Canine Dementia Essay

Thank you for responding, it really means a lot! I am 16 years old and I have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder with the traits of paranoid schizophrenia (including hallucinations and delusions), chronic depression, and generalized anxiety. I have had these mental illnesses since birth and living in day to day life can be difficult and exhausting for me.

More than 30 million people are affected worldwide, Alzheimer's is the number one cause of dementia. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that destroys memory and essential mental functions. The brain cells and the actual cells deteriorate and die; the main symptoms are confusion and loss of mind. Dementia follows Alzheimer's; you can’t have one without the other. Dementia, on the other hand, it is not its own disease, it is a group of thinking and social symptoms that hinder everyday tasks. Over 100 years ago a German physician by the name Alois Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a form of degenerative, fatal dementia, is characterized by progressive cognitive decline. While AD is the most common form of dementia, its prevalence has only recently been recognized. When Alois Alzheimer first described the sequence of changes in 1907, physicians believed the disease to be an extremely rare, mid-life condition. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that the same types of changes were shown to occur in both late- and early-onset forms (Cavanaugh et.al. 2008). As such, almost all knowledge of AD has been learned within the past several decades, with new discoveries being reported almost daily. It is now estimated that Alzheimer’s accounts for as many as 60% of all dementias and affects more than 500,000

On the other hand, the nature of a cat is to roam, causing them to lack structured discipline. Despite this you may be able to train a small percentage of cats, to do simple tricks, but it would be difficult and they may not comply for long.

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

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

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 and other dementias are impacting our communities on every level—that is why it is important to work together. Our Chapter’s quest to reach individuals living with the disease, family caregivers, members of the community and health care professionals continues to grow each year as we expand our reach through the hard work of our staff, volunteers and community partners. As we highlight the work of our programs and services throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire this year, we also encourage you to learn more by visiting us at alz.org/MANH.

There is no particular geographic segmentation for this issue, however the demographic and age characteristics can be narrowed down to people with hearing, mobility, developmental, medical and psychological disabilities (Government of Alberta, n.d.).

Although these formations are the hallmarks of this disease, it is still unclear to scientist whether these are the cause or effect (byproduct) of AD. (“Alzheimer’s Disease”) To reiterate, symptoms of AD were always present, but were never recognized or coined until 1907. Before Alzheimer’s big break through, the majority of the community correlated dementia and age as a “natural.” The connotation of the term senile implied old age or progression of age. It wasn’t until the late 1970s where neurological studies boomed and credited Alzheimer’s as an accepted disease. Later as a result, the Alzheimer’s Association was created in 1985. (Reger 2) This gradually perpetuated further understanding of this disorder that is still being continued today.

Alzheimer 's disease, or senile dementia, is a form of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. Brain cells and their connections are killed, and this is what causes people 's brain functions to fail. Scientist have yet to know what causes Alzheimer 's, but have discovered that age, family history, and genes contribute to developing the disease. Symptoms experienced by people with Alzheimer 's are poor judgement, poor decision making, inability to manage a budget, losing track of the date or season, difficulty having a conversation, misplacing things, and being unable to retrace steps to find them. According to National Geographic, symptoms experienced in animals include, “acting disoriented, walking in circles, or staring into corners or at the wall.” So far, not a lot of research has been done on animal dementia. Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer 's, but there are treatments to help with some brain functions such as cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine to help treat symptoms like loss of memory, confusion, and problems with thinking and reasoning. Certain genes passed down from your parents contribute to a higher or definite chance of developing the disease. Currently, neuroscientists--scientists that study diseases in the brain and nervous system--are committed to creating clinical trials to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. There are hundreds of various clinical trials that have been created to help combat or even cure Alzheimer 's disease.

The relationship between dementia and Alzheimer's is similar to the relationship between a cow and an animal:

In 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer had a patient named Auguste D. He described this patient by saying she had “profound memory loss and unfounded suspicions about family” (Alzheimer, 1906). After his patient had died, he performed an autopsy to rule the cause of death. Alzheimer claims he found “dramatic shrinkage and abnormal deposits in and around the nerve cells”. His findings set new standards for understanding neuro-degenerative disorders around the world. In 1910, this newly discovered abnormality was coined as “Alzheimer’s Disease” (healthline.com). Researching soon ensued and scientists now had more information than ever. In 1976, Alzheimer’s was recognized as the most common cause of dementia. By 1984 Beta-amyloid was found present in brain

non-verbal, non-reactive, and only walked, eat and sleep. While others have tried to have him interact with the activities and other people to no prevail. One dog was walking around visiting other residents and he began to walk toward the dog and tried to reach for the dog. After the handler realized what he was trying to do then the handler picked up the dog and the resident petted the dog for upward of 15 seconds and then walked away. While this is not the normal reaction people would think of when a patient sees a dog that was a humongous point for this one man and everyone who witnessed the account (Addcock)

The German Shepherd is not only one of the world's most popular companion dogs, but also probably the most widely used breed for service work. The development of the German Shepherd Dog, along with a number of existing breeds, helped pioneer the modern use of dogs for service and community work that we can see today. For a breed of dog that has only been officially recognised for just over 100 years, it has made an outstanding contribution to mankind worldwide.