Alzheimer 's Disease : Caring For Caregivers

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal form of dementia, frequently seen in the elderly altering their cognition, thought process and behavior. AD is reported in about half of patients that have a dementia diagnosis; one study states that about 10.3% of the population over 65 years is affected by dementia with an increase to almost 50% over the age of 8 (Beattie, 2002). Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of the aging process in humans, but rather found in a group of diseases that affect the brain leading to a decline in mental and physical control. AD when diagnosed has a very slow and gradual course, initially affecting the individual’s short term memory (Beattie, 2002). Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death, affecting more than five million people in the United States and is also one of the most common forms of dementia. Dementia can be defined as a disorder of progressive cognitive impairment severe enough to affect daily functions of an individual’s life (Fillit, et al., 2002).

Alzheimer’s disease is a common problem in today’s society and within the older population this disease makes up the largest form of dementia. Although it is a problem in mainly older people, this disease can still occur in the younger population also. People in their 30s-50s can be diagnosed with this disease, even though it is not as common as people in their 60s-90s. The number of people with Alzheimer’s in the U.S. is close to five million and is expected to double within the next 30 years. With our modern medicine and advancements one would think a cure would be available, however, getting to the cause of the disease is a major factor. The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is one that is very debatable and questionable and most likely is a result of multiple factors rather than one. The main issue with finding the cause is because this disease affects the brain and can

Alzheimer’s disease, also referred to as AD, is a form of dementia that affects millions of people worldwide. AD is best known for causing memory loss in those who suffer from it, as well as affecting decision-making, language, and decision making progressively over time (Zou et at, 2014). According to Zou et el (2014), the symptoms of AD are caused by a build of plaques in the neurons of the brain. Alois Alzheimer discovered the disease, which was later named after him, when a woman at the age of 51 presented to him with a case of dementia that was new to him. Alzheimer was able to deduce the behavior of the woman with certain cognitive features, as well as through autopsy proceedings, that the symptoms were caused by “senile plaques” within

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is a type of dementia that no one would ever want their grandmother or grandfather to suffer from, as it destroys memory and other important mental functions of its sufferer. Alzheimer's disease is currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. While the age 65 and older is its target age, it has consumed the lives of over 1.9 million people. The brain begins to show signs of damage in the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential in forming memories. As more neurons die, parts of the brain then begin to shrink. By the final stage of Alzheimer’s, damage is widespread, and brain tissue has shrunk significantly. The idea that Alzheimer’s disease is related to age in 1974 was introduced

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia in people above the age of 65. In 1901, Alois Alzheimer identified the first case of this disease and discovered the pathological condition of dementia that bears his name. AD is a progressive disease, the most common early symptom is short-term memory loss. As the disorder advances, individuals have problems with language, motivation, mood and long-term memory. In the final stages, the patient is complete loss of daily living activities.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is part of a group of diseases called dementia and it is the most typical type of dementia, making up about 60-80% of total dementia types. This disease is becoming more and more prevalent as people’s lifespan increases, because of the ever-advancing medical field. Additionally, the total number of Alzheimer’s cases is expected to double over the next 20 years. Most generally, it affects people over the age of 65, but can affect people as young as the age of 40 and is the 5th leading cause of death for the elderly. Once diagnosed, a patient normally lives 1 to 10 years and in some unusual cases, up to 20 years.

There are approximately 25 million people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) worldwide. In the United States, it is estimated that five million people living with AD. Each year the number of the people diagnosed with AD rises (Ganguli, Dodge, Shen, Pandav, & DeKosky, 2005). According to Goodman and Fuller (2016), Alzheimer is seen in 6% of people at age 65, 20% of people older than 80 years old, and 95% chances for people at age 95(p. 1465). It is reported that Alzheimer’s disease will double every twenty years to approximately

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, accounting for 65–70% of all cases (Jellinger, Janetzky, Attems, & Kienzl, 2008). The other dementias are of the Parkinson 's group, the fronto-temporal group and the vascular group. The total worldwide yearly costs for the treatment and care of patients suffering from dementia are estimated to be around 250 billion US dollars. The lifetime risk for AD between the ages of 65 and 100 is 33% for men and 45% for women with an annual increase of 1–2% in the seventh decade to almost 60% in the 10th decade with doubling every 5 years (Jellinger et al., 2008). AD is incurable, and thus represents a major public health problem. AD represents a challenge to humanity due to its relatively recent discovery, progressive nature of the illness, and complex diagnosis.

Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness that affects the brain tissue directly and undergoes gradual memory and behavioral changes which makes it difficult to diagnose. It is known to be the most common form of dementia and is irreversible. Over four million older Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to triple in the next twenty years as more people live into their eighties and nineties. (Johnson, 1989). There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but throughout the past few years a lot of progress has been made.

Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative disease that attacks and ultimately destroys brain cells. Without these cells functioning properly, every aspect of a person’s life is adversely affected until they are no longer able to care for themselves. Despite years of research and the large amount of money that has gone into the study of this disease and its effects, there is much that remains a mystery in regards to Alzheimer’s disease. While great strides have been made towards a cause and ultimately a cure, there is much work to be done before Alzheimer’s disease will no longer be a threat.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition where the neurons degenerate in the brain, while the brain substance shrinks in volume. Alzheimer’s is also the number one cause of dementia. When it was first noticed, Alzheimer’s was thought to be a pre-senile disease, but now it is known to be responsible for seventy-five percent of the dementia cases in people over sixty-five years of age. Alzheimer’s disease usually causes several years of personal and intellectual decline until death. Because there is an increasing number of elderly citizens in the United States, research into the causes and possible cures for the disease is on the rise (1).

Alzheimer’s disease (henceforth: AD) though has four approved drugs, yet still treatment remains ineffectual and as such continues to pose a great burden to families of affected individuals, societies as well as developed countries. The complexity of the pathogenesis of AD makes it difficult to ascertain its cause along with effective treatment.

Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia, a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. Its symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. There is no known cure for it at this time, and has only but a few treatment options to help temporarily improve symptoms. More than three million US cases are diagnosed per year for the ages 65+, and over 200,000 cases in those younger than 65 and is the 6th leading cause of death among US citizens, roughly 60% - 80% of all dementia cases are Alzheimer's cases. The greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease is increase of age.

Neurodegenerative disease are characterized by the progressive loss of neurons from specific origins of the CNS .Alzheimer disease(AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder which affect brain regains that control memory and ability to learn. It is estimated that 27 million people are affected word wide and this number is expected to triple by 2050 due to increase of the population life expectancy . AD is becoming one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative conditions worldwide. Although the disease progression is becoming better understood, current medical interventions can only ameliorate some of the symptoms but cannot slow disease progression.