Alzheimer's Disease Article Summary

     Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia, “a brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities (Shenk 14)”. Alzheimer’s is a progressive and irreversible brain disorder that slowly destroys a person’s memory and ability to learn, make judgments, communicate, and accomplish daily activities. As Alzheimer’s progresses, individuals may also experience changes in personality and behavior, such as anxiety, suspiciousness or aggravation, as well as illusions or hallucinations.

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).

In this Chapter, we discussed the six pillars of Alzheimer’s prevention. Throughout the week, the great leader has built these “pillars” to help us understand and comprehend the greatness of preventing Alzheimer’s in the distant future.

Do you know what alzheimer’s disease is? Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, and the fifth leading cause of death in ages 65 and older. “2010 Alzheimer 's Disease Facts and Figures. Rep. Vol. 6. Chicago: Alzheimer 's Association, 2010. Print. Alzheimer 's and Dementia.” This disease is the deterioration of the brain that can, and probably will lead to brain loss that cannot be reversed. It is a very slow decline that can last years. Alzheimer’s usually targets short-term memory first, and can eventually impair thinking and reasoning later on, which will eventually cause problems with communication and daily living.

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 85. (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)

What is Alzheimer’s disease and how is it affecting lives in the world today? The Alzheimer’s Association state that every 67 seconds someone is diagnosed with the Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s Association, 2). The Alzheimer’s disease occurs in middle to older ages, and is a general deterioration of the brain. Symptoms of the Alzheimer’s disease include memory loss within the daily lifestyle, hard time completing tasks and problems, misunderstanding time and/or place, clarity problems with relationships or visual images, personality and mood deviations, and removing oneself from social and work activities that are in their normal lifestyle. The Alzheimer’s disease does get worse and progress overtime, and is one of the leading diseases for the cause of death. Bright Focus Foundation

In this detailed thesis, it defines what the Alzheimer's disease is, it also discusses the possible outcomes if the disease progresses and the potential treatments to aid this issue. It also highlights the impacts that Alzheimer's has on the individual and others who are connected to said individual.

This paper is on dementia, a late-life disorder, as it pertains to the geriatric population. “It is estimated that 24.3 million people around the world have dementia and that, with an estimated 4.6 million new cases every year, we can expect about 43 million people and their families to have to handle the challenge of dementia by 2020.” (McNamera, 2011) I will cover three relevant points concerning this disorder that cause changes in the brain.

As I stated before Alzheimer’s diseases have different stages, early stages are memory loss. Just like our bodies, our brains age also, we tend to think at a slower pace and occasionally become forgetful about certain things. When it comes to Alzheimer’s the brain cells are failing, chronic memory loss, confusion, and other serious mental issues that become more noticeable. Patients tend to lose memory of new information because Alzheimer’s start to stop the brain from learning anything. As the diseases move through the brain it also causes disorientation, mood and behavior changes, confusion about events, time and place, becomes suspicious of family and friends. Some cases have been found of serious memory loss, behavior changes, unable of speaking, swallowing and walking. The brain has over 100 million nerve cells or how scientists refer as neurons, each nerve cells connects to one another to create a form of communication, and each of the nerve cells have a special job. These groups of nerve cells have the job of thinking, learning, or

Being in existence alongside someone well- known, notable differences occur within how their behavior, attitude, and memory alters. Alzheimer’s disease contain three stages. Mid/early stage lasts two to four years, involving frequent memory

There comes a moment that it is never again conceivable to comprehend settings or evaluate data, detail a supposition and afterward choose what to do. For instance, a man who has late-organize Alzheimer's can see that it's sprinkling outside, and can express this reality in words. Yet, they won't have the capacity to reach determinations for their own particular activities. They may then go out to do their shopping in an undershirt as opposed to putting on an overcoat or taking an umbrella.

Alzheimer’s disease is a very slowly progressive disease that occurs inside the brain in which is characterized by damage of memory. Also this type of disease can lead into interruption in language, problem solving, planning and perception. The chance of a person developing Alzheimer’s disease increases enormously after the age of 70 (Crystal, 2009). Also people who are over the age of 85 have over a 50 percent chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This type of disease is not at all normal in the aging process and is also not something that happens out of no where in a person’s life.

The human brain goes through many changes from birth to death. The changes can be good while others may be bad. Such as Alzheimer’s disease, the disease affects the brain and persons cognitive function. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease which has different stages. The stages will go from the early stages of the disease, to moderate, then eventually becoming severe. The person with Alzheimer’s disease it affected both physically and mentally

This article discusses the positive and negative consequences of early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. The positive aspect of early diagnosis is through early care and intervention, a halt in the progression of the disease may be achieved with the limited drug options. It also provides the individual the ability to plan and prepare for an uncertain future. The diagnosis does alleviate the confusion of why the person is experiencing problems in performing their daily functions and helps those that interact with the person understand the changes in the individual’s behavior.

Detecting the early onset of Alzheimer's disease will be able to help hundreds of thousands of patients around the globe, and it's a lot more easily done than you'd think. All doctors will need to do a test is a patient's saliva, it's that easy.