The New Majority: houston's minority news reader

ALZHEIMER'S:
To speak ill of the Holy Spirit is the one sin which is unforgivable according to Christian dogma. It is understandable. Heaven presents man a gift free of corruption; a gift which unites man with the universe's most noble of spirits. But what of Heaven? Is there a sin which humanity can charge it guilty of? One that is also unforgivable?

By Paul Fitzgerald Bennett.

I was 7-years-old when my mama bought me my first bike without training wheels. It was a Spring Saturday afternoon. On the radio, Marvin Gaye was belting out songs like "What's going on?"
Hours earlier, I saw Mama peeking irately out the window of our orange two bed room home at Mary Galloway. The 10-year-old had promised she would let me ride her bike, but like Lucy with Charlie Brown, Mary would ride off as soon as I approached. Mary's last Lucy imitation left me in tears.
Soon a 5 feet 2 inch giant dashed from the orange house. Anger was close behind.

"Come here right now and get in this damn car (my propensity for bad language is a gift from my mama)!" said Lula Bennett. "And stop that crying!"
The 1972 orange Pinto (orange and maroon have always been her favorite colors) was soon tearing down Scott Street and in a few seconds we were at Shopper's Fair. But before she unlocked the doors she delivered wording which has never departed me.
"I don't ever want to see you begging nobody for anything! If somebody won't give you something then you get your own! You hear me?" "Yes Mama." An hour later, I was riding a brand new red bike sticking out my tongue at Mary Galloway.

Alzheimer's Physical Effects

"My head feels like it's moving all the time," said my mama on a recent May evening in the 21st century. "I just don't know no more. I just don't…" Suddenly, she cuts off our interview walking back to her bedroom from the living room couch.
"Paul, come here!" she yelled.
I made my way to her. Her eyes stared back lifeless at me without blinking.
"Yes Mama?" I asked.
"Huh? What?" she responded.

"Alzheimer's is like a computer virus," said Richard Elbein, Chief Executive Officer of the Houston and Southeast Texas Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. "The cells that hold the memories are killed by the disease. Like a computer virus, it is continuously chewing up memory."
Research shows Alzheimer's is the leading cause of dementia. Besides memory loss, dementia symptoms include judgment or reasoning problems, learning difficulty, agitation, anxiety, delusions and the ability to perform routine tasks.
FDA approved medications Aricept, Razadyne, Exelon and Namenda may slow down Alzheimer's and its effects.

"But these medicines work up to five years at best," said Mr. Elbein. "There is no cure for Alzheimer's."
Studies in the U.S. indicate that African and Latino Americans along with women in general, are more likely to develop Alzheimer's than any other group.

"It's not clear what all the reasons are, but risk factors indicate that persons who suffer from diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure are at greater risk. For example, Latino Americans have a higher incidence of diabetes than most groups and African Americans are suffering from high blood pressure at an increased rate," said Mr. Elbein.

While women are also at increased risk, the single greatest factor for Alzheimer's is age, beginning around 65. Other research indicates the level of education and poverty could play a factor. Some experts say brain inactivity may play a role in Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's Spiritual Effect

But my mama is a Texas Southern University alumna and for most of her 59 years she's lived a middle class existence. The former insurance office worker was once very active in her church. She's the one who taught me how to read. She's the one who read Psalms 23 to me every night before I went to bed during my youth:

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup Runneth over: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

However, living with Alzheimer's is no "good thing." Mercy is not my mama's friend. Directly or indirectly, I charge God with abandoning her. And right now I cannot forgive Him. Hopefully, my personal grievance with the Almighty will be solved soon. I too am forgetful of things.

Mr. Elbein said it doesn't necessarily mean that I will develop Alzheimer's. But research shows that someone with a parent or sibling who has Alzheimer's is at two to three times' greater risk. So if my words are blasphemous, I pray God will forgive me if and when I'm unable to remember to ask Him for mercy.
"The flaw in your story is to equate Alzheimer's to sin," said family friend Cyrenthia Ellis when asked for her opinion concerning this story. "Sin is an action. Alzheimer's is a disease."
"You do ask yourself, 'Why would God allow this to happen," said Mr. Elbein. "Two of my grandparents died from Alzheimer's. There is a spiritual pain associated with seeing a loved one suffer. That's why we are developing a spiritual program.

In the mean time…

Mr. Elbein said love and understanding should come in big doses from family and friends when dealing with Alzheimer's victims.
"With Alzheimer's, the person disappears in front of you. But they still feel our spirits. That's why it is important for us to give them compassion even though they can't return it to us," said Mr. Elbein.
When my daddy is working or at church, my mama cries a lot.
"Nobody cares about me," she said recently.
"Y'all are trying to get rid of me."
"Mama, I'm here," I reminded her. "And we both love you. We're not going to let anything happen to you."
"Do you know when Bennett's coming home?" she asked, concerning Arthur, my daddy and her husband of 41 years.
"Soon Mama," I responded.
More tears follow. And soon the same statements and questions are repeated.
"She started having this problem a long time ago," said my daddy. "And now she's starting to walk away from home."

Six in ten people with Alzheimer's will wander away from home. And the numbers suggest that for those not found within the first 24 hours, half will die or risk serious injury. To help families address the wandering risk, the Alzheimer's Association offers a national identification data based program called Safe Return.

The Safe Return program has identification items, a national photo and information database, 24-hour hotline, and provides education for wandering behavior through local Alzheimer's chapters. There's also a device that Alzheimer's people can wear around their necks which traces their movements. In addition, studies show it's important for early diagnosis and treatment.
"If you identify it early, you can slow it down for a number of years and the individual can still have a good quality of life," said Mr. Elbein.

Other causes of dementia, such as thyroid problems, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) or depression, are treatable and potentially reversible. Is a cure on the horizon for Alzheimer's? "Cure is a really big word. But we haven't cured cancer. We haven't cured Multiple Sclerosis. We haven't cured heart disease," said Mr. Elbein who did acknowledge that there may be an announcement this summer of new treatments for Alzheimer's, addressing a different aspect of the disease process.

"This is a disease which, I believe, may be cured by chipping away at it. That's why it's so important that we focus on prevention."

Hope

My mama can still read. Only not as good as she once did. Tonight, I think I'll have her read Psalms 23 to me like she did when my age was in single digits when Mary Galloway wouldn't let me ride her bike:

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…He restoreth my soul…"

< Previous | Next >