Caregivers Must Use Sponges On The End Of A Body

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.

Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in America. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Alzheimer’s accounts for 70-80% of dementia cases. By the age of 65, 1 in 9 people are diagnosed and by the age of 85, 1 in 3 people will have the disease. According to the Alzheimer Association, 5 million people in American have Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s starts to form 20 years prior to being diagnosed. Learning about Alzheimer’s can help families understand how Alzheimer’s is more than just memory loss, it is an incurable mental disease.

Alzheimer 's disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain from which there is no recovery. There are three brain abnormalities that are the hallmarks of the Alzheimer’s disease is initially caused by plaques buildup in the brain’s neurons as illustrated in figure 1. The support structure that allows the flow of the nutrients through the neurons gets damaged and ultimately there is loss of connection among the neurons and they die off (National Institute of Health, 2015). This causes the brain tissue to shrinks, which is called atrophies. All this ultimately lead the victim of this disease to face difficulties in governing emotions, recognize errors and patterns, coordinate movement, and remember. Ultimately, a person with AD loses all memory and mental functioning.

Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that accounts for sixty to seventy percent of Dementia cases. It is characterized by the development of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the loss of connection between neurons in the brain and the death of nerve cells. There are two types of Alzheimer’s Early on-set Alzheimer’s which occur from the ages of thirty to sixty is very rare and makes up less than five percent of the cases of Alzheimer’s . The second type is Late on-set Alzheimer’s which is the most common type and it is found in those of ages sixty and up. The progression of Alzheimer’s is a lengthy progress from the time of diagnosis the average life expectancy is three to nine years. In the early stages people have difficulty with short term memory loss as the disease progresses symptoms include difficulties with language, disorientation, mood swings, loss of motivation, loss of self-care and behavioral issues. As Alzheimer’s progresses a person slowly withdraws from family life and society due to the jumbled state of their memory. On a physical level the body’s physical function slowly degenerates and eventually leads to death.

Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common causes of dementia. The term 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms, which can include memory loss, changes in mood and problems with communication and reasoning. These symptoms occur when certain diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, damage the brain. Alzheimer's disease could be described as a physical disease affecting the brain. During the course of the disease, protein 'plaques' and 'tangles' develop

     It is inevitable that eventually each of us will grow old and begin to face more and more health problems as our age rises. Elderly people are challenged by many illnesses and diseases that unfortunately, are incurable. One disease that becomes more common as people age is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s a common cause and a form of dementia and can severely damage a patient’s cognitive functions and can ultimately cause death. Living with Alzheimer’s disease can be saddening for both the sufferer and the family. Family and friends will find it very hard to cope when a loved one begins slipping away and losing memory of who they are.

Alzheimer's, the word strikes fear in some and an off-handed glance in others. The fact still remains that Alzheimer’s is an extremely shattering disease that removes the mind fraction by fraction over a period of time, this could even take decades. It begins as small memory lapses, slowly progressing to memory breaches but then progressively eroding your life to the point where around-the-clock care is the only option. With severe Alzheimer's, as we almost hear daily that patients have wandered off and gotten lost. In my own life, my grandfather was not even able to recognize his family members. Alzheimer's was a little known disease before 1960, but today it threatens to completely derail the health system in the United States.

Even today, after so much study, Alzheimer’s is not fully understood. However, researchers do agree that this degenerative disease is caused by the gradual buildup of fibrous protein compounds in the brain, which are known in the scientific world as amyloids. These amyloids in the brain area act like plaque and as a result of their presence, the normal brain functioning is disrupted.

Many believe that Alzheimer’s is a non-lethal disease, however, they couldn’t be more wrong. Alzheimer’s is a disease that leaves no survivors. It is lethal and has absolutely no mercy towards any one. It does not discriminate between race or gender, rich or poor. Anyone can be a target. So much, that it is now the sixth leading cause of death and it continues to rise each year (Ryan). Yet, the scariest thing about Alzheimer’s, is not just the memory loss, but also the fact that it has no cure and is irreversible. All hope, however, is not lost. New research has shown that if caught at a very early stage, the rate of deterioration of the brain due to Alzheimer’s, can be slowed down through treatments and therapy (Robinson). Although it is no cure, it can buy more time with a loved one diagnosed with this mindless killer. By catching Alzheimer’s at an early stage and looking out for the symptoms, one can slow down the deadly effects of Alzheimer’s.

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

According to Lu and Bludau (2011), Alzheimer disease is a degenerative disease of the brain that can lead to dementia and impair all brain functioning. Biologically, Alzheimer’s disease is believed to be caused by abnormal plaques called amyloid plaques, which are a buildup of protein fragments that are thought to be damaging to the brain cells. However, scientists are still unsure if this buildup actually cause the disease or is a result of the disease itself. This disease can also be a result of a genetic mutation, increasing individuals with the gene mutation risk as much as eight times higher than individuals

It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and is the third leading cause of death for Americans over the age of sixty-five. Almost two thirds of all Alzheimer’s patients are women, and though it seems to be much more common in females than in males, no one has discovered why. Those who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s experience an array of troubling symptoms. It usually begins with the person forgetting their short term memory. Because Alzheimer’s begins in the hippocampus – the learning part of the brain- they may have trouble remembering names when they are introduced to new people. In the second stage of Alzheimer’s disease, patients can expect to be disoriented at times, have sudden mood and behavior changes, and often develop suspicions about their family, friends, or caregivers. During the end of this stage, they may also experience hallucinations, delusions, and have extreme paranoia. During the third and final stage of Alzheimer’s, patients have difficulty speaking, walking, and swallowing. In this final stage, the brain shrinks to about one-fourth the size of a normal brain, and the person will most likely pass away. Those who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease are expected to live only about eight years after their diagnosis, due to its progressive nature and worsening over

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, neurodegenerative disease that affects the brain causing progressive memory loss and destroys thinking skills. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, which is a general term used to describe disorders that affects brain functions. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by formations of plaques and tangles in the brain. A dangerous protein called beta-amyloid tends to build up over time in the brain. As this protein molecule accumulates, they start to form plaques, which can damage and destroy brain cells. While plaques affect the spaces between the brain cells, an abnormal protein known as “tau” starts affecting inside the brain cell itself. “Tau tangles can interfere with the transportation of nutrients in and out of the cells, causing brain cells to degenerate and die” (Kosik & Bowman, 2015, p. 5). Some common symptoms for Alzheimer’s include memory loss, constantly misplacing things, unable to remember the names of family members, unable to communicate properly, and losing the ability to complete simple daily tasks. Alzheimer’s disease is a fatal disease, but patients don’t die from the disease itself. Advanced Alzheimer’s increases vulnerability and increases the chance of developing infections that soon lead to death.

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 is a tragic disease that affects millions of people every year. It cruelly robs the mind of its ability to function in an ever declining spiral until the most basic functions can’t be achieved. Within my family, my grandmother, numerous great-aunts and a great-uncle have all suffered the ravages of the illness. In dealing with the decline of loved ones, it has also directly impacted the many family members close to the victims.