Alzheimers and Wellness

As I sit here writing this research paper on the fourth anniversary of my grandfather’s death to Alzheimer’s, I cannot help but to feel especially connected not only to the physical destructiveness of the disease, but also to the emotional tolls associated with having it affect a family member. When I was in my freshman year of high school, my grandpa (mother’s father) began his steady decline from his diagnosis of this ailment. A man who I knew my whole life to be strong and independent started to become physically fragile and even more mentally so; after some time, he began to show signs of drastic memory loss, constant confusion and a hazardous inability to perform tasks once done with minimal effort. The onset of these debilitations had an immeasurable impact on my family. My grandmother (his wife) possessed the largest burden of the constant care for my grandfather as he slid into a state of powerlessness and incapability for basic self-maintenance. However, since my grandma never learned how to drive, taking full care of my grandpa become a near impossible task. After nearly a year and a half of my family witnessing my grandfather losing himself to Alzheimer’s, my family decided to place him in a hospice care facility that could provide him with the proper care before his inevitable passing to the disease a few months later.
Since my father’s dad lived in Ohio and his mother died before I was born, I was only able to see him a few times a year. The proximity to my mother’s parents provided me with a special bond to them as I was growing up seeing them a few times a week. In addition, I had never been alive to see the death of a close family member so my grandfather’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s was the commencement of a new e...

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...nal connection Alzheimer’s has to my life cannot see thorough fulfillment through research and garnering knowledge about the topic. I must follow in the steps of my grandmother and contribute to the cause to help those currently affected by the impairment but also look towards a future where a definitive treatment can slay the beast that is Alzheimer’s. Ways I can contribute to the cause include participating in Alzheimer’s Walks such as the one in Binghamton and continue my family’s dedication towards raising money for the Alzheimer’s association. In addition, knowing about the risk factors and causes gives me a better understanding of my personal risk for attaining the disease. However, this new knowledge does not frighten me or worry me about if my future will contain this diagnosis, but enables me to be prepared and ready to conquer any tribulation I encounter.