Reposted w/permission. (Obliviously.) ;)
"...Georgia had begun to spend very large amounts of time watching old movies, over and over and over and over again; it was a habit that she continued during the first few months of our marriage. It was a combination of the Alzheimer's Disease and the longstanding, long-suppressed depression she'd felt over the loss of her husband. It was definitely a warning sign, but it was also a source of comfort for her ..." - From Her Final Year: A Care-Giving Memoir (get it here in print or for Kindle)
December is
Seasonal Affective Disorders Month. November was National Family Caregivers Month.
Both of these National Awareness months serve as a reminders of the importance of family, the increasing number of at-home family caregivers, the rising number of people in our growing, aging population who'll be diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and/or some form of depression, and the need for a more comprehensive form of healthcare.1
Georgia, a.k.a. "Mumsie"
When we first noticed that Georgia was having difficulty, we had seen some indicators of depression. We weren't sure whether those were due to Seasonal Affective Disorder or something else - and some of the memory glitches ("brain farts") hadn't manifested enough to take special notice. Even our first foray to help determine what was happening to her, when we took her to see her former long-time doctor, was affected by the fact that her physician at the time had over-prescribed several medications for her - several were contraindicated & conflicting. That had to be straightened out before anyone could try to get a clear handle on things.
And that, perhaps, is the nub of the gist. It's relatively easy for some to chalk up a simple off-the-cuff "diagnosis" and for knee-jerk reactions to lead to a cascade of inaccuracy, presumption or - worse - neglect. It's important to be certain: to take the steps necessary to ensure that doctors know what drugs someone is on, what prescription & non-prescription medications (including allergy pills, cold medicines, pain relievers, vitamin and/or herbal supplements, etc.) that a person is taking which could influence their reaction to other factors & impact a proper diagnosis.
And it's crucial to get a proper diagnosis.
It's not always easy to plan & schedule, or arrange transportation. It's not always affordable - for some, it's "never" affordable. But it's very, very important. Because healthcare is complex. Symptoms and illnesses aren't always easy to discern or attribute. While episodes of complexity rivaling the television series "House" are (hopefully!) quite rare in the real world, there are (in my experience) a lot of people who take to the internet and attempt to self-diagnose (or diagnose others, or loved ones), often with varying degrees of success or failure. While it never hurts to try to be more informed, there are so many factors and so many potential sources of misinformation that one should always take the online information with a grain of salt and seek professional help to deal with new, different or changed behaviors.
Have the person's medical history ready - including any medications (prescription, non-prescription), vitamins, supplements etc. - and ensure that the doctor who sees you or your loved one takes a moment to look through it. If you are helping someone who has been experiencing periods of confusion, depression, forgetfulness, apathy, etc., be sure to let the doctor know about it when you accompany that person in for diagnosis. If you aren't a health proxy, spouse or next of kin, be sure someone who is accompanies the person and is aware of the things you've noticed.
Thanks for taking the time to read my bit of meandering.2
- J.A. Bourke
Footnotes:
1 Personally, I'm in favor of an implementation of single-payer - the CBO studies indicate that healthcare costs alone put a substantial burden on our economy, and that the single-payer solution they investigated would substantially reduce those costs while helping many more of our nation's families. As a nation dedicated to "insure domestic Tranquility" & "promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" - with a dearly, clearly beloved national monument that declares "Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me" you'd think we'd all realize that building a solid foundation with a sound infrastructure "floats all boats" like a rising tide. /end mini-rant
2 Crossposted to Her Final Year blog and Facebook.