Give Me Your Hand
Mina Sabbaghi, Iran
This article won ADI's Journalist of the Year Award, organised as one of ADI's centenary activities. This is a translation of the article, which appeared in an Iranian publication.
Now she is sitting on the chair and swinging, like 30 years ago embracing and nursing her child. As the breeze caresses her face she tries to remember a past memory. Her gaze is glued so anxiously to her child that it is as if she has forgotten those nights that she harmonized her heartbeat to her dear child's crying. And how humbly she looks at the rest of us, as if she were from another planet.
After two hours she takes her veil and starts saying her prayers. "Mum, how many times are you going to say your prayers?" I asked. "It is the first time that I have said my afternoon prayers today," she says. I try to get her to understand that she has already said her prayers but she will not accept that she is wrong.
For many people when a name or place eludes them, after much useless struggle they may begin to suspect that they are suffering from Alzheimer's disease. So, to save us from this vicious cycle and to be less hesitant in our understanding, we should contemplate more about Alzheimer's disease. In fact it is known as an illness of old age beyond simple amnesia, which starts with losing names and places. At the beginning long term memory remains more or less normal but the short memory suffers. And that's why people with early Alzheimer's cannot memorize anything whilst we can do so easily.
Alzheimer's is highly prevalent among the elderly especially in people over 65 years. This illness develops steadily for between 8 to 20 years and during this period the person will suffer from memory loss, perhaps even getting lost in their own house. In time this memory loss will become more serious and the person may not recognise family members. They may show child-like behaviour and eventually may not manage basic tasks like dressing and washing themselves. Of course there are other alarming symptoms of Alzheimer's like depression, and loss of hearing, smell and sight.
However the presence of these symptoms does not automatically mean Alzheimer's disease. They could be signs of another emerging illness but anyone in the advanced stages of life should receive medical attention if they show any signs of mental decline. But more about this disease of the century, and the false waves of beliefs that have occupied everybody's mind. That we will all end up with Alzheimer's. That Alzheimer's is a normal part of ageing and other false beliefs like Alzheimer's is a curable disease.
To clarify these beliefs it can be said that inherited factors are influential to some extent but only in 5-10% of people with Alzheimer's is it a factor. Another false belief is that the older you are, the more likely you are to suffer. Although age is a risk factor in developing Alzheimer's disease, it is not exclusively true as many people in their 40's and 50's are affected. In general there is no one treatment for Alzheimer's but frequent exercise, a balanced and healthy diet, plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, adequate sleep and control of stress can contribute highly to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
Some call it the madness of old age and believe that we should ignore or treat patients forcefully, considering the life of someone with Alzheimer's as finished or futile. Research and experience have shown that affection, tolerance and companionship are highly effective in calming people with Alzheimer's, even if they cannot remember their family members. People with Alzheimer's do not forget the need for affection and are always thirsty for attention and care, they are never saturated if affection rains down on them.
But how should we consider a patient who has no complaint or concept of their illness? In today's cruel world maybe Alzheimer's is a gift from God in your last years of life so that in your illness you forget ongoing difficulties and previous bitter memories. With Alzheimer's, a person goes out steadily like a waning candle but is unaware of the process. Perhaps it is like a reminder from God for children not to forget our old and powerless mothers and fathers who were young and lively in their day. And we should remember that when they took our tiny and powerless hands, it is now our obligation to lend our youth and power to their weak hands.