Neuro Note #1

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For this assignment, I chose to watch a TED talk on Alzheimer's disease. Alanna Shaikh takes a different approach on the topic than I have ever seen before. After watching her dad deal with the illness for twelve years, she has decided to prepare to get the disease herself. Initially, I thought this was a bizarre way of looking at things and I viewed it as more pessimistic, but then as she continued she changed my mind. It is not that she has given up or accepted her fate that she is doomed to the disease, it is that she will be prepared to fight as long as she can if she contracts it. She kept saying "if the monster wants you, the monster will get you". Even though she is working out and keeping up with her physical health, reading and learning to develop more and more cognitive functioning skills, Alzheimer's does not discriminate and there is no way of 100% preventing the terrible occurrence.

In this class, along with all of the other neurological diseases, we will discuss Alzheimer's disease. It is a illness that hits close to home for me, as well. My grandfather was diagnosed in 2009 and he is still fighting the battle of constant confusion and frustration. There is a fifty-fifty chance that he will know me when he sees me or that he will introduce himself like I am a complete stranger. This is the most expensive health issue that we face as a nation and it is only expected to grow in the coming years. Raising awareness and starting preparations before being diagnosed just might be the key to an answer to one of healthcares biggest mysteries.

Reference:
Shaikh, Alanna. (June, 2012). How I am preparing to get alzheimer's. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/alanna_shaikh_how_i_m_preparing_to_get_alzheimer_s

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