We can do better in Alzheimer care.

It’s too easy to write-off people with Alzheimer’s. The idea being that they can’t be reached at a certain point. And so we dismiss them. Relegate them to isolation. More or less. To minimal care. Maybe tucked away in a nursing home. Without any meaningful stimulation. Mentally. Physically. We class them as zombies. Unreachable. I get that impression from some care-givers. They’ve given up. Maybe because they’re exhausted. And frustrated. They accept that their patient/loved one can’t be helped any more. I strongly disagree. I think that virtually every Alzheimer patient can be reached. Right up to the end. But they need to be placed in stimulating environments. Immersed in good vibes. Morning. Noon. And night. Some care-givers tell me that’s wasted effort. That the brain has been irreparably damaged. Beyond any hope of help. And that if I don’t see it, I’m blind. I’ll acknowledge it takes far more effort than the average care-giver is willing to give. Or even qualified to give. But that shouldn’t stop us as a society from doing something about it. Maybe by establishing Alzheimer care units. With personnel specially trained to handle Alzheimer patients. Knowing full well that everyone of them can be helped. With proper care. –Jim Broede