Navigating Early Alzheimer's: Finding Joy and Connection in the Present Moment

Alzheimer's disease, the most prevalent type of dementia, is a chronic neurological condition that deteriorates memory, thinking, and behavior. With more than 60% of dementia caused by Alzheimer's worldwide, it's an illness not just affecting individuals but also putting a huge emotional and physical burden on families.

While no cure is as yet available, early diagnosis and supportive treatment can enable patients to discover meaning, belonging, and happiness in their lives despite losing their memories. The initial phase of Alzheimer's is characterized by subtle memory errors, word difficulty, disorientation to place and time, and mood swings. For most, this phase will be one of fear and uncertainty. Yet, this phase offers the most important opportunity to make significant lifestyle changes that are conducive to brain health and emotional well-being.

Regular physical exercise, cognitively stimulating activities, and a healthy diet can stem the progression of the disease and enhance the quality of life. A strong ally in managing early Alzheimer's is being mentally and socially active. Activities like reading, puzzle work, painting, or playing a musical instrument keep the brain stimulated. At the same time, social contact talking with family, attending support groups, or having virtual calls can ward off loneliness and improve mood.

Increased loneliness due to the change to nuclear families and older people living alone has been found by studies to be linked to decreased cognition.

Technology can counter this, with video conversations or internet hobby clubs providing much-needed companionship. Nutrition also has an important role to play. The MIND diet, a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, has been found to slow cognitive decline.

Focusing on green leafy vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, and fish and restricting red meat, cheese, fried foods, and sweets can lower Alzheimer's risk and maintain brain function. These eating patterns also fight other risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes, which are strongly associated with cognitive impairment. It's also important to look at the caregivers' role. They are usually overwhelmed emotionally and physically.

It's crucial to support them through shared tasks, respite care, and emotional checks-ins. Little things such as spending time with them or just listening can make a big difference in lightening their load. The COVID-19 pandemic caused challenges unlike any other for those with dementia. Safety measures such as wearing masks and self-isolation were hard for patients to understand and adhere to, tending to result in heightened confusion and distress.

Even today, in a post-pandemic world, making sure that patients stay physically active and socially engaged is essential to controlling symptoms. Ultimately, as Alzheimer's chips away at memory, it doesn't take away the capacity to feel joy, love, or belonging. Whether it is a song heard before, the sound of laughter from grandchildren, or the feel of a loved one's hand such moment’s ground people in the here and now and provide solace through uncertainty. As Vincent Van Gogh once wrote, “The memories of all we have loved stay and come back to us in the evening of our life.” Even as memories fade, nurturing present-moment joy and human connection remains a powerful form of healing for those living with early Alzheimer’s.-With inputs from Dr. Annu Aggarwal, Consultant, Neurology, Specialist Cognitive and Behavioural Neurology, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai