We all forget things once in awhile. Maybe you've forgotten to complete an assignment for class or return an overdue library book. It is a part of life and becomes more common as we get older. In this paper I will share research found to help keep an eye out on reactions in people that may be going through dementia and or alzheimer’s. Knowing the history and facts about Alzheimer’s as well as signs to look for in other people and tips for dealing with this disease can raise awareness and possibly save a life. The history behind the name starts in 1901 in a Psychiatric hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. A patient in her early 50’s named Augusté Deter, displayed signs of memory loss and crazy mood swings. Dr. Alois Alzheimer, the leading Psychiatrist …show more content…
The Cerebral Cortex or “Brain” consist of four lobes, the frontal, temporal, occipital and parietal lobe. The frontal lobe is used for reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving. The Temporal lobe has to do with understanding, memory and speech. The Occipital lobe is used for visual processing and the Parietal processes sensory of the 3 T’s, taste, temperature and touch. Alzheimer’s affects the frontal and temporal lobes more than the other two, from personal experience with my grandma, I noticed when she goes through an “episode” she blanks out, when I asked her “what’s my name?” She was hesitant to answer, at that moment she didn’t know who I was, so that would be a memory issue, her speech was slurred, and she displayed confusion and worry. Common signs to look for in other are, signs of memory loss, confusion, difficulty thinking or understanding and delusion such as relating things to a pass time or talk to themselves a lot. When communicating or talking look at their reactions when answered questions, are they aggressive, depressed. Do they repeat themselves, get paranoid or wander off, do they take their medication regularly or have insomnia. These are just some symptoms and signs of Alzheimer’s there …show more content…
Over time the disease get worse and the patient needs more help. It can be an overwhelming experience for everyone, but can also be rewarding. As a “caregiver” you have to understand what the patient is going through such as, memory loss and personality changes. Communicating and understanding and understanding is difficult, people with AD (Alzheimer’s Disease) have trouble finding the right words to speak or even understanding what they’re being asked. When communicating with people that have AD, give them direct eye contact so they know that you’re talking to them and address them by their name. They can sense your behavior, the speaker needs to have a clear, and patient tone and be mindful of your body language, if you look irritated, the person with AD will receive that message as it is being displayed. Another tip is to be Patient, don’t rush them to talk or walk or eat, because they can become just as frustrated as the person they are speaking to. If they are weak, help them stand up or sit up if needed. Let them be independent, it allows them to make their own decisions, but giving them options are helpful, for example asking them if they’re hungry, if they are give them a choice of maybe a soup or a sandwich. Listen to them, give them attention by caring for them show them love, support and
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).
Alzheimer’s disease is incurable, but there are many stages, warning signs, and risk factors that can serve as detection devices for those who have older adults in their lives. One of the most common early signs of this form of dementia is memory loss. While it is normal for people to occasionally forget things, such as appointments and names, people with Alzheimer’s tend to forget these things more often and are not able to recall them even after a period of time. Other signs that signify a possible case of Alzheimer’s is difficulty performing familiar tasks (cooking, brushing teeth), problems with language (using odd words, failing to remember correct words), disorientation (forgetting where one lives, not knowing how he got to a certain place), problems with abstract thinking (forgetting what numbers represent), misplacing items (putting a hair brush in the freezer), moodiness, personality changes (confusion, suspicion, fearfulness), and loss of initiative
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include memory loss, change in behavior, and overall cognitive decline.
Certain qualities are consistently observed in the Alzheimer’s victim. These dysfunction’s, though, are not exclusive to Alzheimer’s disease. Consequently, declaring Alzheimer’s by these parameters is a matter of degree rather than an absolute. Characteristic dysfunction’s have been noted in Alzheimer’s victims, but the degree and severity of these varies from patient to patient. Thus, evaluation of the patient’s mental status must be made based on the sum, rather than a single characteristic. Memory is one of the first noticed deficiencies, beginning typically with the recent and short term memory, and progressing from there as the disease grows more severe. In addition, deterioration in language skills, attention span, praxis (performance of an action), and visuospatial skills are commonly seen. Also observed are changes in the actions and personality of the Alzheimer’s victim. These include changes in mood, motor activities, activities of daily living, socialization skills, psychotic disturbances, vegetative symptomology, and rise in anxiety levels. Again, the
It occasionally happens to everyone. You can’t find your glasses. The grocery list is on the refrigerator, and you’re at the store. You forget the new neighbour’s first name.
Early 1900’s a man named Alois Alzheimer cared for a woman who had rapid severe declining dementia, after she died he was able to study her brain where he found atrophy of the grey matter along with plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which when destroyed interrupts the messages sent from the neurotransmitters to the central and limbic regions of the brain resulting in early
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 disorder that occurs when an individual’s brain cells begin to die gradually, over an unknown period of time. Those suffering from Alzheimer’s experience a multitude of symptoms such as not being able to identify family, friends, and acquaintances, having the incapacity to grasp new knowledge, and undergoing states of confusion.
Dementia, defined by the Alzheimer’s Association, is the overall term for diseases and conditions characterized by a decline in memory or other thinking skills that affects a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. More than 250,000 Americans will develop dementia (including Alzheimer 's) when they are sixty-five or older and at eighty-five the risk of developing Alzheimer’s is fifty percent. Since this disease was found in 1907 by Alois Alzheimer, there have been thousands of dollars, research, and clinical trials put into finding a cure for this horrible disease. This literature review examines the effects of the type of Dementia known as
“What is Alzheimer’s disease (AD)?” Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia that affects an individual’s memory, cognition, and behavior disturbances that ultimately diminishes their quality of life.1-2 Dementia is not a specific disease it is a general term for a variety of symptoms that affect memory and intellectual thinking that causes difficulty in our tasks of daily living.(5) The confusion between these two terms is extraordinary. It’s helpful to think of dementia as the symptom and to think of AD as the cause of that symptom. Although, there are many causes of dementia for the purpose of this paper, Alzheimer’s will be the only one discussed.
With this being the case it is recommended that caregivers to the elderly make themselves aware of the common signs of Alzheimer’s. Things such as forgetting a name important dates, appointments or difficulty following a familiar recipe but remembering them later, trouble finding their words when talking, rapid mood swings, separation from friends and family to being confused about a time or place, all of these are signs to watch for and look
Alzheimer’s is a degenerate disease of the brain. There are an estimated four million Americans that live with Alzheimer’s, it is believed that the disease accounts anywhere from 50 to 70 percent of all cases of dementia (UCSF medical center). The vast amount of cases leads me to believe that we would not need to look very far to find either a friend or family member distant or close that has had a personal or familial experience with this disease.
What is Alzheimer’s disease and what are its basic features? Alzheimer’s disease was discovered for the first time by Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, he introduced it and described its symptoms after studying the
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.
In the early stages, the most common symptom is recognized as not being able to remember what had just happened. When diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the diagnosis is usually made by evaluating behaviors and testing cognition, which it may be accompanied by a brain