The World Population Is Evolving Ageing And Cognitive Impairment ( Ci ) Is A Fast Growing Problem

One of the most prominent and perhaps most feared condition associated with aging is dementia. The family of disorders can cause individuals to lose their mind, reducing one from being a complex, thinking, feeling human being to being confused and vegetative, unable to recognize their loved ones. Serious dementia affects nearly 37 million people globally, but predictions of how those numbers will change over the next few decades are conflicting (textbook). Although we know dementia as to do with damage to nerve cells in the brain, there are ongoing studies looking at correlations between other health issues and these types of diseases.

Dementia is a condition resulting from obtained brain disease and distinguished by progressive decay in memory and other cognitive fields such as judgment, abstract thinking, language, and executive functioning. This disease is usually caused by degeneration in the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for thoughts, memories, actions, and personality. Death of brain cells in this area leads to the impairments that distinguish dementia. Though the cognitive outline of single diagnosed with dementia vary somewhat by etiology, the degree of deterioration stands for a decrease from previous levels of cognitive functioning and is enough to impede with social and occupational functioning. This downfall is beyond what might be expected from normal aging in a person. It can cause impairment with everyday activities such as dressing, feeding, and bathing.

What exactly is dementia? By definition, “Dementia, which is from the Latin word dement meaning ‘without mind,’ is a progressive deterioration and eventual loss of mental ability that is severe enough to interfere with normal activities of daily living, lasts more than six months, not present since birth, and not associated with a loss or alteration of consciousness” (Thomasson, 2014). Dementia is usually caused by a loss of brain cells in the cerebral cortex of the brain, the part responsible for thoughts, memory, actions, and personality (Thomasson, 2014). The loss of brain cells in this part of the brain usually leads to what is called cognitive impairment which can at some point be diagnosed as dementia (Thomasson, 2014). What a lot of

Dementia is a disease that has been characterized as a deficiency of permanent memory which leads to a decrease in recent memory that can interfere with the ability to engage in professional and social activities (Hamdy, Hamdy, Hudgins, & Piotrowski, 2014). Even recent studies have shown that dementia is not a part of the normal aging process, it has become a very serious and common condition among the older population. An estimated 35.6 million people, with 7.7 million cases diagnosed each year are affected with dementia according to the World Health Organization (WHO) (Hamdy, Hamdy, Hudgins, & Piotrowski, 2014).

Brain health is included and it is not uncommon for people to overlook the importance of feeding and exercising the brain properly, just as every other part of the body. There has been a sufficient amount of data to support techniques that will help in reducing the risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s in particular. Among these are increasing physical activity, receiving treatment for depression, quit smoking, control type two diabetes, have a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, fostering social engagement, control blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and participate in intellectually stimulating activities. The research currently documented does not necessarily state that these measures prevent Alzheimer’s directly, but rather enhance the overall health of people, which in return aids in preserving brain health as well. Research is continuously being conducted on Alzheimer’s and other related disorders of dementia, but for now the most widely accepted methods of prevention are becoming and staying healthy. Proper nutrition begins at an early age. It is easy for people to disregard the importance of their health when they are young since their choices are not typically directly affecting them. This is what needs to change. People need to be properly educated on the effects that their current life choices have on them in the future. The foods people eat, drugs people take, and overall lifestyle that people live will affect their overall

Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking and behavior (Internet). It is a degenerative disease affecting nerve cells of the frontal and temporal lobes of the cerebrum of the brain. The disease is the major cause of presenile dementia (i.e., the loss of mental faculties not associated with advanced age) and is thought to be the largest single cause of senile dementia as well (Britannica, 306). It causes the connections between cells to become ineffective and the cells themselves to shutdown and eventually die (Davies, 1). Alzheimer’s is a progressive, irreversible, fatal neurologic disorder that affects an estimated 4 million American adults. It is estimated by 2040,approximately 14 million Americans will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Approximately 9% of the population older than 55 years and 20% of those older than 85 years have Alzheimer’s Disease. The duration of AD averages 2 to 10 years but can be up to 20 years. By 1992, Alzheimer’s Disease was the fourth leading cause of death among adults (more than 100,000 American deaths per year). It is projected that the number of people with Alzheimer’s Disease will triple in the next 50 years. This epidemic of dementia is not confined to sex, race, social, or economic class. The public knows this disorder as “senility”, although the term Alzheimer’s is becoming more common (Rosdahl, 1356). According to a quote from

As we age, our bodies begin to deteriorate. The bones become brittle, the muscles and tendons atrophy, hair falls out, and our mental faculties begin to diminish. It can be difficult when it comes to aging but at times it is a beautiful, natural process of life. With age comes many difficulties and changes. One of them is a very serious and debilitating change that can impact one who is affected as well as those who may be caring for them and their families. This change is that of the disease Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. This disease affects more than 5 million Americans and continues to increase. With this disease on the increase, it begs the question if there is a way to prevent this debilitating disease or at least some kind of early diagnosis. Though there is no concrete way to determine the etiology of Alzheimer’s unless through autopsy of the human brain, there are ways to aid in the early diagnosis of this disease amongst the aging population for better and improved prognosis.

Dementia is not a disease but rather a group of symptoms caused by disorders that affect the brain (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, n. d). The hallmark of dementia, memory impairment, is accompanied by deficits in language, motor function, recognition, or executive function (Stahl, 2013). The most common forms of dementia are caused by Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (Prince et al., 2013). The risk of dementia increases with age. Dementia is rare below the age of sixty but affects about 17% of those between 80 and 85 years of age, 33% of those between 85 and 90 years old, and 50% of those over 90 years of age (Tom et al., 2015). As the

The ten warning signs of Dementia are recent memory loss that affects job performance, difficulty performing familiar tasks, problems with language, disorientation of place and time, poor or decreased judgement, problems with abstract thinking, misplacing things, changes in mood or behavior, changes in personality, and loss of initiative (Sapp, 71-72). Though there is no cure found for Alzheimer’s diseases there are preventatives and medicines to slow down the progressiveness of the disease. Unless a cure is found, it is projected that the amount of people 65 and older who will develop Alzheimer’s will triple by 2050.

Cognitive aging is commonly labeled strictly as memory and only found in “some people”. However, this is not true. The knowledge of cognitive aging has grown immensely, but there is still much to be learned. The surface has only been scratched with many more questions to be answered. Cognitive aging is worthy of study and effects everyone, but there is also much more is still to be learned.

Through focusing on the study of different brain diseases, clinical neuroscientists attempt to unravel the complex pathogenesis associated within the complex organ. Although little is known on the major causes of the brain diseases studied, age is seen as one of the most the most prominent risk factors for diagnosis (Levy, 2007). In turn, elderly populations are at the greatest risk for developing or inheriting dementia type diseases; one of these being Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). AD is a form of dementia that over time leads towards cognitive decline and eventual lessening of one’s daily activities (Colovic, 2013; Thompson, 2012). Present stats show that of 5.5 million people diagnosed with AD in America, 5.3 million are 65 or older. (Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is incurable disease of the brain that slowly destroys a person’s memory. It normally appears gradually and progressively gets worse over time. AD is also a form of dementia which is the most common in the United States. Alzheimer’s is characterized by loss of progressive memory, decline in cognitive skills and changes in behavior. Approximately 5.4 million Americans have AD and 96% of those Americans are over 65 years old. (Moschetti, Cummings, Sorvillo, Kuo, 2012)

As humans begin to get older, there is a strong association between age change and the decline of cognition. There are many causes of this decline, and it often varies highly between individuals based on their lifestyle and physical activity level (Brown AK, Liu-Ambrose T, Tate R, Lord SR, 2009). This a concern that many individuals have as they start to get older, especially with the media coverage that Alzheimer’s disease has been getting. Degenerate diseases such as Alzheimer’s can also be a major cause of cognitive decline and are common in elderly populations. Because of this risk, there are many who are looking to improve or maintain their cognitive abilities or those of a loved one, as there is an expectation that even in old age,

The older population has become the largest growing class in society. The World Health Organization released statistics in 2000, that stated 10% of the population, or 600 million people were over the age of 60, with the number expecting to increase to 1.2 billion by 2025 and 1.9 billion by 2050 (Hutton, 2008). Aging is a dynamic and progressive process that results in deterioration of functional, hemodynamic, morphological and psychological abilities, leading to reduced adaptive ability and increased morbidity (cite). Throughout research, aging has been correlated with a decrease in white matter, gray matter, hippocampus and other brain regions. With multiple areas of the brain being involved with cognitive function, such as information-processing speed, reasoning, attention and multiple memory function (Fox, Hodgkinson, & Parker, 2014).

Over the last several decades, one of the diseases that continues to cause concern and difficulties during the later years of life is mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Mild cognitive impairment ranges from minimal loss of cognitive problems to the point it changes normal life. Large changes in our demographics have occurred during the twentieth century. Life expectancy has increased by over thirty years. When you factor in the increase of fertility problems, the age groupings shift dramatically (Mohajeri, Troesch, & Weber, 2014). These changes impact the demand for health and long-term care, as well as expenses for pensions and social security (Mohajeri, et al., 2014). Another factor adding to this situation is, health expectancy is 8