Why Don 't More People Know About This Deadly Disease?

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.

“I want to tell you how much I miss my mother. Bits of her are still there. I miss her most when I sit across from her” was said by Candy Crawley. This quote is displaying how Alzheimer's disease can affect an individual and that person’s family and friends. Everyone in the world desires to keep the ones closest to that individual safe. Many people do not understand how traumatizing Alzheimer's disease is or can be. No one knows for sure what causes the disease. It could have a huge, dramatic alternation on any person’s life in an instant. It can be traumatizing because Alzheimer’s has many side effects, physical or emotional, to the individual. There are several reasons to why people in the world should know more about Alzheimer's disease,

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

In the United States there are approximately 5.4 million people living with Alzheimer’s. Every sixty-nine seconds a person is diagnosed. This is an ongoing issue, and unless something is done, sixteen million people will be affected by 2050 (Latest).

I don’t remember a time when my grandpa knew who I was. He had a disease that affected me and my family personally. In fact, I’m guessing that many of you sitting in the audience have also been affected by this horrible disease. The disease I am talking about is Alzheimer’s. Did you know that 1 in every 9 people age 65 or older have it? And even worse 1 in every 3 people age 85 or older are affected by it. Many of you may already know something about Alzheimer’s, but let me give you a brief run down. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s include memory loss, difficulty completing simple tasks, confusion with time or place, problems with speaking or writing, changes in mood or personality, and increased anxiety. Now I know you may be thinking, he is just describing the freshmen sitting in the back. But don’t be fooled, all they suffer from is a lack of sleep and rampant immaturity, but for older people these are symptoms of a disease that wreaks havoc on families throughout the world.

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 are about 45 million people worldwide affected by this dreadful disease (Crous-Bou). However, this isn’t cancer or heart disease. This is Alzheimer’s Disease. It’s the disease that has no sympathy towards anyone, not even my beloved grandmother. My grandmother, who I call Tita, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and has been dealing with symptoms for a few years now. Whenever she’s living with us (she lives with both her daughters at different times), she always forgets the simplest of things, such as her granddaughter’s name or even what day of the week it is. When these questions are asked, I can’t help but feel pity towards my Tita. My mother had told me about my Tita having this disease, but what surprised me more was the lack of treatments and preventions that also came with it. There should be more effective research completed on the preventions and treatments of Alzheimer’s Disease in order to get closer to a final cure for the patients.

“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.

     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, the word strikes fear in some and an off-handed glance in others. The fact still remains that Alzheimer’s is an extremely shattering disease that removes the mind fraction by fraction over a period of time, this could even take decades. It begins as small memory lapses, slowly progressing to memory breaches but then progressively eroding your life to the point where around-the-clock care is the only option. With severe Alzheimer's, as we almost hear daily that patients have wandered off and gotten lost. In my own life, my grandfather was not even able to recognize his family members. Alzheimer's was a little known disease before 1960, but today it threatens to completely derail the health system in the United States.

Dementia is an extremely common disease among the elderly, with 4 million Americans currently suffering from the Alzheimer’s type alone. Figures show that 3% of people between the ages of 65-74 suffer from the disease, rapidly increasing to 19% for the 75-84 age bracket, and as high as 47% for the over 85s. Therefore, it is easy to see why Dementia is such a large part of many people’s lives, whether they are suffering from the condition themselves, or have an elderly relative who requires full time care just to undertake simple day to day tasks. The disease can be extremely traumatic for the patient and their families, as the person, who may have been extremely lively and bright throughout their

Alzheimer 's is a slow and debilitating disease that generates multiple problems with cognitive skills including; memory, thinking and behavior. (MedlinePlus, 2015) It is especially painful for friends and family members who see their loved ones progressively lose their memory and ability to function as they normally have. Symptoms typically develop gradually and progressively get worse over time, becoming severe enough to put the person afflicted with the disease unable to complete daily tasks and placing themselves at risk. (MedlinePlus, 2015) Alzheimer’s is the most common diagnosed condition of dementia. (MedlinePlus, 2015) Sixty to eighty percent of dementia cases are designated as Alzheimer’s. (MedlinePlus, 2015) Although the greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s is increasing age, it is not considered a normal part of aging. The majority of those diagnosed with Alzheimer 's are approximately sixty-five and older. However, Alzheimer’s is not just a disease affected by the older age populations. About 5 percent of people with Alzheimer’s experience early symptoms and the onset Alzheimer 's and most often appears in their forties or fifties. As stated above, Dementia or Alzheimer’s symptoms gradually worsen over time. In the early stages, it is common to experience mild memory loss. Eventually, the ability to carry on a conversation is lost. The sixth leading cause of death in the United States is Alzheimer’s. After Alzheimer’s symptoms become publicly

Have you ever done something dumb, and stated, "I think I've lost my mind?" Well for an average of 5.5 million people, this is a reality. Parts of their brain literally have begun to die, and with it, goes their livelihood. Before becoming a home health aide, I had heard of dementia and Alzheimer's, but I had never seen it first-hand. Over the last two years I have watched as it has debilitated many people both physically and mentally, and all I can think is: "When

Many believe that Alzheimer’s is a non-lethal disease, however, they couldn’t be more wrong. Alzheimer’s is a disease that leaves no survivors. It is lethal and has absolutely no mercy towards any one. It does not discriminate between race or gender, rich or poor. Anyone can be a target. So much, that it is now the sixth leading cause of death and it continues to rise each year (Ryan). Yet, the scariest thing about Alzheimer’s, is not just the memory loss, but also the fact that it has no cure and is irreversible. All hope, however, is not lost. New research has shown that if caught at a very early stage, the rate of deterioration of the brain due to Alzheimer’s, can be slowed down through treatments and therapy (Robinson). Although it is no cure, it can buy more time with a loved one diagnosed with this mindless killer. By catching Alzheimer’s at an early stage and looking out for the symptoms, one can slow down the deadly effects of Alzheimer’s.

The theme of the seminar that I attended was entitled “Alzheimer’s Disease: The Basics”. The purpose of the talk by Carolyn Scales was to bring public awareness and better understanding of this progressive, irreversible brain disorder that affects five million people nationwide. The speaker explained that the term Alzheimer’s disease dates back to 1906 when Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician, presented the first case history of this kind, a 51-year-old woman, who suffered from a rare brain disorder. Later autopsy of her brain identified the plaques and tangles of what we call today Alzheimer’s.