So I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below
And I laugh at myself
While the tears roll down
‘Cause it’s the world I have known
Oh, it’s the world I have known
— Collective Soul
The World I Have Known
The world that I know seems to be changing every day. As I work with families and medical practitioners, I need courage and determination to work through the frustrations of learning new technologies that directly impact communication, reporting, and care management. For the most part, my experience is positive as we see better outcomes for our frail residents. However, there is a cost to this rapid state of change. Constant change is demanding and can lead to a worn-out and exhausted version of myself.
The Cost of Constant Change
The trade-off at this point is hard to even evaluate. And so I forge ahead, learn new systems and approaches and try to give myself some grace around this source of stress. Employing a great deal of curiosity has been helpful. Curiosity keeps me flexible in my thinking and helps me engage better with new information as it streams in.
Curiosity and the Promise of Genetics
One topic I have been curious about and am fascinated with is genetics. It is a topic way out of my league, but gives me hope for future treatments that could improve quality of life for us when we enter old age. Especially for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease. Along with my amazing team, I face the impact of Alzheimer’s every day at work. The number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s (7.2 million) is expected to double in the next 25 years. Genetic research is desperately needed, and its promise of helping scientists develop effective treatments is tremendous.
The Human Genome and Our Evolutionary Future
The mapping of the human genome has to be one of the most important scientific discoveries of our time and has accelerated innovation in many areas of medicine. Genetic engineering has become so advanced that we are beginning to alter our own evolutionary process; putting us in the driver’s seat of our evolutionary journey. I dearly hope that genetic advancements can lead to a cure for Alzheimer’s. It is a complex neurological disease that is causing an epidemic of chronic care needs for us as we age. Supplements abound that promise better brain health and yet a viable treatment appears to be decades away. And so we turn to compassionate, knowledgeable care as the primary source of help. Caregiving with skill and empathy makes all of the difference in quality of life and is a part of our world that has not changed.
Navigating Technostress with Intention
So kudos to all of us for navigating something new today — adjusting to a new smartphone, adapting to a different email app, updating passwords, or growing your understanding of social media. Rather than allow our devices to be divisive, we can use them to bring awareness, understanding and build community. We don’t have to fall for the clickbait, and instead can generate positivity with the choices we make. My social media feed is growing into a stream of positive information about brain health that satisfies my curiosity in surprising ways. I can’t wait for the day I read about the first truly viable therapy for the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Sources:
Technostress Dark Side of Technology in the Workplace: A Scientometric Analysis – PMC
Newly Found Genetic Variant Defends Against Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s treatments: What’s on the horizon? – Mayo Clinic