Once a man, twice a child
http://www.aframnews.com/html/interspire/articles/1378/1/Once-a-man-twice-a-child/Page1.html
Marvin D. Cloud
Marvin D. Cloud is Web Developer and a writer for the African-American News&Issues.By Marvin D. Cloud
Published on 02/15/2010
Annie McClenton stands with her 79-year-old father James McClenton
at the Hudson Manor Health Care Center. Last year, McClenton, suffering
from Alzheimers’s disease gave his family a scare when he walked out of
a gated nursing home and got more than a mile away before being stopped.
Photo by Conner Jay Jersey Journal Photo
Five years ago, Janice Billingsley of HealthDay, wrote in an article “Blacks more prone to Alzheimer’s,” that “Alzheimer’s disease is a silent epidemic striking Black Americans, who seem more susceptible to the brain-wasting condition than any other group of Americans.” She went on to state, “One possible explanation: Black Americans are at greater risk of vascular disease, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. And studies have found that people with a history of either high blood pressure or high cholesterol are twice as likely to succumb to Alzheimer’s disease.”
The news is not any better this year as Netwellness.com says medical researchers are investigatiing why it is that the incidence of alzheimer’s disease is higher in Blacks than Whites. A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society reports that at 80-years-old, incidences per 100 people are: White, 3.5; Black, males 5.3; and Black females, 5.9.
Often called “old-timer’s” disease, Alzheimer’s is a brain disorder named after the German physician who discovered it, Alois Alzheimer, in 1906. Dementia rarely shows up before age 40, yet the youngest person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s was 27.
A lesser known historical fact is that the grandson of a slave, Solomon Carter Fuller, M.D., one of the first known Black psychiatrists worked along side Dr. Alzheimer. Dr. Fuller made numerous contributions to the study of the disease as a researcher and educator, and The Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center in Boston is named after him.
To date there isn’t a cure for the progressive and fatal disease which, at any given time, affects 5.3 million people in the United States. Many times the ailment is ignored or overlooked and early signs are often attributed to normal stages of aging. Years can go by before the right determination is finally made.
But the disease is not anything to take lightly. Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells, which leads to memory loss, defects in thinking and actions detrimental to work, activities and social life. It is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.
Yet, there are some reversable conditions that may seem like dementia and or the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s including medications, depression, vitamin B-12 deficiency, thyroid disease, problems with metabolism, organ system disorders, poisoning and alcohol abuse.
Netwellness.com states that lifestyle changes can reduce incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Those changes include not smoking; engaging in mind-challenging activities such as arithmetic and cross-word puzzles; avoiding a high-fat diet; eating fish; avoiding head injuries; limiting salt intake, exercising regularly and eating fresh fruits and vegetables.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the top ten warning signs are: memory changes that disrupt daily life; challenges in planning or solving problems; difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure; confusion with time or place; trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships; new problems with words in speaking or writing; misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps; decreased or poor judgment; withdrawal from work or social activities and changes in mood and personality.
The National Alzheimer’s Association warns that 60 percent of people with dementia will wander away. Therefore, it is not uncommon for news stations to broadcast photos of an elderly person who has wandered away. If not located with 24 hours, statistics suggest half will suffer serious injury or death.
A person may be at risk for wandering if he or she: comes back from a regular walk or drive later than usual; tries to fulfill former obligations, such as going to work; tries or wants to “go home” even when at home; is restless, paces or makes repetitive movements; has a hard time locating familiar places like the bathroom, bedroom or dining room; acts as if doing a hobby or chore, but nothing gets done (moves around pots and dirt without actually planting anything); acts nervous or anxious in crowded areas, such as shopping malls or restaurants.
The association recommends that caregivers enroll those who are at risk for wandering in the MedicAlert® + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return® program, a 24-hour nationwide emergency response service. The service provides 24-hour, nationwide assistance, no matter when or where the person is reported missing.
Dr. David Crumpacker, former assistant chief of psychiatry at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas who is now in private practice, said, “There are very good treatments—even if there isn’t a cure. At this point the best treatment is something we call the combination treatment. It involves a couple of medicines and approaches.”
Dr. Crumpacker, who now operates a private practice in Plano, Texas, explains that one particular medication, Namenda, the first drug to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease, in combination with other medicine, increases chemicals in the brain associated with memory.
Those medicines are Aricept, Exelon and Razadyne. “They work best with Namenda. That’s a very powerful treatment,” he continued.
“In a dream situation, the best, strongest protocol that we have is Exelon with Namenda. Exelon is my personal preference. It comes in a patch. That’s the neat part about it. It’s not another pill. It’s a prescription for a patch that someone just puts on their shoulder. It’s hard sometimes to get patients with Alzheimer’s to take medicine.”
Instead of going back and forth, arguing with patients, Crumpacker said you can just pat them on the shoulder and leave the patch there and go on. “The side effect profile is very minimum. It can irritate the skin but it’s like putting a bandage on,” he said about the 24 hour patch that must be changed every day.
Another new treatment, Axona, helps brain cells to get adequate nutrition. It’s a prescription, but the FDA considers it a medical food because its formulated to drink. It can be mixed in cereal, apple sauce, anything but carbonated beverages or alcohol.
More than 20 potential new drugs are currently being tested in clinical trials or are awaiting approval from the FDA. Crumpacker continued, “How would you know what’s out there? You don’t know what to ask. I talk about Alzheimer’s disease all the time. A lot of doctors don’t know how to treat it or diagnose it.”
Crumpacker said his interest in the disease came about from being around his grandmother all the time which piqued his curiosity.
He points out that it would be a good idea to consult a neurologist or geriatric psychologist if Alzheimer’s is suspected or has been diagnosed by a general practitioner.
Five years ago, Janice Billingsley of HealthDay, wrote in an article “Blacks more prone to Alzheimer’s,” that “Alzheimer’s disease is a silent epidemic striking Black Americans, who seem more susceptible to the brain-wasting condition than any other group of Americans.” She went on to state, “One possible explanation: Black Americans are at greater risk of vascular disease, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. And studies have found that people with a history of either high blood pressure or high cholesterol are twice as likely to succumb to Alzheimer’s disease.”
Annie McClenton stands with her 79-year-old father James McClenton
at the Hudson Manor Health Care Center. Last year, McClenton, suffering
from Alzheimers’s disease gave his family a scare when he walked out of
a gated nursing home and got more than a mile away before being stopped.
Photo by Conner Jay Jersey Journal Photo
Annie McClenton stands with her 79-year-old father James McClenton
at the Hudson Manor Health Care Center. Last year, McClenton, suffering
from Alzheimers’s disease gave his family a scare when he walked out of
a gated nursing home and got more than a mile away before being stopped.
Photo by Conner Jay Jersey Journal Photo
Incidents of Alzheimer’s disease higher in Blacks
Annie McClenton stands with her 79-year-old father James McClenton
at the Hudson Manor Health Care Center. Last year, McClenton, suffering
from Alzheimers’s disease gave his family a scare when he walked out of
a gated nursing home and got more than a mile away before being stopped.
Photo by Conner Jay Jersey Journal Photo
Five years ago, Janice Billingsley of HealthDay, wrote in an article “Blacks more prone to Alzheimer’s,” that “Alzheimer’s disease is a silent epidemic striking Black Americans, who seem more susceptible to the brain-wasting condition than any other group of Americans.” She went on to state, “One possible explanation: Black Americans are at greater risk of vascular disease, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. And studies have found that people with a history of either high blood pressure or high cholesterol are twice as likely to succumb to Alzheimer’s disease.”
The news is not any better this year as Netwellness.com says medical researchers are investigatiing why it is that the incidence of alzheimer’s disease is higher in Blacks than Whites. A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society reports that at 80-years-old, incidences per 100 people are: White, 3.5; Black, males 5.3; and Black females, 5.9.
Often called “old-timer’s” disease, Alzheimer’s is a brain disorder named after the German physician who discovered it, Alois Alzheimer, in 1906. Dementia rarely shows up before age 40, yet the youngest person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s was 27.
A lesser known historical fact is that the grandson of a slave, Solomon Carter Fuller, M.D., one of the first known Black psychiatrists worked along side Dr. Alzheimer. Dr. Fuller made numerous contributions to the study of the disease as a researcher and educator, and The Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center in Boston is named after him.
To date there isn’t a cure for the progressive and fatal disease which, at any given time, affects 5.3 million people in the United States. Many times the ailment is ignored or overlooked and early signs are often attributed to normal stages of aging. Years can go by before the right determination is finally made.
But the disease is not anything to take lightly. Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells, which leads to memory loss, defects in thinking and actions detrimental to work, activities and social life. It is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.
Yet, there are some reversable conditions that may seem like dementia and or the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s including medications, depression, vitamin B-12 deficiency, thyroid disease, problems with metabolism, organ system disorders, poisoning and alcohol abuse.
Netwellness.com states that lifestyle changes can reduce incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Those changes include not smoking; engaging in mind-challenging activities such as arithmetic and cross-word puzzles; avoiding a high-fat diet; eating fish; avoiding head injuries; limiting salt intake, exercising regularly and eating fresh fruits and vegetables.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the top ten warning signs are: memory changes that disrupt daily life; challenges in planning or solving problems; difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure; confusion with time or place; trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships; new problems with words in speaking or writing; misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps; decreased or poor judgment; withdrawal from work or social activities and changes in mood and personality.
The National Alzheimer’s Association warns that 60 percent of people with dementia will wander away. Therefore, it is not uncommon for news stations to broadcast photos of an elderly person who has wandered away. If not located with 24 hours, statistics suggest half will suffer serious injury or death.
A person may be at risk for wandering if he or she: comes back from a regular walk or drive later than usual; tries to fulfill former obligations, such as going to work; tries or wants to “go home” even when at home; is restless, paces or makes repetitive movements; has a hard time locating familiar places like the bathroom, bedroom or dining room; acts as if doing a hobby or chore, but nothing gets done (moves around pots and dirt without actually planting anything); acts nervous or anxious in crowded areas, such as shopping malls or restaurants.
The association recommends that caregivers enroll those who are at risk for wandering in the MedicAlert® + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return® program, a 24-hour nationwide emergency response service. The service provides 24-hour, nationwide assistance, no matter when or where the person is reported missing.
Dr. David Crumpacker, former assistant chief of psychiatry at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas who is now in private practice, said, “There are very good treatments—even if there isn’t a cure. At this point the best treatment is something we call the combination treatment. It involves a couple of medicines and approaches.”
Dr. Crumpacker, who now operates a private practice in Plano, Texas, explains that one particular medication, Namenda, the first drug to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease, in combination with other medicine, increases chemicals in the brain associated with memory.
Those medicines are Aricept, Exelon and Razadyne. “They work best with Namenda. That’s a very powerful treatment,” he continued.
“In a dream situation, the best, strongest protocol that we have is Exelon with Namenda. Exelon is my personal preference. It comes in a patch. That’s the neat part about it. It’s not another pill. It’s a prescription for a patch that someone just puts on their shoulder. It’s hard sometimes to get patients with Alzheimer’s to take medicine.”
Instead of going back and forth, arguing with patients, Crumpacker said you can just pat them on the shoulder and leave the patch there and go on. “The side effect profile is very minimum. It can irritate the skin but it’s like putting a bandage on,” he said about the 24 hour patch that must be changed every day.
Another new treatment, Axona, helps brain cells to get adequate nutrition. It’s a prescription, but the FDA considers it a medical food because its formulated to drink. It can be mixed in cereal, apple sauce, anything but carbonated beverages or alcohol.
More than 20 potential new drugs are currently being tested in clinical trials or are awaiting approval from the FDA. Crumpacker continued, “How would you know what’s out there? You don’t know what to ask. I talk about Alzheimer’s disease all the time. A lot of doctors don’t know how to treat it or diagnose it.”
Crumpacker said his interest in the disease came about from being around his grandmother all the time which piqued his curiosity.
He points out that it would be a good idea to consult a neurologist or geriatric psychologist if Alzheimer’s is suspected or has been diagnosed by a general practitioner.