Alzheimer's - is civilised society heading for a catastrophic disaster?

[SueENG]

Alzheimer's - is civilised society heading for a catastrophic disaster?

Like it or not, everyone is likely to be affected by Alzheimer's disease one way or another - be it as a sufferer, a carer, a relative, a neighbour, or a friend of a sufferer.

Inheritances will be soon be a thing of the past as retirement nest-eggs and homes are lost to the costs of care. Future generations already suffering from poor, if not non-existent pension schemes will have nothing financially to fall back on for their own existence or care when they need it.

As family assets run out everyone will soon be looking to the State - but how many people can the State support long-term before it implodes on itself?

Alzheimer's could see the breakdown of Society as we know it.

Nobody will be exempt from this awful blight on society.

The sooner the Government addresses the issues of this awful disease by providing urgent funding and commitment to finding a cure and by putting long-term coping strategies in place, the better for all.

[TinaT]

I think we might be singing from the same hymn sheet. I hope that there will not be a catastrophy because as more and more families are affected by this dreadful disease, hopefully they will force the government to properly address the situation.

xxTinaT

[sistermillicent]

I don't think this will be a catastrophic disaster. We will weather this. Perhaps I shouldn't be getting involved in this thread but I don't think it is helpful to be alarmist.
Pippa

[TinaT]

I wonder why you feel you shouldn't get involved with this thread? Your post was both interesting and expressed a good point of view in my opinion. I agree with you we will not have any catastrophy although I do agree with the first poster that the situation needs to be addressed sooner or later.

I would consider a catastrophy as something which has happened in Haiti where the whole of society has broken down.

Strong words used because I suppose the person who started the thread feels very strongly.

xxTinaT

[Tender Face]

Pippa/Sistermillicent – I am not sure if this is alarmist or realist?

I caught this today and wondered the Queen might start thinking about cutting back on the ‘sending telegrams budget’ because reaching ‘100’ is no longer the ‘achievement’ it was ...... and start putting the money to better use? Yes, sorry trying to make light of it ....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12091758

We have an ageing population ever on the increase - and 1 in 3 over 65 likely to die of or with dementia (correct me someone if I am wrong) young people about to be straddled with years of debt to achieve higher education just get them into a job (if there is one) where they might pay tax and good gracious – even think about paying into their own pension or care fund? Someone, somewhere has got to find some money. Perhaps the next chancellor might buy a few more lottery tickets or a magic wand? Because I can’t see where this windfall is going to come from to sustain both our young and our old – except from those in the middle – those increasingly unemployed through no fault of their own and perhaps needing help themselves from a ‘pot’ they have previously paid into ...... fewer and fewer tax payers ...... for the ever increasing demand on the ‘pot’ .... ?????

I confess I tend to focus on a more individual level and the ‘here and now’ about how dementia blights people and their families .... but the whole and future view needs to be taken into consideration – and should have been by successive governments years previously. I had better quit before I start feeling sorry for Cameron!

Like it or not, everyone is likely to be affected by Alzheimer's disease one way or another - be it as a sufferer, a carer, a relative, a neighbour, or a friend of a sufferer.

SueENG - I would add to that list - the taxpayer, the student, the NI contributor ..... Uncle Tom Cobley and all. You have stated a truth - that this disease is ultimately affecting EVERYONE (perhaps only in their pockets for those who will be lucky not to know of it personally in their lives) and that is why campaigning has to get across to ALL and occassionally 'alarmist' or 'shock' tactics are the only way (IMHO) to get the message across to the whole population not just captive audiences such as on TP.

Kindest regards, Karen, x

[SueENG]

I think we all feel the same way to some degree. It's good to voice thoughts and opinions. Trouble is we are just the "icing on the cake" and can see what is to come for more and more people who will become affected in the future.

Those who are currently unaffected by Alzheimers have no idea what is to come for them and what we are really going through with our loved ones.

If being alarmist is what it takes, then alarmist we must be!!!

It would be very realistic if the Government would take their heads out of the sand and be alarmist too and put everything they have into fighting this epidemic - for the good of all.

The most important thing would be to find 'a cure' and/or 'what is causing' such an out-pouring of dementia.

I don't buy into "its because people are living longer", or "use it or lose it". Those sort of statements are not getting to the root of the problem.

Younger people are getting Alzheimers and very intelligent people are getting it!!! There has to be something - in the water, in our food, in the atmosphere!

Nothing is as yet proven but the scientists must have their hunches??? Come on scientists we haven't got time to wait for the proof - we need the hunches - and we need them now!!!

[sunny]

I think Sue you are voicing many people's real concerns for the people of this country and in particular the vulnerable. There are a lot of "mumblings" in real life and the net but no clear action - we have been TOLD what we cant have but not what we can have by the many millionaires and billionaires all around the world who tell us there is a financial crisis - (how did they become so rich?????)

And when I say action I dont mean smashing infrastructure as the recent student debacles I mean real people lobbying out loud to the administration of the day continually until they get the message.

People in the past had to fight for an NHS and the services we have now (although diminishing fast) in fact these same people fought for this country and its freedoms lest we forget.

There is one further thing I would like to say also is that not all elderly people actually get Alzheimers Disease and not all people who have a form of Alzheimers are elderly so I think on this site a distinction should be made between elderly and frail and people with Alzheimers. I think that some of the public are saying that their elderly relative has Alzheimers when in fact they dont they are elderly and frail and can communicate quite well but maybe a little slower than impatient people would like so until a clear diagnosis is given regarding Alzheimers I am not sure quite about how many people in this country actually have been diagnosed with Alzheimers officially.

[TedHutchinson]

The most important thing would be to find 'a cure' and/or 'what is causing' such an out-pouring of dementia.

I don't buy into "its because people are living longer", or "use it or lose it". Those sort of statements are not getting to the root of the problem.

Younger people are getting Alzheimers and very intelligent people are getting it!!! There has to be something - in the water, in our food, in the atmosphere!

Nothing is as yet proven but the scientists must have their hunches??? Come on scientists we haven't got time to wait for the proof - we need the hunches - and we need them now!!!

Trouble is that when you start trying to explain the best bet hunches people tend to argue because they fail to understand the science these hunches are based on and generally aren't willing to make the effort to read that research.

The free online full text paper
Iron behaving badly(only click the link if you want to read a detailed and fully referenced paper (2500 references so somewhat dense)has a section on the role of iron in neurodegenerative conditions.
If we just look at the titles of the free full text papers there is plenty to suggest that it's worth becoming a blood donor to reduce excess iron ( but start before you become 65yrs old as you are not allowed to become a new donor after (existing donors can continue over 66))

The Iron Behaving Badly paper has a list of dietary sources of iron chelators that's worth checking.


But oxidation by iron occurs more frequently in inflammatory situations A scholar search for Inflammation Alzhiemer's brings up nearly 50,000links It follows that following an ANTI INFLAMMATORY diet that is also high in anti-oxidants is likely to be a best bet diet for prevention.

It's a simple matter to learn how to brew anti inflammatory green tea from real tea leaves or to throw out industrial seed oils such as corn, soybean, safflower, sunflower and cottonseed oil and any commercially prepared foods that contain them and use butter, olive and coconut oil in there place. Similarly refined grains/flour, sugar, fructose/hfcs all increase inflammation.

Raising Vitamin D, omega 3 and magnesium status to improve our natural anti inflammatory/anti oxidant status are also fundamental changes to be made but as soon as you mention that the average person requires 5000iu/daily/Vitamin D3 just to meet daily needs and around 6400iu/daily to reach the level (150nmol/l 60ng/ml) at which human breast milk is vitamin d replete you start upsetting people who don't understand what the research actually shows happens in real life situations.

If we could delay the onset of the disease by as little as six months in the next generation, we could reduce the incidence of dementia by as many as a million cases. If we could delay it by five years, we could actually reduce the number of cases by 50 percent

Most of the strategies to reduce Alzheimer's would also reduce obesity. Being overweight inevitably (because adipose tissue gives off pro inflammatory cytokines) increases inflammatory status. Unfortunately, the current obesity strategy relies on eating less and exercising more and both these strategies have been shown to be unsuccessful over the last 50 yrs. I lost weight following this Low Carbohydrate plan Jimmy Moore has put Taubes lecture online for those who want to understand the science behind what makes us store fat and once you understand that it's relatively easy to understand what you need to do to burn fat instead of storing in on your body.