Community, Faith

Moth eaten souls: Dementia, Alzheimer’s and your health

Keep family and friends informed by sharing this article.

Almost 10 years ago, I painted an artwork titled “Moth-eaten”. It featured large acrylic portraits of elderly individuals, with holes torn into the canvas at their temples so that the canvas looked as though it had been eaten by moths.

The piece was an attempt to highlight the trapped existence of individuals who suffer from dementia.

The primary feature of the portraits were the eyes. Focused on the viewer, the eyes were designed to be piercing while expressing a sorrowful desperation that begged viewers for help. But the tattered, frayed holes around their temples betrayed their lost ability to access their most cherished memories. The individuals depicted were “moth-eaten”; destroyed by a force outside of their control slowly tattering their minds and lives.

For those whose loved ones are developing dementia, they begin to lose their loved one while they are still alive as their memories fade and their recognition of family and friends becomes fragmented, temporarily lucid and transient. Dementia is truly a devastating condition.

Dementia refers to a group of conditions characterised by gradual impairment of brain function, which may impact not only memory, but also speech, cognition, personality, behaviour and mobility. Dementia is a significant, progressive and growing health concern in Australia, being the second leading cause of death in Australia (the top among women) and accounting for almost 10 per cent of all deaths nationwide.¹ Not only this, but dementia is the leading cause of burden of disease in Australia.¹ The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimated that the number of people with dementia will increase by 88 per cent by 2054.²

There are many forms of dementia, with the most common being Alzheimer’s disease—a degenerative brain disease caused by nerve cell death, resulting in brain shrinkage. The experiences of people with dementia can be highly varied, particularly in relation to the stage of the dementia’s onset. Dementia naturally triggers an array of difficult emotions, such as fear, anger, anxiety, confusion and loss.

Something which is less commonly discussed when it comes to dementia is that it is not recognised as an inevitable or normal part of the ageing process. It has been seen in people under 65 (known as younger or “early” onset dementia), and even in children (known as childhood dementia).² If it is not a normal part of ageing, what then causes dementia? Being an overarching disease encompassing many different types, dementia can result from various factors, including strokes, trauma, brain injury, infections, nutritional deficiencies and malfunctioning protein systems.³ Lifestyle choices and health conditions such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, hearing loss, poor diet, depression and diabetes have also been linked to an increased risk of developing dementia. There is currently no cure for dementia, however there are recognised measures which are protective against developing it, including high levels of education, physical activity and social engagement.¹

In recent years, advancements in research have brought new insights regarding our understanding of dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s. A strong correlation has been discovered between insulin resistance and Alzheimer’s, with Alzheimer’s being proposed to be “Type 3 diabetes”. In fact, individuals with Type 2 diabetes have a 50-65 per cent increased risk of suffering from Alzheimer’s.¹

“Type 3 diabetes” is an unofficial term used by some researchers to describe the theory that Alzheimer’s disease is caused by a type of insulin resistance and insulin-like growth factor dysfunction that occurs specifically in the brain.⁴ Being a new field of discovery, more research is needed to further understand the link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

But what is currently known is that diabetes and insulin resistance are considered significant risk factors for vascular dementia.⁴ Insulin acts like a key which enables glucose to enter the body’s cells from the bloodstream to fuel cell activity. Around 20 per cent of the body’s glucose supply is used to fuel brain cell activity, including concentration, memory, decision-making, alertness, organisation, personality, speaking, motor skills, self-monitoring and inhibition of behaviour (to name a few).⁵ Insulin resistance causes the body to become less sensitive to insulin, resulting in less glucose being able to enter the cells. In Type 3 diabetes, the proposed mechanism of the theory is that insulin resistance starves neurons of glucose.⁶ It is believed that this results in a progressive reduction in memory, reasoning, and judgement—characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.⁶

There are many proponents who are speaking up about the benefits of healthy eating and lifestyle choices on preventing and reducing the risk of developing non-communicable diseases like Alzheimer’s. Many of the messages which are being shared include eating more vegetables, reducing sugar intake, increasing exercise and increasing Omega 3 intake.⁷ In particular, a number of scientists recommend eating vegetables at the beginning of meals to line the intestinal walls with fibre to slow the absorption of glucose into the system.⁸

Why am I going on about all this scientific mumbo-jumbo? Because our Seventh-day Adventist Church has an incredible health message, which for 100 years has been sharing about the importance of diet and exercise for managing wellbeing and slowing the ageing process. Modern research is revealing that these are incredibly valuable for preventing the onset of disease, including dementia.

For those who already suffer from dementia, this research almost seems to be too little, too late. And it must be emphasised that while diet may help protect, the causes of dementia cannot be solely attributed to diet, as many causes of dementia largely remain a mystery.

But the question I do want to ask is: what is our church doing for those already suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s? What, if anything, can be done?

It is easy enough to look out for oneself and one’s own health concerns. But to look out for others is what we are called to do as followers of Jesus. This is our greatest ministry.

Each one of us is a masterpiece created by God (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139:13-16). Unfortunately, some of these masterpieces are becoming “moth-eaten” and are slowly disappearing with little that can be done to cure this problem. But although their ability to recognise loved ones may be fading and their memory may be declining, they are still children of God who have capacity for love. They still have eyes to see, hearts to feel and hands that want to be held.

Are we as churches offering spaces which are dementia friendly and safe for those with failing memories? Are we being intentional about visiting those in our communities who are in aged care institutions and nursing homes whose lives and experiences are shrinking every day? Are we checking in on families who have loved ones suffering from this disease?

I invite you today: more than just looking after our own health, as important as it is, to also look out for those already suffering from disease and dementia, and to find ways to care for those who need it most.