As we have been architecting the engine for our Alzheimer's games, we have also been talking to people affected by Alzheimer's Disease. All of the experiences narrated to us were very humbling. One story of Alzheimer's Disease that showed us how horribly Alzheimer's can tear the fabric of our relationships follows. The names have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved.
Gina told us about her step father's onset of Alzheimer's Disease. Gina's mother and step father were living in a different state and so contact was mostly over the phone. For this reason, Gina did not learn that her step father, Frank, had Alzheimer's Disease. She later learned that Frank had a special kind of Alzheimer's Disease, called Alzheimer's Disease with Dementia (I apologize readers, this is not the exact name. If you do know the name of this strain of Alzheimer's then please contact me. Thanks!), which is a rare form of Alzheimer's that advances very quickly. Persons with Alzheimer's are known to become violent to loved ones, and exhibiting this behavior Frank began abusing Gina's mother. Gina's mother having been worn away in taking care of Frank could not take the abuse alone and requested Gina to join her in caring for Frank.
In two clicks Gina flew over to help her parents, and experienced the ugliness of Alzheimer's Disease first hand. There she was also verbally and physically abused by Frank, whose conditioned worsened relentlessly upon Gina's arrival. Within six months Frank passed away, leaving Gina and her mother with shattered pieces of a once warm relationship.
From Gina's experience, we learned two very important things. First of all, Alzheimer's affects each patient differently, and so each patient will react to forms of treatment differently. This is important since it means that not everyone will respond to all of our games, and also that a game must be developed to help people with specific kinds of Alzheimer's. Second, Alzheimer's Disease is a cold, harsh illness and although we may try to bring a light heartedness to patients via our games, we must never take the Disease lightly. Two very valuable lessons for our entire team.
