Alanna Shaikh: How I'm preparing to get Alzheimer's

TL;DR

In this moving talk, the speaker shares their personal experience of caring for their father with Alzheimer's disease and discusses their preparations for potentially developing the disease themselves.

Transcript

Translator: Morton Bast Reviewer: Thu-Huong Ha I'd like to talk about my dad. My dad has Alzheimer's disease. He started showing the symptoms about 12 years ago, and he was officially diagnosed in 2005. Now he's really pretty sick. He needs help eating, he needs help getting dressed, he doesn't really know where he is or when it is, and it's been r... Read More

Key Insights

• 🧠 Dementia is a global issue, with 35 million people affected worldwide and an expected doubling of cases by 2030.
• 🤔 Fear drives two common reactions to dementia: denial or a focus on prevention.
• 👦 Alzheimer's tends to run in families, making individuals more likely to develop the disease if a family member has it.
• 🌟 Engaging in familiar, hands-on activities can bring joy and potentially slow the progression of dementia.
• ⚖️ Alzheimer's has both cognitive and physical symptoms, including a loss of balance and muscle tremors.
• ♀️ Activities like yoga and tai chi can help improve balance and maintain mobility.
• 💖 Love and kindness remain intact even when someone with Alzheimer's loses other abilities.
• 💡 The speaker is taking proactive steps to prepare for Alzheimer's by engaging in enjoyable activities, building physical strength, and striving to become a better person.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the global prevalence of dementia?

According to the video, there are approximately 35 million people globally living with some form of dementia.

Q: What is expected to happen to the number of people living with dementia by 2030?

By 2030, it is projected that the number of people living with dementia will double, reaching a staggering 70 million people.

Q: What is the speaker's approach towards dementia?

The speaker is taking a proactive approach towards dementia and is preparing to potentially develop Alzheimer's disease.

Q: What actions is the speaker taking to prevent or manage Alzheimer's disease?

The speaker is adopting lifestyle habits that are known to be beneficial in preventing Alzheimer's, such as maintaining a proper diet, exercising daily, and keeping the mind intellectually engaged.

Q: What is the speaker focusing on in their preparation for Alzheimer's disease?

The speaker is focusing on three main aspects in their preparation: changing their leisure activities, building physical strength, and striving to become a kinder and more loving person.

Q: Why is the speaker changing their leisure activities?

The speaker is changing their leisure activities to engage in hands-on and familiar tasks that can bring enjoyment even if cognitive abilities decline. This is based on their experience caring for their father with dementia.

Q: How is the speaker building physical strength in their preparation for Alzheimer's?

The speaker is engaging in activities like yoga, tai chi, and weight-bearing exercises to improve their balance and muscle strength, which can help maintain mobility and delay physical symptoms of Alzheimer's.

Q: What does the speaker hope to achieve by becoming a better person?

The speaker's goal is to become a kinder and more loving person, inspired by their father's unwavering love even in the face of dementia. They aspire to have a pure heart that could withstand the effects of dementia if they were to develop the disease.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker discusses her personal experience with her father's Alzheimer's disease, emphasizing the impact it has had on her and the need for more awareness and understanding.

• She highlights the increasing prevalence of dementia globally and the fear it instills in people, causing them to either deny the possibility of it happening to them or focus excessively on prevention.

• The speaker shares her unique perspective and approach, choosing to prepare for the possibility of getting Alzheimer's disease by changing her hobbies, building physical strength, and striving to become a better person.