King City, CA: Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's Disease, Would You Want To Know If You Were Going To Get It?: View From A Private Duty Caregiver Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Gilroy, Gonzalez, Greenfield, Hollister, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, San Juan Bautista, Seaside And Soledad California There was a powerful story in USA Today about a woman grappling with the fact that via genetic testing, you can now be screened to see if you are likely to come down with a number of diseases. She decided to be tested for Huntington's disease, which she has a 50/50 chance of getting. Her mother died from the neurodegenerative disorder when she was just 45 years old. The article posed an interesting question, would you want to know? For diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's, there is no cure so it is a question worth asking. The woman's younger brother does not want to be tested for the disease, and there is no easy answer to the question. Ever since the Human Genome Project identified 20,000 to 25,000 genes in 2003, researchers have continued to find the genes that play roles in everything from Alzheimer's disease, to certain types of cancer, to type 2 diabetes. But being told you are going to develop something which is terminal and for which there is no cure could be really devastating. I think the woman profiled in USA Today is very courageous. She's being tested not for herself, but because she plans on having children some day and has decided that she will not if she tests positive for the gene as she might pass the gene on to her children. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-04-09/genetic-testing-huntingtons-disease/54475708/1About Richard Kuehn & Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey:After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member I was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. I became convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to elderly and founded Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula. Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/Blog
About Richard Kuehn & Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey:
After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member I was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. I became convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to the elderly and founded Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula. Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/Blog