abilities. In the later stages of Alzheimer's disease, there is increasing loss of cognitive function to the point where the individual is bedridden and requires full-time assistance with basic living skills (for example, eating and bathing).
Behavioral disturbances that can accompany Alzheimer's disease include agitation, aggression, depressive mood, sleep disorder, and anxiety. They may withdraw from social activities and have personality changes such as confusion, depression, and being fearful or anxious. Eventually, they are unable to care for themselves and do not recognize friends and family members. People with Alzheimer's disease generally live 8 to 10 years with the disease, although they may live with it for up to 25 years.
Researchers are seeking ways to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease. To prevent progression of Alzheimer’s disease, lifestyles and behavior changes, diet, exercises, body mind approaches and similar self-care measures can help Alzheimer’s patient cope and even slow down progression of this disease.
Besides, activities such as brain exercises and social and physical activity also may delay Alzheimer's disease or reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. For example, try exercising or playing cards with friends. Current Alzheimer's disease medications and management strategies can temporarily improve symptoms, maximize function and maintain independence. It's also important to seek social services and tap into your support network to make life better. Research efforts aim to discover treatments that prevent Alzheimer's or slow its progression.
In the not too distant future, it is very possible that Alzheimer’s disease will be effectively treated and even prevented. Ongoing, research is uncovering new and startling insights into Alzheimer’s. Better understanding of the genetic and environmental risk factors will lead to much earlier diagnosis of the disease and treatment before cognitive functions of the brain begin to fade. In the future, Alzheimer’s disease may be viewed as serious illness that perhaps can be treated and even be prevented with proper therapies.
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