Like many other things in our lives, research and advances in technology are improving health care – and helping Georgians live longer, more productive lives.
That’s the good news. The bad?
We’ve figured out how to keep the human body functioning well – and discovered that preserving the human brain and its functionality over time is much more difficult.
Alzheimer’s disease destroys memory, thinking skills and other important mental functions. In Alzheimer’s patients, brain cell connections and the cells themselves degenerate and die, destroying memory and other important mental functions.
And while we can improve the function of the human heart, which keeps the human body alive, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s. Cognition-enhancing medication and physical exercise can help, but there’s no cure.
There are seven stages to Alzheimer’s disease, including the first, where no impairment is detectible, and stage two through seven, which range from very mild decline, to the final stage seven – severe decline.
In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear in their mid-60s. While the slow decline and ultimate death of any family member or friend is difficult, a life continued – unaware of surrounding family and friends – is also tragic.
There are physicians, psychologists and organizations throughout Georgia who care for and assist families and caregivers in their support Alzheimer’s patients and families.
Respite Care Atlanta is one such organization. The organization’s mission is “to provide spiritually integrated respite care for adults with cognitive challenges.”
It provides an environment for intellectual stimulation, physical exercise, along with support for caregivers through information and community resources.
There are also dozens of respite and other senior care services located throughout Georgia, in cities such as Augusta, Athens, Blackshear, Macon, Columbus, Savannah, Albany, Rome, as well as smaller towns such as Chatsworth, Tyrone, and Toccoa.
And researchers continue their work to find a cure. Emory University was recently selected as the lead institution for a major $37.5 million federal grant to speed up the development of new therapies and technologies to slow, prevent and cure the progressive disease that affects more than 5.8 million people in the United States, including 150,000 in Georgia.
