Our mansion was getting ready to host another old Istanbul lady. He caught my attention as soon as he entered the door with his white hair and clean face. He had a soothing facial expression. His son came with his daughter-in-law and grandchild. He was unaware that he would be admitted to a nursing home. He thought you'd stay with us for a few days to rest. Even though I had limited time, I wanted to meet immediately without getting information about the patient. He talked briefly about himself in his beautiful Turkish. He was 78 years old. He said that his wife was a very well-known criminal judge, but he passed away ten years ago. She had married off both of her sons. He was lonely and thought being around people would be good for him. The next day, I promised to talk at length and left.
I went to Ms. Ayşe early in the morning.
- Good morning, sir. Can we continue our conversation from where we left off?
- Our conversation? I see you for the first time, my beautiful girl. I don't remember us chatting before, but we can talk if you want?
I was stunned. All I could say was "Okay."
He talked about himself and everything he said was mixed together, except for his age and his wife's profession. That beautiful lady, who talked about having two sons yesterday, was now saying that she only had one daughter and she had just turned 12. There was no trace of what he said yesterday. To remind you of what you told yesterday;
- Aunt Ayşe, you came here yesterday with your son and daughter-in-law, am I wrong?
- Yes, of course, I have two such sons. They are both married.
- You don't have a daughter, do you?
- No, of course, where did she come from? Did I say I have a daughter?
- Yes
- Sorry dear, I am forgetful…
As a result of my family interview, I obtained clear information about our patient. He was 80 years old. His wife was dominant and had a very authoritarian personality. The 12-year age difference between Ms. Ayşe and Ali Bey immediately led Ali Bey to jealousy and left him alone with the fear of losing his wife. She had a difficult marriage. He did not dwell too much on bad events. Ten years ago, Mr. Ali committed suicide. Ms. Ayşe was left all alone in the huge house. The children got married and everyone had their own lives now. "My mother always forgot, but not this much," said her son. Ms. Ayşe, who takes great care in her dressing. He didn't even know what he was wearing anymore, he got lost in the street he passed every day. He was having sudden outbursts of anger, crying when nothing was happening, and laughing when it was not necessary to laugh. There was no distinction about where things should be put. He kept his watch in the oven and his iron in the refrigerator.
Some of you may be wondering what the name of this mental illness is. I must immediately point out that Alzheimer's is a brain disease. This disease, popularly called early dementia, makes itself felt in the 60s. One in every 5 people aged 85 and over definitely has Alzheimer's disease. It gradually destroys the processes of learning, reasoning and performing daily life skills. The most typical symptoms of the disease appear with memory disorders and progress gradually. At first, he forgets what he did recently, for example where he parked his car last night. From time to time, he confuses day and night.
Later, aphasia occurs, that is, disorders related to the impairment of the ability to understand what is heard and to communicate. The patient cannot find the appropriate word while speaking.
This stage is followed by disturbances in decision-making and carrying out tasks.
Approximately 4 years after the first symptoms, agnosia (difficulty in recognizing objects or knowing what they are used for) problems appear. For example, when he wants to turn on the oven, he presses the button on the television and thinks that the oven is heating up, etc.
Then he gradually loses his identity and eventually becomes alienated from himself. At this point, he can no longer even recognize the people closest to him.
In the final stage of the disease, the patient becomes unable to perform even the most ordinary behaviors in daily life (such as opening the door, turning on the lamp).
Although the causes are not known exactly, they are shown to be brain traumas that cause loss of consciousness, depression, environmental and professional obligations, and inadequate functioning of the thyroid gland. This brain disease, which was first described by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer in 1907, occurs in old age. It constitutes 75 percent of presenile dementia and is more common in women than men.
Although there is no treatment that completely cures AD, it Medicines have been developed that can slow the progression and reduce symptoms. The aim of drug treatment is not to eliminate the disease but to slow its progression. Early diagnosis is vital. In this way, it is much easier to control the disease.
The disease creates a significant physical and psychological burden on the relative caring for the patient. Approximately 50% of working patient relatives have to take a break from their jobs, reduce their working hours, or quit their jobs altogether in order to care for their patients. Depression (14-47%), anxiety disorders (10%), feelings of violence in patient relatives and problems such as fear of acting aggressively (20%) and using violence against the patient (7%).
It is recommended that the caregiver of the patient receive psychological support in order to minimize the sadness experienced during the patient's care process
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