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Alzheimer's- a Family Dilemma

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Alzheimer's Disease: A Family Dilemma
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the country and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed” (n.a., 2012, para. 2). This offers little encouragement to family members who must stand helplessly by and watch the deterioration of a loved one. It is no wonder Alzheimer’s is called the family disease. To help families better understand and cope with the changes manifested in the different stages of the disease, improved diagnostic and counseling support is badly needed.
At this juncture, an explanation of Alzheimer’s disease may be helpful. The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (2009) states, “Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes cognitive and functional disability” (Grossberg, et al., 2009, para.6). In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, even before current technology can identify symptoms, “plaques and tangles” (2012) form in the areas of the brain that control thinking, learning, planning, and memory. Watching a loved one mentally and emotionally disintegrate is especially hard on spouses and adult offspring, who for the sake of expediency, will be referred to as Caregivers.
The change in a loved one’s behavior and personality causes emotional strain for Caregivers, and one of the first signs is a loss of appetite in the patient, triggered by a diminished sense of taste and smell. The first time a meal that was once a favorite is pushed aside, untouched, the Caregiver may dismiss the behavior as inconsequential. However, as this happens more frequently, feelings of frustration, even anger arise, in both patient, and Caregiver. The Caregiver feels unappreciated and the patient feels mistreated. Soon though, the patient’s resulting weight

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