Maintaining hope while combating Alzheimer'sby Heather MurphyPublic Relations Waymon Getsinger, 72, sits at a conference table, hands clasped gently in his lap. The 2002 South Carolina State Checkers champion is also a husband, a father, a friend. He offers a confused look at his wife, Betty Getsinger, when asked what’s the hardest thing about dealing with Alzheimer’s. “I don’t know if he can really answer that,” she said. She squeezes his shoulder as she says, “You’re my sweet baby.” Kenneth Getsinger looks at his dad and manages a tired smile. “You can’t give up hope,” he said. “You give up hope, and that’s the absolute worst thing that you could do.” Alzheimer’s has disrupted the Getsinger family, with visits every few weeks to the MUSC Alzheimer's Research and Clinical Programs (ARCP) from their Anderson, S.C., home and continuous appointments with Waymon’s primary care physician. He takes a barrage of medications, including Zoloft to combat depression, diabetes meds, and several different drugs to slow the progression of his Alzheimer’s. Betty says the hardest thing is watching the man she married slip away. “This has been devastating for our family. It’s been so hard. But it’s drawn us closer and made us realize just how precious not only life is, but how precious your memory is,” she whispers. “This has made us realize how much we take for granted every day.” Another MUSC Alzheimer’s research patient said that the hardest thing in dealing with the disorder was seeing and knowing that the person standing in front of him was someone he loved, but couldn’t remember who that person was. A caregiver described the hardest part of his day as putting eyeliner on his wife. She had loved wearing makeup and said that’s what made her feel like a woman. Her husband promised himself that no matter how ill she became, he’d always help her with her makeup. Waymon’s family first noticed symptoms shortly after he underwent open-heart surgery in 1995. “He began having hallucinations afterwards, and we thought it must have something to do with the medications he was on for the procedure,” Kenneth said. “But then the forgetfulness started.” “There are normal changes in the brain that affect cognition as we age,” said Don Bagwell, clinical research coordinator. “Everybody forgets where they put their car keys, but there’s a problem when you look at the keys and can’t remember what they are for.” The ARCP is a research-based program committed to understanding Alzheimer’s and working towards a cure for the devastating condition. Founded in 1991, the center conducts free, voluntary studies that examine early (around age 45) and late (85 plus) onset Alzheimer’s. Jacobo Mintzer, M.D., associate director for the programs, explained: “We want a cure for Alzheimer’s. We’re involved in every new treatment available. “A common myth is that the disorder is not treatable, however there are currently three FDA-approved pharmaceuticals and a new generation of drugs emerging that have a different mechanism of action. The combined use of these types of medications will help victims of Alzheimer’s,” he said. “We are also working with new, effective treatments for behavioral problems, like aggression, associated with Alz-heimer’s.” Mintzer and his colleagues believe that in order to eliminate the disease, evaluation of risk factors and understanding the disorder are the “blue sky” pieces to the Alzheimer’s puzzle. “Some of our studies suggest that stroke, cholesterol intake, and obesity do relate to the onset of cognitive impairment,” Mintzer said. “Although the findings vary for race and gender, we are striving to prevent the onset of impairment using the knowledge of specific risk factors which specific individuals are exposed.” While primarily a research facility, ARCP does offer information sessions that do not require a physician’s referral. “We will take any and every question and do our best to provide an answer,” said Marilyn Stuckey, clinical services director. Under the umbrella of the MUSC Center on Aging and the Neuroscience Institute, the program has 13 ongoing studies ranging in length from five years to 12 weeks and will be adding five new ones to focus on vascular dementia, behavioral disturbances, prevention, and a normal control, all in relation to Alzheimer’s. ARCP strives to work hand-in-hand with patients’ primary care physicians. “We don’t take over their care. We’re here to help physicians care for these patients,” Stuckey said. “Because we work with primary care doctors, we can alert them to problems early on that may affect a patient’s health,” said Martie Hatchell, R.N. “We run all kinds of lab tests on our patients to ensure patient safety. If we see an infection or some other health problem, we can help the primary care doctor to catch it early and thus increase a patient’s quality of life.” Those involved agree that without the help of the community, an effort
to find a cure would come up short. “We’ve been blessed with the ability
to work with the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and receive
funding from the National Institute of Aging, the National Institutes of
Health, pharmaceutical companies, state entities, and private donations,”
Mintzer said.
What is Alzheimer’s?A gradual loss of brain cells that leads to dementia, changes in personality, behavior problems, agitation, anxiety, delusions and hallucinations.The progression of the disease varies from three to 20 years and no one knows the exact cause. The greatest known risk factors include increased age and genetic predisposition for some types of Alzheimer’s. Ten Warning Signs: memory loss, difficulty with routine tasks, language problems, disorientation, poor or decreased judgement, problems with abstract thought, misplacing things, changes in mood or behavior, changes in personality, and loss of initiative. Alzheimer’s Myths:
|
|