Social, Ethical, And Economic Problems

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, accounting for 65–70% of all cases (Jellinger, Janetzky, Attems, & Kienzl, 2008). The other dementias are of the Parkinson 's group, the fronto-temporal group and the vascular group. The total worldwide yearly costs for the treatment and care of patients suffering from dementia are estimated to be around 250 billion US dollars. The lifetime risk for AD between the ages of 65 and 100 is 33% for men and 45% for women with an annual increase of 1–2% in the seventh decade to almost 60% in the 10th decade with doubling every 5 years (Jellinger et al., 2008). AD is incurable, and thus represents a major public health problem. AD represents a challenge to humanity due to its relatively recent discovery, progressive nature of the illness, and complex diagnosis.

The beginning and symptoms of Alzheimer's are usually very slow and gradual. Alzheimer’s hardly ever occurs before the age of 65. It occurs (according to the AHAF) in the following seven stages: In stage 1 There are no impairment- Unimpaired individuals experience no memory problems and none are evident to a health care professional during a medical interview. Stage 2 Is a very mild decline- Individuals at this stage feel as if they have memory lapses, especially in forgetting familiar words or names or the location of keys, eyeglasses, or other everyday objects. But these problems are not evident during a

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal form of dementia, frequently seen in the elderly altering their cognition, thought process and behavior. AD is reported in about half of patients that have a dementia diagnosis; one study states that about 10.3% of the population over 65 years is affected by dementia with an increase to almost 50% over the age of 8 (Beattie, 2002). Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of the aging process in humans, but rather found in a group of diseases that affect the brain leading to a decline in mental and physical control. AD when diagnosed has a very slow and gradual course, initially affecting the individual’s short term memory (Beattie, 2002). Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death, affecting more than five million people in the United States and is also one of the most common forms of dementia. Dementia can be defined as a disorder of progressive cognitive impairment severe enough to affect daily functions of an individual’s life (Fillit, et al., 2002).

As defined in our textbook(Psychology, pg.264) Alzheimer’s disease is “A progressive disease that destroys the brain’s neurons, gradually impairing memory, thinking, language, and other cognitive functions, resulting in the complete inability to care for oneself; the most common cause of dementia( progressive deterioration and impairment of memory, reasoning, and other cognitive functions as a result of disease, injury, or substance abuse.). AC accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.(alz.org) Throughout my sources I have seen that the common age for AC to set in is between 60-75. However, up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset

Although Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most widely known cause of dementia in the elderly population, there are many other explanations and clinical diagnoses that

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a form of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. AD typically involves the development of a progressive neuropsychiatric disorder that is characterized by gradual memory impairment, loss of acquired skills and emotional disturbances (Lee, Y. J., Han, S. B., Nam, S. Y., Oh, K. W., & Hong, J. T.). Every 67 seconds an individual in the United States develops AD. AD is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. There are 5.3 million Americans diagnosed with AD (Latest Alzheimer's Facts and Figures). AD is one of the few degenerative diseases that cannot be prevented, stopped, or cured (Latest Alzheimer's Facts and Figures). Post-mortem examination of the brain of AD patients usually

Older age is shown to be a major risk for the development of alzheimer's it is shown that 15 percent of people with Alzheimer’s are ages 65-74, while 44 percent from ages 75-84.

Alzheimer’s disease effects hundreds of thousands of older adults. Research has been done and a cure is being searched for, but so far there is no way to cure it. There are treatments for Alzheimer’s that may help, but the cure is slow coming and few things have been learned about it. Older persons who experience the disease can experience a wide array of effects such as confusion, depression, violent tendencies, and many other things of that nature. There are different stages of the mental sickness, from minor, to severe. Different research states that the more schooling you have the, the less likely you are to develop Alzheimer’s, it may also be genetic and passed down through generations.

Typical AD is mainly common in the age range of 70-80. It is associated with a lack of memory and inability to retain new information. (Blackwell, 2014)

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear in their mid-60s (nih.gov). AD is a multifactorial and progressive neurodegenerative disease. Parts of AD, for example, increased oxidative state, amyloid plaque deposition, and neurofibrillary tangle of tau protein in the central cortex the limbic system of the brain, have been related with Alzheimer's disease. AD standouts amongst the most well-known and feared diseases burdening the elderly community. The disease was once thought to be a natural part of aging, is an extremely incapacitating type of mental dementia.

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative brain process that develops slowly over time. It is also known as senile dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is most widely thought to be caused by an increase in the production or accumulation of a specific protein (beta-amyloid protein) that leads to nerve cell death. This disease is thought to be inherited, though it does not mean that because either parent has it that the child will automatically have it. There is also a correlation that persons with limited formal education – less than eight years – are at an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease doubles every 5.5 years from age 65 to 85. The onset of Alzheimer’s disease can occur as early as 45 years

Alzheimer’s disease is a very slowly progressive disease that occurs inside the brain in which is characterized by damage of memory. Also this type of disease can lead into interruption in language, problem solving, planning and perception. The chance of a person developing Alzheimer’s disease increases enormously after the age of 70 (Crystal, 2009). Also people who are over the age of 85 have over a 50 percent chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This type of disease is not at all normal in the aging process and is also not something that happens out of no where in a person’s life.

Although the primary onset of AD is old age, younger adults are also at risk. Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease affects the elderly and geriatric community. This influx of late-onset Alzheimer’s affects about 5% of people between the ages of 65 to 74 and almost 50% of people over 85 years old. Early-onset is another stage of this disease; occasionally affecting people younger than the age of 40. There is a negative genetic predisposition correlation for those whom suffer from early-onset dementia having family members related to be much more likely to develop AD, than those related to people with late-onset AD. Research of early-onset AD mainly focuses on genetic factors. Physiological research states genetics, environmental factors, or a combination of both cause AD. (Evans, George, 2000).

The greatest risk factor of getting AD is aging “Near half the people aged 85 and older have AD”(Sorrentino, Sheila). The risk of a person getting Alzheimer's increases after the age of 65. The earliest sign of Alzheimer's is loss of short term memory, or forgetfulness “the most common early symptom of AD is difficulty remembering newly learned information” (Sorrentino, Sheila). As Alzheimer's progresses the brain goes through many changes “the number of plaques and tangles grows, shrinkage progresses…”(“The Changing Brain in AD”). At this stage the person begins having trouble handling money and paying bills, as well as having poor judgement. During this stage it is too early to detect the disease with medical tests.

Another clue may be the effects the aging process has on the brain as it is harming the neurons in the brain causing the disease (NIA, 2012). Regardless of the cause, AD is a life altering disease in every aspect of the victim’s life.