Essay on Preparing for the Future: My Take on Dying of Alzheimer's

Alzheimer’s is a mental illness that causes memory loss, as well as affects logical reasoning and personal conduct (Alzheimer's Association 367). If I were to die of Alzheimer’s, I would prefer to know ten years in advance because it would enable me to have enough preparation time for the future of my family, and take action in case the new medication is developed.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

First, early detection would enable me to have enough time for preparation for the future of my family and loved ones. According to Den Haan (50), there is a potential of clearing the traces of the disease with the new technologies if it is detected early enough. Therefore, early detection of Alzheimer’s will ensure that drugs can be administered when the condition is still at its early stages.

Secondly, I believe that with the new technology, early detection would make it possible to develop a medication that can stop the development of Alzheimer’s condition in its trails. According to Macrae, this would prevent the exhibition of the symptoms because the disease would have been cleared in the body system. Moreover, early detection would provide the potential of transformation in the way doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s, which will greatly enhance the efforts in the development of new treatments.

However, other people do not want to know their Alzheimer’s status, first because currently, it has no medication (Alzheimer's Association 369). Moreover, according to Macrae, the available diagnosis only focuses on memory examination and very costly brain scans that, in most cases, cannot be afforded by many. Besides, the decisive proof of the disease can only be determined by examining the patient’s brain after death (Macrae). In this case, many people usually avoid the trauma associated with the early detection of Alzheimer’s.

In conclusion, I would prefer knowing my Alzheimer’s condition ten years earlier to enable my family, and I prepare for their future. Moreover, early detection may lead to the administration of drugs that may clear the disease and its traces at its early stages. Moreover, early detection would provide the potential of transformation in the way doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s, which will greatly enhance the efforts in the development of new treatments. However, some people do not want to know their status because the disease has no medication and also to avoid the trauma of knowing so.

Works Cited

Alzheimer's Association. "2018 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures." Alzheimer's & Dementia, vol. 3, no. 14, 2018, pp. 367-429. Elsevier, doi: org/10.1016/j.jalz.2018.02.001. Accessed 19 July 2020.

Den Haan, Jurre, et al. "Retinal Thickness Correlates With Parietal Cortical Atrophy in Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease and Controls." Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring vol. 10, 2018, pp 49-55. Elsevier, doi: org/10.1016/j.dadm.2017.10.005. Accessed 19 July 2020.

Macrae, Fiona. Simple Eye Test for Alzheimer's Could Catch Disease at Crucial Early Stage | Daily Mail Online. Mail Online, 15 Jan. 2010, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1243181/Simple-eye-test-Alzheimers-catch-disease-crucial-early-stage.html. Accessed 18 July 2020.