By Andy Brack | A scary scenario for anyone who earns a livelihood through the power of their brain is the possibility for the brain to start to fade before the body is ready.
That’s what happens with dementia, whether brought on by degenerative Alzheimer’s disease or a host of conditions from brain injury and other maladies.
The tragedy of Alzheimer’s hit home twice in recent days. A visit by an out-of-state family suggested the beginnings of dementia in a longtime friend who recently retired. The once gregarious friend functions but is timid like never before. He’s often unsure of what to order on a menu or how to react to new information. He’s lucky to have a partner who is fully engaged in keeping him engaged and part of the present.
The same goes for a Georgia couple who we read about in a sad but soothing essay. The husband provides physical caregiving and emotional support to his wife, first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2016.
“We have shared the journey of life, but each doing their part on a 50-50 basis,” he wrote of their 50+ years of marriage. “Our journey is now changing and the shared components are probably about 80-20 today, but that varies from day to day. To clarify, my ‘caregiving’ is actually ‘care partnering,’ as [my wife] still cares for some activities for me or both of us.”
His help includes lots of normal household chores, but he also reads to his wife and engages her with videos, webinars and music. They visit parks, hike, work in the yard and more.
“When we are together, I try to be ‘where she is,’” he wrote recently. “Doing so increases her comfort and reduces confusion. I try to have empathy, compassion, acceptance, and patience and tolerance.”
Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s disease is getting more pervasive as the American population ages. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 125,000 people in South Carolina are likely to have the disease by 2025, a 26 percent increase since 2020. The state has almost 200,000 people – 4 percent of the population – who are engaged in caregiving for the disease annually. Data show they provide 296 million hours a year of unpaid care with a value of $4.3 billion.
“South Carolina has some of the highest incidence and prevalence rates of the disease in the country, with minority populations in the state having double the risk of Alzheimer’s disease than those of European descent,” said Charleston Dr. Jacobo Mintzer, one of the nation’s leading Alzheimer’s researchers. “We openly welcome retirees to our state, but they will need more resources than manicured golf courses.”
But there’s hope, Mintzer said.
“Alzheimer’s disease can and will be cured if we all put forth the effort and the resources that it requires.”
Mintzer said Alzheimer’s patients in South Carolina are able to take part in promising new therapeutics for the disease.
“Currently, persons suffering from Alzheimer’s disease have access to two types of FDA-approved treatments and to a variety of clinical trials that offer them the opportunity to receive promising, new treatments in the context of a research project,” he said. “Also, and equally important, physicians can offer treatments to ameliorate symptoms such as agitation, aggression, depression, apathy and psychosis. These symptoms usually result in caregiver burden and the need for institutional placement.
“In the coming years, we can expect a number of treatments to be approved that will slow the progression of the disease and make Alzheimer’s disease a chronic rather than fatal disorder.”
Alzheimer’s disease robs older South Carolinians of their souls. Let’s make sure leaders across the state, including state lawmakers who control the surpluses to the state budget, make appropriate investments to provide access to the kinds of specialized medical tools and care needed by more than 100,000 people across the Palmetto State. These investments will pay off in many more ways than just offering peace of mind.
Andy Brack is publisher of the Charleston City Paper and editor and publisher of Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
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