Summary: An End To Alzheimer's 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.

By the numbers, Alzheimer’s disease looks even worse than it may be. The cost of Alzheimer’s overwhelms the caregiver and everyone involved with the patient. The price businesses pay for Alzheimer’s it detrimental to their industry, show by “A 2002 study showed that United States businesses lost $36.5 billion that year because employees missed work or quit and had to be replaced so that they could care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease” (Adams 24). The caregivers play vital roles in the lives of the sufferer, but the business take an even heavier loss. Heath care is necessary for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, however it can get expensive “The costs of

A major devastating and debilitating disease, Alzheimer 's is a public health issue that affects not only the United States but also countries all around the world. In 2010, there were 35.6 million people living with Alzheimer’s. Researchers and medical personnel expect this number to triple by the year 2050. The disease is costing America an exorbitant amount of money and has become a burden on families, caregivers, medical personnel, the healthcare system, and the nation’s economy. If attention is not focused on this major problem, “nursing homes will be overloaded, caregivers will be burned out, healthcare system will be overwhelmed, and federal and state budgets will be overtaxed” (Alzheimer’s Association, 2011).

“There is one thing Alzheimer 's cannot take away, and that is love. Love is not a memory - it 's a feeling that resides in your heart and soul.” (Fade to Blank). The human brain is a remarkably complex organ that processes, stores, and recalls information. “Alzheimer 's disease (AD) is a slowly progressive disease of the brain that is characterized by impairment of memory and eventually by disturbances in reasoning, planning, language, and perception. Many scientists believe that Alzheimer 's disease results from an increase in the production or accumulation of a specific protein (beta-amyloid protein) in the brain that leads to nerve cell death.” (Crystal). It is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases, and currently has no cure. (# 3) Research continues to be done to develop better ways to care for those affected with the disease, as well as to find support for family members, friends, and caregivers. Alzheimer’s is a devastating illness that is not a normal part of aging. In order to find a cure, awareness needs to increase to improve understanding, develop effective treatments, and to essentially prevent the disease.

Everyday more and more people are effected by dementia. This disease is taking over the lives of innocent people around the world. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources have designed The National Plan to Address Alzheimer’ Disease. This plan focuses on many important areas greatly affected by this irreversible disease and concentrates on the struggles one faces during its presence. I found three areas to be very important to the future of Alzheimer’s and other dementias; Expand research aimed to identify and treat Alzheimer’s, Educate and support people with Alzheimer’s and their families upon diagnosis, and Enable family caregivers to continue to provide care while maintaining their own health and well-being.

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 disease is a brain disease with many different stages that slows one’s lifestyle and has no real cure. Alzheimer’s disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. The disease first appears around the age of sixty. Studies have concluded that as many as 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. A person with Alzheimer’s loses connections between neurons in the brain (1).

The generation of hard working Americans that innovated our way of life and catapulted us into the twenty first century is aging. This fact alone will lead to skyrocketing medical costs and a compromised lifestyle for those in the Baby Boomer generation. As a result, a large number of diseases will increase, including Alzheimer's. According to The Alzheimer’s Association, “These numbers will escalate rapidly in coming years, as the baby boom generation has begun to reach age 65 and beyond, the age range of greatest risk of Alzheimer's.” A shocking “estimated 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s” and “by 2050, an American will develop Alzheimer’s every 33 seconds”

This includes an evaluation of all federally-funded efforts in research, care and services. It must outline priority actions to reduce the financial impact on federal programs and families, improve health outcomes of all those diagnosed, improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and programs. NAPA enables Congress and the American people to answer this simply question: Did we make satisfactory progress this past year in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease? Unless we create an effective, dementia-capable system that finds new solutions to providing high quality care, provides community support services and programs, and address Alzheimer’s disease health disparities, Alzheimer’s disease will overwhelm the health care system in the coming years.

Alzheimer 's disease currently ranks as the #6 leading cause of death in the United States and with the "Baby Boomer" generation currently standing as the largest aging population in the US, there is already a surge in need to support these individuals. Our society must understand and find ways on how to best care for these individuals. My interest in this topic stems from my professional interest in Nutrition and how it impacts Alzheimer 's disease as well as my desire to study the epidemiology behind Alzheimer 's. Additionally, as an adult caring for aging parents, the topic of long term health care often brings up questions about what options are available and how does my family pay for these services.

In this Chapter, we discussed the six pillars of Alzheimer’s prevention. Throughout the week, the great leader has built these “pillars” to help us understand and comprehend the greatness of preventing Alzheimer’s in the distant future.

- Lost keys, an overlooked name, requiring an additional minute to recall where you stopped your auto. No doubt we 're talking average absentmindedness or simply ordinary age-related changes, not Alzheimer 's ailment. In any case, when you start battling with errands that have dependably been simple (e.g., abruptly not having the capacity to adjust the checkbook) that is more reason for concernsaid by Nancy Udelson. Despite the way that 5.1 million individuals age 65 and more seasoned are as of now influenced by Alzheimer 's, it is not a "typical" some portion of maturing (however the danger rises with age). It is a dynamic issue that assaults the cerebrum 's nerve cells, clarifies Ditty Steinberg, the official VP of the Alzheimer 's Establishment of America. The brains of individuals who have Alzheimer 's are stopped up with injuries that conform to the outside of neurons, eventually annihilating these mind cells. As the person born after WW2 populace gets more established, the rate of Alzheimer 's is anticipated to blast, influencing upwards of 16 million individuals by 2050, unless therapeutic achievements distinguish approaches to forestall or all the more viably treat the illness. In the event that you have relatives who have experienced Alzheimer 's, you may think about whether you 're at higher danger, however just the "early onset" type of the malady (which influences individuals more youthful than 65 and records for under 5 percent of all cases)

One in three seniors die of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia (Godman). Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia but all types of dementia diseases effect seniors and their families in a dramatic drastic way. Early signs of Alzheimer’s start as early as the age of 30 and can affect someone for the rest of their life. These diseases have become more reoccurring every year, effecting around 5.3 million Americans and will continue to change lives for the rest of time (Bender, 2). As of now, there has been no cure for Alzheimer’s but scientists and doctors are putting time and effort into an Alzheimer’s cure through research, trials and ways to prevent the disease.

The cost of caring for those patients is forecast to run more than $1.2 trillion a year, inflation not included. That dollar amount doesn’t begin to reflect the untold amount of human suffering of victims and their families. Simply put, if it isn’t already, Alzheimer’s disease will soon become the public health crisis of our times.

The primary audience for this article is those affected by Alzheimer’s Syndrome, their family members that are seeking more detailed information, care takers, neurosurgeons, cardiovascular physicians, nursing professionals, nursing students, college professors and educators. The secondary audience would consist of hospital staff that did not attend presentation. According to the National institute of Health, “Age is the primary risk factor for developing dementia. For that reason the number of people living with dementia could double in the next 40 years with an increase in the number of Americans who are age 65 or older- from 40 million today to more than 88 million in 2050. Regardless of the form of dementia, the personal economic and societal demands can be devastating”