Reflective Essay On Alzheimer's

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 an irreversible, genetically linked illness. This disease was chosen for the topic of this essay under the consideration that in many families the illness can be incredibly tragic, passing down for generations without mercy. It is not rare to encounter families in which each member is afflicted with a form, mild or severe, of Alzheimer’s. The disease is a progressive brain disease which comes in two separate types: Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. These will be discussed in full later on in the paper.

However, as time progressed my nana’s once sweet smell became stale and her loving embrace started to weaken. she became a shadow of who she was. Dazed and confused, I struggled to hold onto her once strong presence and witnessed a semblance of the strong warm woman that she personified throughout her life. My mother had warned me of the effects of Alzheimer's, but witnessing the transition of my once vibrant Nana turning into a feeble old woman was something that couldn’t be explained. It was something that no one could prepare me for. It was a perspective that helped me grow into the person I am today.

     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.

In my early 20s I was given an opportunity to work with Clara, an elderly woman who had dementia. Everyday I would arrive at promptly at 7:30am, I would prepare breakfast, and wait until 8:30am when she would wake up. Some days I was greeted by a cheerful Clara ready to take on the day, other days, I would have to reintroduce myself, calm her down and remind her of where she was, who I was, and explain to her daily routine. It was very difficult for me at times, I never got angry, but sad. It was truly heartbreaking to see this woman that I was caring for completely be taken over by dementia. Watching the videos, featuring Teepa Snow, brought back a lot of memories and experiences I had with Clara. The portrayals of dementia people were so

In 2009, my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Prior to this determination, my family and I had simply attributed it to the forgetfulness of old age. However, as my grandfather began to ask the same questions within a matter of minutes, we knew there was a deeper issue. After my mother had to stay on the phone to help him navigate previously familiar roads, she took him to the doctor. Years went by and his cognizance and memory began to deteriorate even further. Upon the death of my maternal grandmother, he moved in with my family due to his inability to live alone. My grandfather required constant supervision and monitoring at all waking hours. These circumstances exposed us even further to this disease as we realized 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.

After Alzheimer's is diagnosed in a parent, or other elderly family member, the caregiver has the task of deciding what the best form of care for the patient is. In order to do this they have to fully understand what the disease is, and

Alzheimer's Disease is a condition that affects 50% of the population over the age of eighty five, which equals four million Americans each year. It is becoming an important and high-profile issue in today's society for everyone. There are rapid advancements being made in the fight against this disease now more than ever, and the purpose of this essay is to educate the public on the background as well as the new discoveries. There are many new drugs that are being tested and studied every day which slow down, and may even halt the progress of the disease.

In February of 2000, I lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's disease. She was diagnosed with the disease just less than two years prior to her death. Throughout that time, I watched changes in my grandmother that made her seem like an entirely different woman to me. She gradually began losing her short-term memory and we began to see signs of her long-term memory degrading too. It began to get harder and harder to take her out into public without being afraid of what would happen next. Her emotions would fluctuate with the changing of each minute it seemed. Physically she became weaker and weaker and would often scare us with falling while she would be walking. Eventually she had to be moved into the

Alzheimer is a disease that affects the elderly most. The disease was discovered by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in the year 1906 when he was examining a female’s brain. He found out that the woman displayed memory loss, language problems and some inexplicable changes in behavior. The disease was named after the doctor who was a German psychiatrist and a neuropathologist. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder that leads to memory loss, personality changes, and language problems (Gilbert & Julie 2). The disease is mostly diagnosed in people over the age of 65 years, though there is a small minority of people under the age of 50 who get the disease. Studies show that 1% of a whole population aged between the ages 65-75 have severe

For the past two summers I have had the privilege of acting as a companion and caretaker to a wonderful woman named Karen. Karen is 74 years of age, and hindered by many illnesses. She suffers from a blood cancer that causes her to be weak and frail, squamous cell carcinoma that has left gaping wounds on her legs from biopsies, and the beginning stages of heart failure. While she suffers from many physical ailments her mind and wit are sharp. The time I spent with Karen was both rewarding and challenging for myself, but the important impact of the time I spent with her was the positive effect I had on both her and her family through my ability to be present.

Whilst growing up in India, I had very few relatives that I often communed with, and after my move from the U.S to India I grew very fond of them. Around two years into my stay, my great uncle, who was our house neighbor at the time, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and just 6 months in he found it difficult to understnd where he was, and about a year after that he had a lot of trouble identifying people without interacting with them, and over time became less and less interactive, and ceased to do any of his previous hobbies, such as tennis. I found it difficult to comprehend at the young age that he was suffering, and I understood it as he was simply getting old and forgetful. It was only two years ago that I came to the realization that he had Alzheimer’s. It had been a while since his passing, so it wasn’t crushing on my twelve year old self, but he was only 65, and I was always curious as to why his passing was somewhat early.

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

Face flushed blood red, my hands clenched into fists, tightly holding in my distress. The Aanger surgedpumped through my veins following the discovery that my English project had been tossed into the trash and my laptop had been wrapped in fourteen layers of plastic bags. Breathing slowly and recollecting my thoughts, I realized that I could never lash out at my grandmother. It was an unpleasant start to the morning, but also, a start to understanding dementia — a common illness that, unfortunately, affects elderly individuals. hits individuals as they grow elderly.