On this World Alzheimer’s Day, the Alzheimer Association Belgium has decided to highlight the testimonies of close caregivers, who are often forgotten… Through these stories, the Association wishes to highlight the daily lives not only of sick people but also of their loved ones, who also see their lives turned upside down. In Belgium, it is estimated that 200,000 people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer Belgium association was born from a federation of families who formed an association in 1985. Its aim is to encourage the recognition and well-being of families facing Alzheimer’s disease or related diseases.
“Our concern is to always improve the support they provide in a framework that they must master, whatever their living environment, and at each stage of the disease. Neurodegenerative diseases include diseases and disorders that are characterized by progressive lesions in the brain,” explains Marie Bourcy, Director of the Belgian Alzheimer Association.
These lesions disrupt cognitive functions, which are processes that we use constantly in daily life (memory, language, judgment, organization, reasoning, etc.).
A fight against the invisible
The development of these pathologies is specific to each individual. And there is currently no treatment that can stop the development of these diseases. “No one is prepared for the arrival of a neurodegenerative disease and often, after the diagnosis or when daily life becomes more complicated, families feel totally lost and do not know who to turn to,” she continues.
On this awareness day, the Association wishes to highlight, through these life stories, the daily lives not only of sick people but also of their loved ones, who also see their lives turned upside down.
Neurodegenerative diseases have a strong impact on the sick person but also on those around them, who must also be supported.
“We are lost and so helpless in the face of this disease” : professionals from the Alzheimer Belgium association hear this sentence every day.
The Belgian health care system provides access to medical diagnosis and care (when it exists) but takes little account of psycho-social aspects.
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