Introduction Dementia is defined in Oxford Dictionaries as, “ a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning.” However, while many believe it to be a disease itself, it is actually a group of symptoms caused by other conditions one might develop. The most common causes of dementia are degenerative neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, vascular disorders, traumatic brain injuries, infections of the central nervous system, long-time alcohol or drug use, and certain types of hydrocephalus (webmd.com). The reason I chose this topic is because according to Robert S. Feldman’s Development Across …show more content…
While the person with the disease is slowly losing themselves and their independence, their family has to deal with the burden of caring for their deteriorating family member, which can be both physically and emotionally draining. The hardships of taking care of a loved one with a disease like Alzheimer’s is the reason why patients are said to make up about two-thirds of those in nursing homes (Prigerson, 2003, as cited in Feldman, 2014). It is important for family members of the afflicted to realize there is help available for those having to deal firsthand with slowly losing their loved one. The Alzheimer’s Association, for example, is there to provide caregivers and family members support and information (http://www.alz.org). While dementia is something everybody fears of possibly developing later in life, it is reassuring to know that scientists are working hard to find new treatments for these diseases, and possibly a cure. As someone who is working towards a career to help elderly patients, I hope I will be learning more on this subject, so that I may effectively help patients diagnosed with diseases like Alzheimer’s, and their
Dementia is a broad term used to describe the symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by specific diseases and conditions.Dementia is a progressive disease and the symptoms will get gradually worse.
Dementia is a term used to describe symptoms associated with decline in memory or other
Dementia is a term used to describe a collection of signs and symptoms that happen to the brain when it is affected by the progression of certain diseases such as vascular dementia (when brain cells die due to lack of oxygen) and Alzheimer’s disease (a specific brain disease). Some of the affects these diseases have are on a person’s memory, language and communication abilities, behaviour and ability to make rational judgements.
Dementia is a word used to describe a group of symptoms including memory loss, confusion , mood changes, and difficulty with day-to -day task. There are many causes of dementia wit Alzhaimer`s the most common.
Dementia is a cognitive disorder which causes a loss of brain functions which mainly affect memory .
dementia is not a disease or illness its an overall term which describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memories or a persons other mental abilities which in turn can reduce a persons ability to perform everyday tasks.
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 has caught my attention because it affects many people and their families, including my pap who has the disease. Alzheimer’s is a “type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior” (Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia). I would like to know more about the disease as it would help to find ways to cope with the effects it has on my family. A few years ago, when I started noticing signs of Alzheimer’s in my pap, I didn’t realize his loss of memory would affect me and my family members as much as it does. Sometimes it’s hard for family members to slowly watch their loved ones slip away into oblivion. In my research, I hope that I find ways to help families get through the process as painless as possible.
What is dementia? Dementia is a broad category of brain diseases. Dementia can be treated, but can not be cured. Medication and other treatments may be used to help get better, but there are often little to no benefits. Dementia affects your brain’s ability to think, remember, solve problems, and also has a severe effect on your daily activities. Dementia can be caused by many different things. You can develop dementia from a previous brain injury, excessive drinking, or you could have dementia in your genes.
It is a complex disease people often times do not know how to care for. Although a decline in memory and bouts of more forgetfulness are more common as one ages, spotting the difference between normal age-related symptoms and Alzheimer’s is important for families so that they can get their loved one the best care available. Even with proper care though, caregivers can misunderstand the symptoms of those afflicted, leading to an improper treatment of the patient. There are an estimated between 2.4 and 3.1. million AD caregivers in the United States, a majority of which are family members, who may not know proper care techniques or may be of older age themselves, as they could be caring for a spouse (Schulz and O’Brien1, 185-94). In fact, in a study of caregivers of those to patients with a memory ailment including Alzheimer’s or Dementia found that spouses have consistently been found to be more depressed than other relatives caring for a family member with a cognitive impairment (Schulz and O’Brien2, 771-91). To help in awareness, there are many new classes being offered in schools that can better prepare caregivers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s (DHHS) National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease dedicated a major goal to “Enhance Care Quality and Efficiency,” with major strategies including building a workforce with the skills to provide high quality care, explore
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 disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain's nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavioral changes”(AFA 1). Millions of adults of the age 65 and older have been diagnosed with this serve diseases . Based on their condition they should be placed in a nursing home , because they're going to get the treatment they need . It also prevents the patients from hurting themselves and other members of the family. Nursing homes can benefit the patients in many ways and help, them accept their condition. Patients are able to interact with people with their same condition or have a different illness. They also provide counseling for the family members of the alzheimer's patients where they give them the support they need , and they’re able to learn more about the illness of their loved ones .
Many people do not know how dangerous and stressful Alzheimer’s can be. Is for this same reason that people with relatives that are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease are not prepared to handle it in a proper way. We do not know much about Alzheimer’s Disease, and its treatments paths are
People who do not perform any physical activities or are not very active have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s that could lead to dementia (Lautenschlage 2008). People diagnosed will eventually be required to have the aid by a family/professional that’s around them at all times. This is important to help the patient remember daily appointments, take their medication or even to use the bathroom. Once Alzheimer’s reaches the stage of dementia, the patient’s start to struggle with remembering family members as well as the individual’s own identity. People affected by this disease tend to be living in a different word and don’t see a problem, however the struggle is for loved ones around who don’t know how to properly deal with the situation, yet knowing that no cure has been discovered. However, catching this disease at an early stage to slow it down is much better than finding out at the point of dementia and being left with no choice but hospitalization. When the patient finds out early enough, then the individual and family members can do something about it. Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s disease is growing progressively throughout the years. More people have been diagnosed with this neurodegenerative disorder; it has become common in late adulthood
The majority of the nation may know what the disease is but they won’t know the impact it has on everyone involved. Many times, caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients are their own family members and it becomes much more difficult to care when the family and friends are treated like strangers. This can be very frustrating for both parties and stressful for the giver. Caregivers have been found to suffer from depression and have been shown to have high levels of stress. As the number of Alzheimer’s disease grow, so will the amount of caregivers. The Alzheimer’s Association believes that the United States should expect to see a 40 percent increase in the number of patients with Alzheimer’s disease by the year 2025, and it is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States (alz.org). What this basically tells us is that the nation should become more aware of the ins and outs of Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, practically everyone knows someone suffering with diabetes. Very soon, it will be the same situation with