Saturday, December 6, 2008

Alzheimer's & You

Do you like this post?
Just finished watching The Notebook for the 3rd time! The story reminds me of a Korean movie --- A Moment to Remember. Imagine how depressing it would be if your spouse / parent / friend couldn't remember your name or her own name. What if she/he became obnoxious and violent towards you all of a sudden? 

Well, I still remember my late-neighbour (who's also related to my family) --- I called her 'Unyang'. Everytime my grandmother asked me to accompany her to the next door, I hesitated. Unyang who was very friendly will ask my name repeatingly --- or at least for every 15 minutes. As a child, I didn't feel comfortable. And as an adult now, it kinda scary! Especially to know that age and family history are the 2 confirmed causes of Alzheimer's disease. Plus, I used to forget 'things' like locking my own car, not knowing what's today's date, etc.

The Alzheimer's Disease Foundation Malaysia says about 50K Malaysians suffer from the disease and most of them have not been diagnosed yet! Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys a person's memory and ability to learn, reason, make judgements, communicate and carry out daily activities. And as Alzheimer's progresses, some patients also experience changes in personality and behaviour, become suspicious and agitated, and also have hallucinations! This disease is also known as The Long Goodbye, the illness often stretches up to 20 years. Despite intensive research in recent years, the disease is not yet fully understood and there is no known cure --- so far. 

If you notice symptoms of Alzheimer's in someone, please consult a doctor ASAP.

For more information, you may get it from this url: 

2 comments:

DayBab said...

baca buku lagi best dari tgk movie...!!

Rena^CRuZee said...

yeke? i belum penah baca novel dia lagi. nantila cari =P