Alzheimer's Disease: A Brief Summary And Analysis

Alzheimer’s is a disease in the brain that affects a person’s memory, thinking, and behavior. It is the most common form of dementia and is common in adults older than 65. More than five million Americans are being affected by Alzheimer’s at this moment. Alzheimer’s comes in three stages; early, middle, and advanced. The disease is caused by the shrinking of the brain due to many risk factors and genetics.

Alzheimer’s, the most relevant cause of Dementia, is a disease that affects as many as 4.5 million Americans per year (WebMD 2005-2014). Alzheimer’s is a disease that is an irremediable, continuous brain neuron degenerative disease that can be asymptomatic at first and then overtime becomes symptomatic. Alzheimer’s is a gradual disease that advances in three phases: mild, then moderate, and, finally, severe (1). Symptoms appear after the age of 60 and include: the slow destruction of memory and thought processes, and ultimately ends with the absent ability to do normal everyday duties. These symptoms can be anything from forgetting a recent event, or can be as problematic as forgetting the name of a family member. There are many daily

Alzheimer 's disease is a condition that affects the cognitive status of many people around the world regardless of wealth, ethnicity, intelligence or any other factor. A specific case study that demonstrates the destructive nature of the disease can be seen in the case of Akram. Akram was an 80-year-old woman with a past medical history of hypertension, diverticulitis, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and diabetes. Her history did include a serious head injury at the age of 45 from an automobile accident, but she recovered well after some time in the hospital. As she aged, she could remember childhood friends and family from 20+ years ago quite well. What tripped her up were simple daily processes of life. She might put food in the oven to cook, but fail to turn it on after doing all the prep work. Also, she began to frequently misplace her keys and have trouble remembering where she put household items. She had been a very intelligent person with a lot of energy and had previously been involved in a lot of volunteer projects she helped run. Upon talking to her husband, it was learned that she had been having similar difficulties over the past two years. Driving was a big issue as well; she felt she could recall how, but still had trouble operating her vehicle. She also frequently got lost on routine trips, like to the grocery store. Additionally, she would forget whether she had eaten and had several extra meals in a day unless a helper or a family member was keeping

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative brain disease for which there is no recovery. Slowly, the disease attacks nerve cells in all parts of the cortex, as well as some surrounding structures; thus impairing the capacity of the person to govern emotions, recognize errors and patterns, coordinate movement, and remember (Qué es la enfermedad de Alzheimer?, n.d., para. 1).

Many cultures, especially African American and Latinos, experience health disparities. Infant mortality is much higher in the African American population than in the Caucasian population. Health care coverage rates are lower in African American and Latino populations, causing minorities with more serious health issues less access to health care. Minorities in the United States are known to have poor health and disabilities. Social justice reflects that social and economic conditions shape minorities’ health and communities. This article focuses on two complex diseases that elderly people are faced with today: Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia. Patients with these diseases suffer from limited medical care.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting almost 70% of its sufferers. It is a degenerative brain disorder that is developed in mid to late adulthood and is caused by the death of brain cells. The fact that it is a neurodegenerative disease means that this brain cell death is progressive and must occur over a long period of time.

The most common early symptom of Alzheimer’s is difficulty remembering newly learned information. (Alzheimer’s Association) Short-term memory will begin to fail when Alzheimer's disease first kills the nerve cells in the hippocampus. (AFA) As we age, so does our brain. In life it is common for us to eventually experience some loss of our cognitive ability. Nonetheless, severe memory loss, misperceptions, and other extreme changes in the way our minds work may be a sign that our brain cells are failing. Before my grandmother was diagnosed she had gotten lost while driving to my aunt’s house, she could not remember where she was going. She called my grandfather in hysterics, this is when he decided it was time to take her to the doctor. Many people like my grandmother are not aware of their symptoms, it is much easier for family members and friends to see the signs of Alzheimer’s. As Alzheimer’s claims the brain, the symptoms become much more severe. Eventually its victims could suffer from incomprehension, mood and behavior changes. They can begin to experience confusion about occasions including time and place. They may develop an overwhelming and speculative reservations toward their family, friends, and caretakers. Eventually they may have extreme difficulty speaking, swallowing, and walking; this is caused by neurons dying in the cerebral

There are good days and there are bad days and for people living with Alzheimer's Disease. The variation of days are based on how much they can remember. My grandmother was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago and is beginning to show early signs of Alzheimer's Disease. Medicine is supposed to heal or fix any abnormality within the body, but there isn't much to stop the rapid killing of brain cells. I cannot help but wonder how many prayers and wishes will it take for my grandma to remember. Right now, the galaxies are low on supplies of stars, and my prayers seem like a repetitive monologue. The worst feeling in the world is waiting for someone who you're not sure exists anymore. How can you know who you are when any trail of your being is erased? So I force feed myself these words, "Hi grandma, how you have been?" When the waves of selfishness lead me to these, "Hi grandma, do you know who I am?"

The authors opines that due to the advances in medicine our life expectancy is likely to extend and many of us will be called upon to be caregivers for someone in our family who requires special care. This book guides and educates readers on what can be done from a caregiver's standpoint to be better equipped to nurture people living with Alzheimer's disease. This book is authoritative as it packed with tips and techniques from five authorities in the field, and provides insights such as: What caregiving style will suit me best? What skills are likely to remain as Alzheimer's disease progresses? How do I balance my needs with the needs of the person I'm caring for? And much more! The most important tenet of this book is that we can better care

Psychology is an applied as well as an academic field that studies both the human mind and behavior. The research in psychology attempts to explain and understand behavior, emotion and thought. The subject of psychology was created when Wilhelm Wundt opened up the very first psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany. Wilhelm Wundt believed that individuals who are appropriately trained would most likely be able to recognize the mental processes that are accompanied with feelings, thoughts and sensations (Wagner , 2009).

Receiving an Alzheimer's Disease diagnosis can be very scary. Fortunately, there are lifestyle changes you can make that will make it a lot easier for you to live with this condition. Below is a list of tips for living with Alzheimer's disease:

In February of 2000, I lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's disease. She was diagnosed with the disease just less than two years prior to her death. Throughout that time, I watched changes in my grandmother that made her seem like an entirely different woman to me. She gradually began losing her short-term memory and we began to see signs of her long-term memory degrading too. It began to get harder and harder to take her out into public without being afraid of what would happen next. Her emotions would fluctuate with the changing of each minute it seemed. Physically she became weaker and weaker and would often scare us with falling while she would be walking. Eventually she had to be moved into the

The news story that I continue to research, Healthy mitochondria could stop Alzheimer’s, is directly related to finding the cause and cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Today’s research and treatment attempts for Alzheimer’s disease center around the belief that the cause of this disease is the build-up of toxic plaque in the brain due to the protein called beta-amyloid. This article introduces the thought that Alzheimer’s may be a metabolic disease and studies mitochondria, energy-producing cells. Specifically, scientists introduced the idea that healthy mitochondria can stop Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, studies reveal that Alzheimer’s disease causes damage to mitochondria resulting in the cell’s inability to protect or discard damaged cells.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurological disorder, which is the most common form of dementia, one of the major causes of disability in future life. Age is the main risk factor for AD, which usually affects people aged sixty five years and above. However, only age alone does not cause the disease. Several ways have been associated with AD pathophysiology, the most termed is the neurodegenerative one, which lead to the brain growth of beta-amyloid and neurofibrillary tangles, combinations of hyper phosphorylated tau protein, macroscopically resulting in brain atrophy due to neuronal death. These pathological marks of AD have been lately combined in the new recommendations on diagnostic strategies for AD, which describe different

Problems of memory, particularly for recent events (short-term memory) are common early in the course of Alzheimer 's disease. For example, the individual may, on repeated occasions, forget to turn off an iron or fail to recall which of the morning 's medicines were taken. Mild personality changes, such as less spontaneity, apathy, and a tendency to withdraw from social interactions, may occur early in the illness.