They said they were taking her to the hospital because she had a UTI, but I knew, something more severe was wrong.  I had visited her last Saturday.

 "Grandma, it's Dawn, your eldest grandchild."  Slumped, hovering the right-side of her wheelchair, with her eyes shut tight, her rosy cheeks poking out under her big rimmed glasses, I reached down and took her hand.  She held on tight.  I had never seen her looking more uncomfortable. "I brought you a birthday card.  Open your pretty blue eyes so you can see it."  For just a second I caught a glimpse of her sparkling eyes.  "I'll read it to you Grandma."  "That'll be nice."  I began reading the blue jay and flowered covered card, "Happy Birthday," when Grandma suddenly sang out...."to meeeee!"  She grinned, and I wondered what birthdays she was thinking about within her Alzheimer's ridden-brain.

My Grandmother who always made Christmas peanut butter fudge, prepared Sunday dinners, played the piano, and remembered everyone's birthday, had gradually disappeared - only to be replaced by my grandmother who sat in a wheelchair on a locked Alzheimer's Unit... the grandmother who no longer knew my name.  Alzheimer's Disease had taken her away.  How she ended up with Alzheimer's Disease, and neither of her two sisters did, no one knows.  

Contrary to popular belief, mental decline is not a normal part of aging.  Many people have difficulties with memory, but such is not indicative of Alzheimer's or dementia symptoms. Alzheimer's Disease accounts for 60-80 percent of a variety of dementia symptoms that can occur from numerous conditions.  At least two core mental functions must be significantly impaired to be considered dementia:  memory; communication and language; ability to focus or pay attention; reasoning or judgment; and visual perception.  Numerous dementias start out slowly and over time become worse.  

Alzheimer's Disease is a fatal brain disease.  The hippocampus in the brain is the center of learning and memory.  When high levels of protein enter, the brain cells have difficulty remaining healthy and communicating with one another.  Symptoms of memory loss emerge followed by loss of thinking and reasoning skills.  

If your or your loved one are experiencing a decline in memory or other cognitive skills that have severely reduced ability to perform daily activities, pay attention!  See a Doctor for a professional evaluation.  There is no one test that Doctors use to evaluate for dementia symptoms, but if symptoms of dementia are detected, early diagnosis allows for the maximum benefits from treatments. While there is no cure or treatment that slows or stops its progression there are drug treatments that may temporarily improve symptoms of dementias.  

Non-drug therapies can also alleviate some symptoms of dementia by protecting your heart by following these recommendations:

Take care of your brain by not smoking;  keep your blood pressure down, cholesterol and blood sugar within recommended limits; and maintain a healthy weight.

Lower the risk of some types of dementia by increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain by participating in regular physical exercise.  

Watch what you eat.  For example, the Mediterranean diet which includes little red meat and emphasizes whole grains, fruits and vegetables, fish and shellfish, and nuts, olive oil and other healthy fats helps to protect your heart and therefore your brain.  

My grandmother died from the complications of Alzheimer's Disease on her 97 birthday, a day after she entered the hospital.  Will my mother, sister, myself, and my daughters end up with the dementia symptoms?  That remains to be seen.  In the meantime, I remain educated about the symptoms of dementia diseases and arm myself with tools to prevent symptoms.  That is the best defense for any of us against dementia symptoms.