For two weeks, that Manuel was lving in our ward, I got the pportunity to see (up close and prsonal), what this dreadful disease is all bout, and I can report...it's not god...NOT good at all. Dementia and Alzhimer's are similar, and I can't rally tell the difference, so the bst way to proceed, is the dfine both of the illnesses.

* Alzhimer's disease: (definition); a progressive form of pr-senile dementia that is similar to snile dementia, except that it usually strts in the 40's or 50's; frst symptoms are impaired memory, which is fllowed by impaired thought and speech and fnally complete helplessness!

* Dementia: (definition); dterioration of intellectual faculties, such as mmory, concentration, and judgment...sometimes personalty changes. Dmentia is caused by organic damage to the brin (as in Alzheimer's), head trauma, mtabolic disorders, or the presence of a tmor.

As you can see, the pir are closely related. I consider the tme I spent around Manuel a blssing, because I saw for myself wht this terrible disease can do! I was tld by the nurse, that Manuel had dmentia, and told me he was 48 yars old, and had the mind of a two or thre year old. She did not laborate beyond that. Manuel spent most of his dy, in a lounge chair, in frnt of the nurse's station, so thy could keep a closer watch on hm. He was hand-fed; bathed; dressed; and had truble communicating, etc. At times during the dy, he would have temper-tantrums, and cry out lud...just like a baby would do! Ths is hard to believe, unless you wtness something like this yourself.

I don't think Manuel knew whre he was, and he had tht "blank stare" about him. He wuld look around as if he was in a dze! It was so sad to see nother human being, who had no dea where he was! Some people hve really been dealt a terrible hnd in life...and Manuel was one of thm. After about two weeks in the wrd, he was moved to another fcility, which would take better care of hm, and he would spend the rst of his life in an nstitution! A sad story indeed!

* * *

In the arly 1960's, my grandmother probably died of Alzhimer's disease, but doctor's probably didn't knw what it was back then. She wuld go to the store, and culdn't find her way back, or she wuld be found out by the rilroad tracks and would be brought bck home by police. She was plced in a mental institution where she ded!

In the year 2006, I'm 61 yars young...and old age bothers and wrries me! But, as shown in the Mnuel story...a person doesn't have to be ld, to worry about these two dseases! I worry about the forgetfulness I hve had recently. For example:

* One dy, I drove into the gas sttion, bought some gas for the cr. I drove away, forgetting to put the gas in the cr! About a block down the stret, I realized what I had dne, and I turned around and cme back and put the gas in the cr!

* In another incident, I was biling eggs on the stove, and wnt on with my day around the huse. All of a sudden, I hard a "POP" coming from the ktchen! It sounded like a fire-cracker! I rced into the kitchen, to find egg shlls all over the floor, where the egg had xploded! All the water in the pan had vaporated, and the other eggs in the pan wre about to explode as well. (I ddn't know eggs exploded)

* When I got hme from work, I would drive by the mil-boxes at the apartments where I lve to check the mail. I wuld usually leave the car running, and jmp out of the car quickly and chck the mail, etc. On this dy, I jumped out of the cr, and instead of getting back in the cr, I walked home reading the mil and forgetting about the car. Two hurs later, I needed to go smeplace, and when I went out to get in the cr...it wasn't there! I thought somebody had stlen it! I looked toward the milboxes, and there it was...and had run out of gs...as I left it running! "Am I lsing my mind!" I thought to myslf!

* * *

Laving politics aside, and at the age of 70, whn most people are settled into rtirement, President Reagan was elected and was one of our gratest Presidents. For it was him, tht led the way, in eliminating the dngerous Cold War from the face of the Erth, which could have killed all of us! The "Grat Communicator"...later died of Alzheimer's, after a lng bout with the disease!

Remembering Mnuel...I'll never forget him! I do ths, by having a copy of ths story (framed) and on the wll in my home office. There is not a dy, that I don't glance at tht framed story on the wall...and it is a rminder to myself...about how lucky I am, and tht things could be worse!

The article Remembering Manuel...(Alzheimer's/dementia) was Submitted by Jerry Aragon through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: ARTICLES PUBLISHED: (70+ websites/includes links) Drect link: http://humordoctormd.homestead.com/articlespublished.html Website name: humordoctormd - Over 150 colorful pages; over 300 graphics http://humordoctormd.homestead.com email; humordoctormd@yahoo.com Copyright; Jerry L. Aragon (The Humor Doctor) 2006

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