When Youth Is Shadowed By Alzheimer's

As More Americans Get The Disease, It Affects Even The Youngest Caregivers

(CBS)  Ten million baby boomers are expected to develop Alzheimer's disease. That's one out of eight. And they're not the only victims. Two hundred and fifty thousand children, ages 8 to 18, are helping to care for loved ones with Alzheimer's.

---

Every step of Lindsey Jordan's childhood has been overshadowed by her father's Alzheimer's disease, CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes reports.

She's 14 now, but was just 8 years old when her dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

"She's just everything to me right now, forever, forever," said her father, Charles Jordan.

Diagnosed at 51, Jordan was cared for at home by Lindsey and her mom, Darlene.

"We had to do everything: get him in the shower, get him dressed, cook his meals put his seat belt on in the car," Lindsey said. "It's really hard but we had to do it cause he's our family."

They are an increasingly typical family. Due to successful treatments for other diseases, we're all living longer - putting us at a greater risk for Alzheimer's.

By 2010, there will be about half a million new cases of Alzheimer's each year - almost a million by 2050.

Women are almost twice as likely as men to develop Alzheimer's disease. One in six who live beyond 55 years old can expect to get it.

"Women really are sort of hit with a double whammy here because they're living longer, they're more likely to develop the disease but they're also more likely to be a caregiver," said Stephen McConnell, the Alzheimer's Association's vice president of public policy and advocacy.

Care-giving can be so stressful one study found the chronic effects can take four to eight years off the life of the caregiver.

When Darlene and Lindsey could no longer provide for Charles a year ago, they found the best care center was an hour's drive from home.

They visit several times a week, though they're not sure if Charles even recognizes them anymore.

"My husband's memory lives through Lindsey and all good that you see through Lindsey is because of my husband. And that's his legacy," Darlene said.

For now, they hope for the occasional good day and cherish the memory of better times.

[davidbthelen]

I believe in the magic of pet therapy.
I believe if more nursing homes had a very friendly dog, the pet could be trained as a guide dog as well. A pet could reduce the anxiety among patients and their family members taking care of these patients.
A pet has magical powers over their owners.

[runningralph]

Where have all the flowers gone?

[runningralph]

Ah yes, the baby boomers. They were trouble when the were young and they will be more trouble when they are old. What is not mentioned in this report is the upward spiral of drug abuse the boomer generation pursued, and is still pursuing. No wonder the old gray matter isn''t working so well.

[jetlizhan]

my mom has this straight-from-hel1 disease - and i pray to the Lord he takes me before i ever get it. i couldn''t bear the fact that my son would have to care for me.

[naucoming4u]

"Care-giving can be so stressful one study found the chronic effects can take four to eight years off the life of the caregiver."


My family will be celebrating my Grandma''s 84th Birthday next Saturday. This will most likely be her last birthday, unfortunately. Her health has not been the best prior to her husband (my Grandpa) being stricken with Alzheimers. But now as the de-facto "caregiver", my Grandma''s health has taken a huge decline and is continuing on that trend.

Currently my Grandpa is well into the fifth stage of the Alzheimers disease. My grandma is barely able to take care of herself, let alone her husband. However, they both refuse most options for help and care from other family members or outside sources and they both strongly reject being placed into a senior care community or home. Even the nicest senior homes/communities are out of the question for them. So when both of my grandparents refuse most of the care my family attempts to give to them, it becomes a nightmare for us family members to just watch them wither away to nothing.

As the article states, Alzheimers affects more people than just the person who is diagnosed with the disease! Nothing can be more psychologically distressful than watching your loved ones dying, slowly, and having very little opportunity to help and care for them. I have seen it first hand.

[easeup-2009]

I was going to post something.....


.....but I forgot what it was.