‘Black hole’ of dementia stalking baby boomers

As we age, a new problem is arising, one that is estimated to cost enormous sums of money and create enormous grief. I am talking about Alzheimer’s or whatever version of dementia we may fall foul of.

As baby boomers age and modern medicine keeps us alive longer than any other generation, this awful fate looms large for many of us, either us as individuals or for the people we love.

I remember being a young teenager and told to visit one of my grandmothers who happened to be in a nearby nursing home. I went with my elder sister, unaware really of what we would be confronted with.

The home was grim – rows and rows of old people huddled in beds in a number of large rooms, the whole building smelling of urine and stale food. The residents would cry out when they saw my sister and I, mistaking us for their long-lost children.

Not only was it challenging to visit, but my grandmother hardly knew we were there, her dementia progressing at a rapid pace. We were sent there for a version of duty and devotion. It was gut wrenching and depressing. And now I wonder if some version of that reality will be mine as I age.

Now, of course, the quality of homes and care has improved, but, sadly, the disease still ravages people.

Dementia is a long slow death. A fracturing of memories, like the shattering of a mirror. Parts are recalled and reflected back and others gone. The past is often remembered more than the present.

The people left watching bear a burden every day they visit. Every day another part may have receded, another part that bears witness to what they had. Another part that knew who they were and who they are.

It creates a living grief, a black hole. It sucks the life out of both the sufferer and the carer.

Doctors claim that we can attempt to alleviate the possibility of this fate awaiting us.

Exercise more, take the stairs, park further away from where you need to go, add incidental movement as often as you can in a day, a week, forever.

Stay thin, keep those extra pounds at bay and lay off the sugar and the salt shaker.

Eat healthy food, a Mediterranean diet heavy in leafy green vegetables and olive oil, with a small amount of meat and the odd glass of wine – odd being the operative word, no swilling of a bottle a night, even if it is red wine.  

Maintain a strong social network around you; engage in activities that give you both a purpose and an interaction with a range of people and ages. 

All of these things will contribute to the lessening of the risk for each of us.

So far, despite the many drugs that are in trials, there is little that has yet made an impact on changing the course of this disease. Let’s hope that science advances and quickly. Time is running out for the baby boomers.

Do you have memories of visiting older family members who had dementia? Do you have fears for yourself or a loved one? Why not share your thoughts in the comments section below?

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