Alzheimer’s Disease and the Symptoms Essay examples

As these abnormalities begin to occur in the brain, the first outward symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is mild memory loss. This occurs gradually over a period of time, and often remains ignored until it begins to interfere with the person’s work or social life. It is often difficult for patients and family to acknowledge a slowly worsening memory. Forgetting small things like names and appointments is attributed to the aging process, as are mental declines such as the loss of quick mental calculation. Elderly people who are suspected to have Alzheimer’s disease are more likely to

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.

In the United States there are approximately 5.4 million people living with Alzheimer’s. Every sixty-nine seconds a person is diagnosed. This is an ongoing issue, and unless something is done, sixteen million people will be affected by 2050 (Latest).

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 progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. Brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease dies and degenerate causing the loss of memory and mental functions. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.A. Alzheimer’s Disease is named after Dr. Abis Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a lady who had died of an unusual mental illness that was very unknown. The woman 's’ symptoms included memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior that people with Alzheimer’s have almost often of times. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in this world and it’s thought to be the most progressive disease of all diseases. Also this disease gets progressively worse over time. The majority of people with Alzheimer’s are sixty-five years old or older, however, almost five percent of the people have early-onset Alzheimer’s. Early-Onset Alzheimer 's is known as Alzheimer 's at a younger age which appears at the ages of forties and fifties. In early stage Alzheimer’s, memory lost is very mild. With late Alzheimer’s, individuals lose the ability to carry on conversations and respond to their environment. People with Alzheimer’s often live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to others.

Alzheimer’s disease effects hundreds of thousands of older adults. Research has been done and a cure is being searched for, but so far there is no way to cure it. There are treatments for Alzheimer’s that may help, but the cure is slow coming and few things have been learned about it. Older persons who experience the disease can experience a wide array of effects such as confusion, depression, violent tendencies, and many other things of that nature. There are different stages of the mental sickness, from minor, to severe. Different research states that the more schooling you have the, the less likely you are to develop Alzheimer’s, it may also be genetic and passed down through generations.

The first aspect is the history of the term Alzheimer. Farther more, it was named Alzheimer in 1864 by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer (1). Alzheimer goes under diseases that are nerves and, or mental (1). The name itself was a surname from the place Alzheim, meaning "old hamlet" (1). Alios Alzheimer was the first physician to identify this disease, and he first noticed it in elderly people (1). To add, Alzheimer as a medical term was not well known until the early 1970s (1). The disease frequently detected in people whom are beyond 65 years old mostly (2).

Mary Ann Becklenberg shared her story with a WebMD writer and shared analogies and stories of what it is like to live with the illness in the most valuable times. Mary said that she had to quit her job as a Clinical Social Worker because she no longer met the qualifications. She states that everything became fuzzy (Griffin). To have to quit your day to day job because an illness is taking over your skills and talent is something that no one should have to go through. She also told about how she went on a month long trip to California and her husband was with her for one week and when she got back home she didn’t remember him even being there with her (Griffin). For her husband that had to be difficult because only imagine what that would feel like. Visualize of what a good time they had together while there and the different places they seen and the sunsets they watched and she doesn’t remember anything. Although she has no control over that situation, it would still be hard. Her husband told her everything they did and once they both realized she didn't remember that’s when they knew it was getting bad (Griffin). It is obviously known that Alzheimer’s affects not only the person with the disease, but also for the people that are surrounded by

Envision living the great life, surrounded by the ones you love the most, continuing to be cheerful and ecstatic. Now imagine to slowly be forgetful of silly daily life objectives. For example, like forgetting where you left your phone or your car keys.Then eventually you forgot about your loved one’s birthday or to make that appointment. All of a sudden, you can’t seem to remember how your loved ones looked, or who you even are. As time quickly runs by, you’re now forgetting how to talk, and how to take care of yourself. This crazy forgetful concept is a disease called Alzheimer’s, and today there are over 5 million americans living with this disease.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), according to Shan (2013), “is the most common form of dementia. It is a degenerative, incurable, and terminal disease.” (p. 32). AD is a disease in which the brain essentially deteriorates, is vastly progressive, and complex. Because there is no cure for this disease, scientists and researchers should continue seeking effective prevention measures. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for hundreds of thousands of geriatric deaths each year, and affects not only the patient, but the caregivers and loved ones as well.

There are 5.3 million people in America of all ages that suffer with Alzheimer’s and of those 5.3 million affected, two-thirds are women, and each year the number of people affected by the disease increases. Alzheimer’s disease is a deterioration of the brain cell connections, and the cells degenerate and then die. The disease slowly destroys the memory and thinking skills, and eventually makes it extremely difficult to carry out simple tasks. It affects the person, and the brain psychologically, cognitively, behaviorally, and their mood as well. There is no cure for the disease or methods to slow it down, there are only medications and management strategies that can temporary improve the symptoms. Although, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s

     The average life span of a person getting Alzheimer’s is between the ages of 45 and 60. Millions of people are plagued by this heartbreaking disease. Although heredity does not play an obvious role, if one’s parents have it, there is a great chance of the disease appearing in the child during their elderly years. The risk for getting the disease increases with age and is seen more commonly in elderly females. There are a number of theories for the actual cause of Alzheimer’s disease, but at this

According to Mayo Clinic Staff, “Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Alzheimer’s disease is “the most common cause of dementia that results in the loss of intellectual and social skills (Mayo Clinic, 2014). “Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases” (Alzheimer’s Association). During “Alzheimer’s disease, the brain cells themselves degenerate and die, causing a steady decline in memory and mental function” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). “Alzheimer’s disease was first described a peculiar disease in 1906, by a German physician Dr. Alois Alzheimer” (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). In 1910, “Emil Kraepelin, a German psychiatrist who worked

Alzheimer’s disease slowly steals a person’s dignity and erases precious memories. The “Alzheimer’s Disease Guide”, found on WebMD explains that tasks become more difficult to do often leading to confusion and behavior changes. The article further explains the progression of the disease also brings hardship to family and friends (1). To best cope with Alzheimer’s we must better understand the disease.

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