Dementia has this always been an issue?
How long exactly has dementia been an issue with the elderly? I ask because I wonder if this is just a recent phenomenon because we are living longer or has this always been an issue throughout the ages? I know the average age for people to live has increased over the years because of medicine and other advancements made. Could this be a genetic defect or is it the result living longer. The fact that people died at an earlier age in the past could result in there not being as much information about dementia as there could be. This problem is only going to worsen as are population lives longer and longer. I find it very depressing and worrisome that this is the case. It seems like a vicious disease that not only kills the person with it, but also shortens the life of the person taking care of them. It’s about a no win situation as one could think of. I mean if you really love the person you’re taking care of, then quilt and other stresses are going to play out in the situation or else you ship them off to some nursing home and let someone else that doesn’t give a rats a** about your loved one and then who knows what kind of care they’ll get. So no one wins and everyone loses. I’m not really sure the Dr Jack Kevorkian wasn’t right in his approach to end of life. Is this really what God has planned for us? It is an impossible debate to win because there are no winners and only losers. Of all the things on this planet that can kill you this disease is one that has to go in the top ten for complete annihilation of a species of living things. There really are no answers only support from others that are in the same boat as you. If you can go your entire life without catching or getting any disease of manage not to be murdered of killed in some sort of accident and you just die in your sleep, your have to be the luckiest person on the planet.
Another factor is our SAD (Standard American Diet) which has too much animal protein, fat and not enough fruits and veggies. And a lack of exercise. Put those factors together and you have the epidemic of Alzheimers we have today.
If you want to understand more about what the food industry is doing, go to nutritionfacts and watch Dr. Greger's videos about what is added to our foods (both processed foods and our meat/fish/dairy). It's enough to turn your stomach.
For example, I saw a post today on Facebook with a picture of the ingredients of Lucky Charms. One ingredient is trisodium phosphate. The picture next to it was of a box of trisodium phosphate being sold as a "heavy duty cleaner" (at a place like Home Depot) that you use on floors before you paint them to strip them of any kind of oils,etc. So we're being poisoned on a daily basis.
I have a family history of it. My grandmother developed it, probably in her early 80's--she was probably born in the late 1890's! My mother as well, started to visibly, drastically 'slip' when she was around 80 too. Her sister seemed ok until she had a few falls, which was when she was around 89 or 90 (she's 91 and still alive).
My mother and her mother didn't smoke, but my aunt did for decades. However, my aunt was always pretty active. My mother NEVER moved if she didn't have to, compulsively overate, and is obese.
Go figure.
What is alarming to me is how people are developing it such relatively young ages! Late 50's and 60's. It's terrible.