A Research Study : Dr. Snowdon

In times past many people thought that memory loss was a normal occurrence for elderly people. This thinking was major reason for why Alzheimer’s disease was not caught until very later in the stages. Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging. After heart disease, cancer, and strokes, Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of death in adults in the Western world. “It is estimated that 4.5 million Americans over the age of 65 are affected with this condition. After the age of 65, the incidence of the disease doubles every five years and, by age 85, it will affect nearly half of the population” (Robinson).

When it comes to Alzheimer’s, I know firsthand how it affects individuals and their families. My great grandfather had Alzheimer’s for many years before his passing late last year, at age 92. Alzheimer’s is a disease that many individuals suffer with each year, but yet with all the advancements in modern medicine we still have no cure for it. There are different ways to conquer this disease, understanding the causes, knowing effects, and researching possible treatments.

This report provides detailed information regarding the Alzheimer’s disease, and how it affects the individual as a person. It examines the facts and statistics of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as cover the survival rate. It covers the cognitive impacts that Alzheimer’s has on the individual, and also the emotional profiles of each of its victims. Gives a general concept of how Alzheimer’s disease has evolved over the past years, and it also shares the advances that it has made. It addresses the role of the public health and aging services, and how it affects the person. It goes into detail on how the brain is affected by this disease, and the impact it can cause for the individual. Overall, it stresses the importance of being aware of the Alzheimer’s diseases because it allows for there to be support, encouragement, and hope for the victims. Just having someone there can make all the difference to someone suffering.

The disease called Alzheimer’s is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (Weiner, 1987). It is estimated that the elderly population will double between now and 2030. During this period, the number of elderly will grow by an average of 2.8% annually (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). By 2050, the number of people with Alzheimer’s is estimated to range from 11.3 million to 16 million (Alzheimer’s Association, 2005). These startling numbers should prompt an examination into one of the leading causes of death among this group of people. Understanding what Alzheimer’s is and the known causes of the disease are a good starting point. For those who have aging family members, knowing the risk factors and warning

After Sister Maria's death, the neuropathological evaluation found that her brain contained abundant neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques: the characteristic lesions of Alzheimer's disease. When focusing on the life of Sister Dolores, Dr. Snowdon observed that higher education may lead to higher functioning in later life. She was a professor of elementary education at Mt. Mary College and then a degree in geography. One clear difference between Sisters Maria and Dolores is in education. The pilot study also found a correlation between higher education and healthy function in later life. Sister Maria's poor health began from the start of her first “bluebirds”, an assignment after taking their vows. Sister Maria's first assignment was to teach a second-grade class at St. Joseph’s School in Appleton, Wisconsin. The vow of obedience meant that she accepted it without question, but the isolation and stress of her first year in America had taken its toll. On her first day of teaching Sister Maria suffered a nervous breakdown, and this marked an episode of severe depression which could be attributed to her outcome. The lives of these Nun’s have provided insight to aging and Alzheimer's disease and exemplifies to researchers what is possible in old age, and further research on how the diseases may be

A major devastating and debilitating disease, Alzheimer 's is a public health issue that affects not only the United States but also countries all around the world. In 2010, there were 35.6 million people living with Alzheimer’s. Researchers and medical personnel expect this number to triple by the year 2050. The disease is costing America an exorbitant amount of money and has become a burden on families, caregivers, medical personnel, the healthcare system, and the nation’s economy. If attention is not focused on this major problem, “nursing homes will be overloaded, caregivers will be burned out, healthcare system will be overwhelmed, and federal and state budgets will be overtaxed” (Alzheimer’s Association, 2011).

Throughout history there have been reports of decreased memory and mental deterioration that accompanied old age. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer who described the symptoms in a woman in Germany in the 1907 but it was not until the 1970’s that AD was considered to be a major disorder and AD continues to be a major health concern worldwide (Reger, 2002).

Alzheimer’s is a disease that is scary for those individuals who have developed this disease, as well as the illness is terrifying to those different love ones also. However, some questions have risen from this disease. Does this disease only affect the elderly? How is Alzheimer’s a disease to get? When will the individual lose his or her memory? Is there a treatment for this illness? The writer will be covering each one of these questions, and other issues about Alzheimer’s in the essay. The essay will also have the symptoms, the diagnoses, and the stage of having Alzheimer’s disease.

Reminiscing to 2010, when I was faced with my grandmother 's illness during the adolescent years in my life I knew that I had a passion to care for the elderly (aging) population. From this passion, it ignited a fire so strong that I pursue my certified nursing assistant certification to gain a better understanding of working with the elderly population. By doing so, it has been a great benefit to my life; aging is an inevitable experience that we all will go through during our life. It is important to ensure that our elderly individuals are still able to enjoy the best quality of life after retirement. However, as we age, there will be a lifestyle change that the aging population must encounter.

In an effort to lessen the impact this has on the results of the study, the estimates from East Boston were applied to a high, middle, and low series interval of the population. The high, middle, and low series intervals are given to buffer the results of the study. The population may not grow at the rate at it is expected to so the high interval is given in case the population grows at a rate higher than expected, and the low interval in case the population grows at a slower rate than expected. This gives a broader set of results that may be more accurate. Though the results of this study are not exact, the trend that they show is correct and useful. With the baby boomer generation steadily reaching post-retirement age, more people are being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and the issue of their care becomes a concern to them and their families. This raises many questions: What is Alzheimer's disease? Is it different from senility or amnesia? What causes it? Does a person with Alzheimer's disease need special care? Can that care be provided for in the home, by family members? Is this a practical way to care for the patient2?

Cognitive aging is worthy of study for many reasons. The more knowledge that is uncovered about cognitive aging, the closer to possibly finding ways to slow the process down, decrease the intensity of the symptoms, or maybe prevent it all together. If there are possible ways of doing so it is important to find them. The “what” and “when” of cognitive aging has made advances, but the “why”, “where”, and “how” are still to be uncovered. We further our knowledge of the “why”, “where”, or “how”, or uncover the full truth, without knowing the full truth about the “what” and “when”. Finding out more about one might lead to learning more about another. Expanding our knowledge on cognitive aging has the potential to increase someone’s quality of life. It has the potential to increase that family member’s quality of life. Cognitive aging effects more than the victim, it effects their

Alzheimer is a disease that affects the elderly most. The disease was discovered by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in the year 1906 when he was examining a female’s brain. He found out that the woman displayed memory loss, language problems and some inexplicable changes in behavior. The disease was named after the doctor who was a German psychiatrist and a neuropathologist. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder that leads to memory loss, personality changes, and language problems (Gilbert & Julie 2). The disease is mostly diagnosed in people over the age of 65 years, though there is a small minority of people under the age of 50 who get the disease. Studies show that 1% of a whole population aged between the ages 65-75 have severe

Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 out of every 8 people in the United States. It is a long and debilitating disease that affects every aspect of a person’s life from the way they preform daily tasks, to the physical and mental abilities that are diminishing. Along with the lifestyle changes that Alzheimer’s disease presents, it also affects one’s psychological perspective as well their view on what they can offer their family and society. There are some ways to maintain a level of independence with a disease of this magnitude but there are also factors in lifestyle choices that can make it worse. Alzheimer cannot be cured, it cannot be slowed, but there are ways to keep the effected person at a certain level of comfort, independence and safety

This seems odd to the author of this paper. Higher education is associated with greater development of the brain and mental stimulation as well as better control of different risk factors associated with blood flow (Langa et al., 2008). Another issue the author has with this is that regular exercise may delay and even prevent Alzheimer’s disease by getting more blood flowing to the brain. (Larson et al., 2006). Another issue the author of this paper has is a study was done with a bunch of nun’s where there writing from their youth was examined and compared to writing in their elder years. The study found that those with a simpler vocabulary and had a more negative attitude had a greater risk of death than those with a larger vocabulary and positive thoughts (Riley et al., 2005). A doctor then comes and analyzes her memory and is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Iris seems understanding of what is told to her and gets a scan of her brain done. While getting the scan done she thinks of a memory of swimming naked and seems to be lost in her memories. She then goes home and finishes her novel and slowly starts having trouble recognizing basic things such as her own novel she just finished. She begins to question everything and cannot hold a basic

Due to my four years’ experience working as a Nursing Assistant in a nursing home, inpatient rehabilitation facility and acute care facility, I considered myself to be well knowledgeable about the geriatric population. I was in for quite a surprise, the Older Adult Review allowed me to apply my learning from the textbooks and understand aging from a personal perspective. I have always feared to get older and ultimately dying but Mary helped ease my worries by commenting that although aging is hard and unexpected, one must always remain positive and ultimately thank God for all he has given us (Mary, personal communication, December 2, 2017). Being that Mary was a frequent patient under my care, I also assumed I knew very much about her, however, it was interesting to