WE'RE LIVING longer and are healthier with it than ever before in history: medical science is moving so fast that even a few years can change the face of treatment to an unrecognisable degree, and what was once the worst news imaginable to patients and their loved ones may now simply be unpleasant and highly inconvenient. Think back to the HIV terror of the 1980s, and how it's now usually just a chronic condition requiring daily medication, not having to affect lifestyle or life expectancy. Epilepsy, 30 years ago, was a devastating blow that seriously curtailed daily activities, and can now be kept under control with pills. Even early-stage cancer need not be a death sentence: survival rates for breast cancer in the western world are now above 90%.
But longer lives come at a price; at least, for now. And among the highest and most harrowing prices is Alzheimer's, a neurodegenerative condition that needs little introduction and, although not exclusive to the upper-middle aged and elderly, the risk increases the longer we stay alive.
Spain's 1.2 million Alzheimer's patients mean five million residents affected
Seven in 10 dementia cases are caused by Alzheimer's, which can strike at almost any age, even the 90s.
Exact numbers of sufferers in Spain are unclear; depending upon which set of statistics you read, there could be anything from 700,000 to 1.2 million residents or even more in the country right now with the condition. The Spanish Alzheimer's Confederation (CEAFA), one of the main charities focused on the disease, cites the upper figure, but recalls that the true number affected is actually around five million: it is often argued that family and close friends, especially when they are the carers, suffer at least as much as the actual patient.
Heartbreaking: It's not just forgetfulness
The distress of a treasured relative or friend not recognising you is difficult enough, but Alzheimer's goes beyond mere forgetfulness; patients frequently go through depression, anxiety, terror, confusion and can become aggressive, tearful, suicidal and even physically violent.
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