Deterioration of gran’s crochet projects over two years shows the heartbreaking effects of Alzheimer’s
A Reddit user shared a photo of her mum's crocheting projects from over the past two years, and they reveal her sad and slow decline as Alzheimer's tightened its grip
A WOMAN'S battle with Alzheimer's Disease is laid bare in a single photograph taken of her crocheting projects.
The picture, uploaded to Reddit by 34-year-old , shows fourteen different crochet squares of varying quality, from neat and tidy to a mass of crumpled up wool.
She explained: "I've often explained watching my mum succumb to this illness as watching her unravel.
"When I came across the crocheting she did in the early stages of [the disease], it made me realise how fitting that actually was.
"These squares represent her progression over the course of a year or two fairly early on in the disease (she suffers from early onset and was diagnosed at age 54; I was 22).
"I don't remember exactly when she stopped being able to crochet for good--she made squares for a while, then the circles, then the little pieces of crochet, until she got to the point where she just carried around the needles and yarn in her purse (which was otherwise empty since she couldn't really hold on to valuables anymore)."
Wuillermania added that her mum has been fighting the disease for twelve years now, which is mainly thanks to the devotion of her dad, and that doctors think it could be years before she passes away.
She added: "At this point she is completely non-verbal and unable to care for herself in any way (eating, bathing, dressing, walking unsupervised, etc.).
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"Physically she is still relatively healthy, beyond issues resulting from her mental deterioration -- e.g., she grinds her teeth incessantly, which has caused significant dental issues).
"It has been a few years since she was able to speak and several since she was able to identify who I am."
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is named after the doctor who first described it in medical literature, Alois Alzheimer.
The disease affects the brain, and more than 520,000 people in the UK are currently affected by the condition.
A hallmark of the disease is the build-up of amyloid beta proteins in the brain, which causes plaques.
The plaques then result in the loss of connections between nerve cells in the brain – and ultimately the death of those cells and a loss of brain tissue.
Other Reddit users thanked her for her post, with : "Thank you for sharing your story. My dad was diagnosed with early onset ALZ a few years ago at the age of 63.
"It's been an incredibly difficult journey at times, but hearing from others like yourself reminds me that we're not alone."
Yesterday we reported that a new study claims single people are 40 per cent more likely to get dementia.
And it's also been claimed that sugar can increase your chances of brain disease in the future.