Alzheimer’s is known as one of the most heartbreaking diseases, not only because it takes your love ones’ life, but because once the illness has started to develop it is impossible to stop it. Alzheimer is a well known form of dementia that causes problems with memory and cognitive abilities interfering with the daily life of the affected.
In the brain, neurons connect and communicate at synapses, where tiny bursts of chemicals called neurotransmitters carry information from one cell to another. Alzheimer's interrupts this process, eventually destroys synapses, and kills neurons damaging the brain's communication network. As the illness progresses, different stages build up. Through the early stage plaques and tangles, abnormal clusters of protein fragments, build up between cells and twisted strands of another protein, form in the planning and learning brain areas causing patients to suffer light memory loss about simple things they learn like new names or data. After this, during the mid stage, care and help will be needed in some of the everyday tasks because planning and learning will be badly compromised. At the same moment, during this stage, plaques and tangles are created in the speaking and speech part of the cerebrum. Finally, during the late stage, individuals lose the ability to respond or interact with their
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For example, Palliative therapy is a really well-known therapy among the cancer patients and lately it has been found out that it might as well help alzheimer's patients. Palliative treatment is designed to relieve symptoms, and improve your quality of life. It can be used at any stage of an illness, but it is recommend to start whenever the disease is at a mid stage.This treatment works by reducing the pressure on the brain nerves, therefore it relieves from any kind of
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia, “a brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities (Shenk 14)”. Alzheimer’s is a progressive and irreversible brain disorder that slowly destroys a person’s memory and ability to learn, make judgments, communicate, and accomplish daily activities. As Alzheimer’s progresses, individuals may also experience changes in personality and behavior, such as anxiety, suspiciousness or aggravation, as well as illusions or hallucinations.
Alzheimer’s is a systemic disease, meaning that it affects more than one part of the body. There are three major systems that are affected by Alzheimer’s. The first involves the Central Nervous System. The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord, allowing the nervous system to make the spinal cord and brain function. The Central Nervous System is affected because specific brain proteins begin to malfunction and brain cells die. The loss of brain cells is the reason for memory loss and
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 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
Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that eventually destroys memory and other other very important functions. First it starts with mild confusion and the patient has a hard time remembering. Soon after that they may get much worse
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking and behavior. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is the lost of thinking, remembering and reasoning so bad it screws up ability to do daily functions and eventually resolves in death. Dr. Alois Alzheimer’s first discovered the disease in 1906. Since then research has developed a deeper understanding of the changes in the brain. Warning sign’s of Alzheimer's are memory loss that affects home and job skills, problem in speaking, poor judgment, and difficulty in learning. The last stage of Alzheimer's disease is when you’re unable to take care of
Alzheimer’s, the most relevant cause of Dementia, is a disease that affects as many as 4.5 million Americans per year (WebMD 2005-2014). Alzheimer’s is a disease that is an irremediable, continuous brain neuron degenerative disease that can be asymptomatic at first and then overtime becomes symptomatic. Alzheimer’s is a gradual disease that advances in three phases: mild, then moderate, and, finally, severe (1). Symptoms appear after the age of 60 and include: the slow destruction of memory and thought processes, and ultimately ends with the absent ability to do normal everyday duties. These symptoms can be anything from forgetting a recent event, or can be as problematic as forgetting the name of a family member. There are many daily
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, meaning it attacks the neurons within the brain. Neurons are the areas of the brain that allow for chemical messages, or neurotransmitters, to be transmitted. These neurons are necessary for connections with other nerve cells, and without them, the neuronS ultimately die. Alzheimer’s is a form of, and the most common cause of, dementia, or loss of intellectual capacity and personality. ("Dementia.") Alzheimer’s disease, or AD, is not a normal part of aging, although risk of developing the illness increases with age. The onset behavior of the disease normally doesn’t appear until age sixty and older. Though symptoms that appear before age sixty have occurred, it is less common and tends
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a severe, incurable form of dementia that causes impairment and cognitive deficits such as language, speech, memory and basic motor skills (Buckley, 2011). Currently in the United States, there are 5.2 million individuals living with AD (Alzheimer’s Association, 2013). AD is a deterioration of one’s cognitive functions that prevents the ability for daily function and unfortunately has no known cure or preventative methods (Buckley, 2011).The main deficit that AD has on the brain is the deterioration of different areas of the brain. Not only does a physical toll contribute to patients with AD, but there is also a social stigma that impedes on the normal daily function of life. In this literature review, I will
Alzheimer’s is a progressive mental breakdown of the brain that can occur in an elderly person.
Do you know about the disease called alzheimer's?The reason why you want to care is because someone in your family could have it.”Alzheimer's disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States”. Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's is a disease that makes you forget about important information that you new. Alzheimer's Association is an organization that helps patients with the disease, and not only that, we are able to help them out too!
Alzheimer’s disease slowly steals a person’s dignity and erases precious memories. The “Alzheimer’s Disease Guide”, found on WebMD explains that tasks become more difficult to do often leading to confusion and behavior changes. The article further explains the progression of the disease also brings hardship to family and friends (1). To best cope with Alzheimer’s we must better understand the disease.
Alzheimer's Disease is a condition that affects 50% of the population over the age of eighty five, which equals four million Americans each year. It is becoming an important and high-profile issue in today's society for everyone. There are rapid advancements being made in the fight against this disease now more than ever, and the purpose of this essay is to educate the public on the background as well as the new discoveries. There are many new drugs that are being tested and studied every day which slow down, and may even halt the progress of the disease.
Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 out of every 8 people in the United States. It is a long and debilitating disease that affects every aspect of a person’s life from the way they preform daily tasks, to the physical and mental abilities that are diminishing. Along with the lifestyle changes that Alzheimer’s disease presents, it also affects one’s psychological perspective as well their view on what they can offer their family and society. There are some ways to maintain a level of independence with a disease of this magnitude but there are also factors in lifestyle choices that can make it worse. Alzheimer cannot be cured, it cannot be slowed, but there are ways to keep the effected person at a certain level of comfort, independence and safety
The first step in stopping this disease, one must understand the sickness of Alzheimer. As you can see in the picture above, this sickness changes your brain activity. I chose this picture because it shows exactly what happens to all your brainpower when hit by this. As you see the great color of the healthy brain on the left while the right one has less activity. A person eventually looses everything they had ever known. This culprit doesn’t only affect older adults but it can also hit people in their forty’s, fifty’s and even younger. This attack on the brain is very sad because it leaves a line of devastation. It is heartbreaking to see people in the early stages of Alzheimer. They realize that something is