In Discussion Forum 5, post your response to the following discussion question. Reply to at least two classmates’ responses by the date indicated in the Course Calendar.
What do you think are the most difficult aspects of coping with a close relative who has Alzheimer’s disease? Please provide support for your response.
The post needs to be at least 250 words. the 2 replies need to be at least 50-75 words:
POST #1
by
Micaela
Number of replies: 0
Hi everyone!
While I do not have a close family member myself who has suffered from Alzheimer’s, my best friends grandmother lived with them and she had Alzheimer’s. Every time I was over at their house I could see the toll it took on her mom. For the kids it was sad to see their grandmother not know who they were, but even more difficult was that their grandmother saw their mom as the 20 year old she was over 20 years ago. With that came the assumption that her (grandmother) husband was still alive and she continuously asked where he was. Their mom originally tried to tell her he had passed, but there were severe emotional breakdowns and outbursts when this news was broken. I remember being over there and their grandmother asking about her husband and it was the first time I heard my friends mom say “He’s at work, he will be home later.” Their grandmother never knew the difference. It took a toll on the whole family. Another observation I had was how difficult it was to see the woman who has done so much for you, and taken care of everyone else, revert back to an almost childlike personality, relying on the people she raised to take care of her and have patience with her. It is very sad and difficult for the family members of those with Alzheimer’s.
POST #2
by
Rosa
Number of replies: 0
Fortunately, I have not personally experienced a family member and/or family friend who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In spite of this, I did watch the TedTalk by Alanna Shaikh, and she explains how she is preparing for the possibility of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s later in life, due to the fact it is hereditary; she began a purist of prevention, and preparation of the disease. Alanna watched her father battle the disease for over a decade, deteriorating before her eyes. She talks about how her father became unable to eat on his own, get dressed without assistance, and was unaware of his surroundings. The disease greatly affects who the person once was; not only having effects on cognitive function, but also physical symptoms, such as loss of balance, and muscle tremors, which causes people with the disease to become less mobile. In my opinion, this must be the most difficult part of coping, to watch someone became a shell of who they used to be, and feeling hopeless, and out of control.
I am a caregiver for my mother-in-law, who has been battling cancer since 2016; I have watched her go from someone who was completely independent, to needing almost complete care. It has affected her cognitive functions, and physical abilities. Although she does not have Alzheimer’s disease, I have watched her slowly became someone completely different then she once was. She is confused, and disoriented at times, and it is a daily struggle. She feels a loss of control, and sometimes as her care giver, so do I; in addition to being frustrated, hopeless at times, and some days unsure what to expect or how to best care for her. I always tell myself, all you can do, is do your best with each challenge the day brings. I imagine this is what it must be like for someone caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease.
References:
Shaikh, Alanna. “How I’m Preparing to Get Alzheimer’s.”
Www.ted.com
, 3 July 2012, www.ted.com/talks/alanna_shaikh_how_i_m_preparing_to_get_alzheimer_s. Accessed 26 Apr. 2023.
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