...Analysis of Alzheimer’s Disease based on the D.N. case study. D.N. developed Alzheimer’s disease at age 50. Early signs were vague and included occasional errors in judgment and increased criticism of others, noted only in retrospect. Several years later, following several episodes of extreme anger, a diagnosis of Alzheimer was made. At this time, it was suspected that his father also had AD but had died from an unrelated cause before the diagnosis was could be made […] The neurologist prescribed gelantamine, an anticholinesterase inhibitors and regular attendance at a group center offering appropriate activities […] The degeneration progresses rapidly over the next 2 years. The maximum dose of galantamine is no longer effective. He is confused about any change and not capable of performing simple activities. Communication is impaired, including that with family members […] (Gould, Dyer, 2010 p.527) Although aging is a natural part of human existence, it is also considered the most difficult phase of ones life. Social, psychological and financial factors may remind a person that the quality of their every day is not what it used to be, but the physical changes that take place in the human body are the ones that affect aged people the most. Among a long list of conditions and diseases that are prevalent in the elderly population, forms of dementia are the ones that not only lead to unavoidable health impairment but...
Words: 1212 - Pages: 5
...Alzheimer's disease is a disease of the brain that is eventually fatal and affects how a person thinks, feels, and acts. It is an "irreversible disease and destroys brain cells causing thinking ability and memory to deteriorate." ("Alzheimer's Disease", 2016). Each individual with this fatal disease is affected in different ways. There is no order in which symptoms occur or the speed of their progression. Alzheimer's disease affects a person's ability to make decisions, perform simple tasks, or follow a conversation. It also affects a person's emotions, mood, and physical abilities. Individuals with this disease can lose interest in their favorite hobbies, become less expressive and withdrawn. An individual may also seem "different" or out...
Words: 1697 - Pages: 7
...Introduction: Affecting 64% of all dementia cases (Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, 2014), Alzheimer’s disease is a growing problem today. With close to 90 000 cases of dementia reported in the greater Toronto area (GTA) (Hopkins, 2010) and the number continuing to rise, it is a widespread problem in society. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by memory loss, difficulty completing daily tasks, confusion, communication problems, and emotional and social changes (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). Alzheimer’s disease is most common from age 65 onward. There is no cure to alzheimer’s disease, and the exact mechanisms are unclear. Current research suggests that plaques and tangles are responsible for the destruction of neurones, leading to symptoms...
Words: 2495 - Pages: 10
...Professor Staab Psychology April 28, 2012 Prolonging the Inevitable Alzheimer’s disease was named after a German neuropathologist and psychiatrist by the name of Aloysius Alzheimer who is credited with identifying two symptoms of the disease; amyloid plaques and neurofribrillary tangles in the brain. It is important to understand that Alzheimer’s disease is not a type of dementia; it is simply a disease that causes dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is an incurable progressive disease that can take up to twenty years to advance, but typically takes between eight to ten painful years for the Alzheimer’s sufferer and their family. Christian Nordqvist author of What is Alzheimer’s Disease? What Causes Alzheimer’s Disease? states that “During the course of the disease plaques and tangles develop within the structure of the brain. This causes brain cells to die. Patients with Alzheimer’s also have a deficiency in the levels of some vital brain chemicals with are involved with transmission of messages in the brain – neurotransmitters” (1). The disease is typically broken down into three common stages that people experience: mild, moderate, and severe. As well as the duration, the length of each stage can vary depending on the person, as Rosemary Blieszner and Peggy A. Shifflett confirm in their article The effects of Alzheimer’s Disease on Close Relationships Between Patients and Caregivers, “This disease is very unpredictable in terms of duration and nature of symptoms, with...
Words: 1781 - Pages: 8
...Amanda Farrington Research paper October 17, 2014 Despite the forgetfulness, we have of the seriousness of Alzheimer’s disease; the behind the scenes action is what we need to be taking a look at. Researcher is now choosing different routes of prevention, treatment and diagnostic studies to solve this serious illness. Which different stages of diagnosis it’s difficult to find the target of what triggers the disease. With the majority of patients being diagnosed being of the elderly stage of life, testing different options is risky because of old age. As many years and millions have gone on to find the cure to stop this tragic illness that overcomes thousands of loved ones every year, scientist have decided to step back and make a strategy. With so many failed attempts of curing this disease, they decided to find an attack approach before being diagnosed. Studies have gone into the smallest detail to find common traits that those diagnosed have. While this is an endless and tedious process, they continued. Scientist have discovered that there are ways to lower the risks of being diagnosed with the disease in the future. Although there is no cure once diagnosed, there have been studies found on how to lessen your chances of getting it. Multiple articles, including National Institute of Agings “alheimer’s prevention”, state that vitamins are always a natural and healthy route as well as anti inflammatory drugs. While a healthy diet and exercise can be effective...
Words: 1637 - Pages: 7
...Alzheimer's Disease and its Link to the Normal Human Developmental Process of Aging Angel M. Perez Liberty University Abstract The cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is currently unknown. However, extensive studies using new technology has led to new ways of accurately identifying AD, an understanding of the mechanisms involved regarding the development of AD, and the damage it causes in the human brain. The general population is under the impression that AD is a result of the normal human developmental process of aging. The focus of this research is to dismiss this misconception by providing indisputable empirical evidence to the contrary. This paper looks at the various studies explored by researchers in an attempt to show the factors attributed to AD, a population over the age of 65 that do not suffer from AD, and a population of as young as 18 clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The author also addresses life style, environmental, and genetic risk factors attributed to the development of AD. Alzheimer's Disease and its Link to the Normal Human Developmental Process of Aging Contrary to popular belief, studies show that Alzheimer’s disease is not part of the normal human developmental process of aging. It is imperative that researchers acknowledge that AD is not part of the normal aging process. Researchers must keep an open mind during the research and experimental process, exploring all plausible arguments, in order to discover the cause(s) and/or...
Words: 5079 - Pages: 21
...Study Review The article, Aging and Alzheimer's Disease: Lessons From the Nun Study, by David Snowden PhD, published in The Gerontologist in 1997, begins with a warm history of a remarkable nun of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The author details how Sister Mary was born into a working class family in 1892, was the oldest of 12 children and how her mother died during childbirth. In addition it was noted Sister Mary had an 8th grade Catholic education, joined the convent at 14, and took her vows when she turned 19 years of age. The article went on to describe how Sister Mary’s sibling Clara joined the same religious order, but unfortunately died at age 49. The background stated that her father died at 68 years of age of heart disease. With a very small stature and 85 lbs. the writer portrays Sister as an avid reader, being well-liked and very happy. She had a special interest in global situations, women and children in need, and was also actively involved in her community. This amazing woman taught middle school for 77 years all the while studying during her breaks for her own high school diploma, which she earned with an “A” average after 22 committed years. She continued working with students in a part-time capacity until her mid-eighties, and even after officially retiring still had quite a presence within the convent. When scientists from the University of Kentucky seeking participation in a study on Alzheimer’s approached the older segment of women from...
Words: 1860 - Pages: 8
...The Study Of Alzheimer’s What exactly is Alzheimer’s disease? Alzheimer’s disease is a disorder that occurs in the brain in which specific brain cells degenerate, causing memory loss, and impairs thinking and behavior. It usually develops in people in their 60’s or early 70”s, and approximately 4 million Americans suffer from this disease and 100 million die each year. The risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s disease: There are 3 genes when mutated that cause Alzheimer’s disease. * APP gene (amyloid precursor protein) (chromosome 21) is expressed in the synapse and is thought to be responsible for forming and repairing synapses. Mutations of the APP gene have been associated with Alzheimer ’s disease and with early onset in particular. A primary cause of Alzheimer’s disease is deposits of a protein called amyloid-beta as plaques in the brain. Beta amyloid is released following cleavage of APP at a number of points, and mutations can lead to an increase in production of protein. More than 20 mutations of the APP gene haven been and cause early onset of Alzheimer’s disease. * Presenilin 1 gene (chromosome 14) and Presenilin 2 gene ( chromosome 19) are proteins that span the cell membrane and are primarily expressed in neurons. They also determine secretase activity, which is responsible for cleaving the amyloid precursor protein (APP). In sum APP cleavage can produce amyloid-beta, which is the primary component of plaques in the brains of Alzheimer patients...
Words: 480 - Pages: 2
...suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. It is confusing how some people use these names interchangeably. While Alzheimer’s disease and dementia have similar characteristics, the treatment for the disease is based on symptoms as well as how the diseases are acquired. Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia so they are very closely related. (Fraller, 2013) Knowing the slight differences between the two diseases could, in some cases, mean a cure. Both Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are caused by a dysfunction in the brain. In Alzheimer’s disease, there is a loss of brain cells brought on by age. Studies have shown that 10% of all people over the age of 65 and 50% of people over the age of 85 have Alzheimer’s. Out of all those people, only 1% of them inherited the disease. Someone who has experienced multiple head injuries or high insulin levels are also at a greater risk of acquiring Alzheimer’s. On the other hand, dementia is caused by changes to the brain. These changes may be caused by a stroke, brain tumors, or even head injuries. Diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, hyperthyroidism, B12 deficiency, and fluid build-up on the brain have also been known to cause dementia. (Healthwise Incorporated, 2011) Once the causes of the two diseases have been determined, it is important to discuss the symptoms. The similarities between the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are typically what dupe people into thinking they are the same disease. Both diseases will cause...
Words: 1201 - Pages: 5
...Possibilities of preventing dementia One in 10 people age 65 and older (10 percent) has Alzheimer's dementia (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016 ). Over the course of many years, there has been an increase in people that have been diagnosed with dementia, a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental process caused by brain disease or injury. Studies have shown that there has been a decrease in memory loss when they’re older by living a certain lifestyle while they are young. Other studies have shown that dementia develops naturally and you do not know when to expect it. Dementia is to describe all the disease that are related to memory loss. Extensive analysis from cases of dementia and controls suggests that Alzheimer's disease is a primary irreversible nerve-cell disorder and not the result of accelerated ageing (Elsevier Ltd, 1979 ). Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells. People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of a...
Words: 692 - Pages: 3
...occurred recently. Long-term memory loss is the inability to recall events that happened in the distant past. Also there are effects of memory loss after a stroke may include: Alzheimer's disease, and amnesia First, The memory loss associated with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) may have multiple cognitive components. Working memory appears to be impaired due to failures of a Central Executive System. Secondary Memory, on the other hand, is affected due to poor encoding or meditational processes. An analysis of the performance of 71 AD patients on tests related to these neuropsychological constructs revealed that they could indeed be dissociated. In fact, individual patients were identified with significantly different, and unique, patterns of impairment which were consistent with the two-component model. These data, therefore, lend preliminary support for the notion of multiple cognitive impairments being responsible for the memory loss in AD Second, ECT is a common cause of severe retrograde amnesia, doe example, destruction of memories of events prior to an injury. The potency of ECT as an amniotic exceeds that of severe closed head injury with coma. It is surpassed only by prolonged deficiency of thiamine pyrophosphate. Bilateral temporal lobotomy and the accelerated dementias, such as Alzheimer's. After ECT it takes 5 to 10 minutes just to remember who you are. Where you are, and what day it is. In the first weeks after a full course, retrograde and, to a lesser...
Words: 448 - Pages: 2
...Research Proposal Psych/610 Kristina England University of Phoenix Janice McMurray August 30, 2013 Research Proposal I. Introduction “Alzheimer’s disease causes 50% to 60% of all dementias and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and is the fifth leading cause among persons age 65 and older” (Heron, 2009). II. Seniors with dementia A. “Dementia is the progressive deterioration in cognitive function - the ability to process thought (intelligence)” (Nordqvist, 2013, pp. 1). “Dementia is a non-specific syndrome in which affected areas of brain function may be affected, such as memory, language, problem solving and attention” (Nordqvist, 2013, pp. 3). Dementia is most commonly seen in the elderly. B. Symptoms include; memory loss, moodiness, and communication difficulty. C. Causes of dementia include; Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, dementia with Lewy bodies, Fronto-temporal dementia, Huntington’s disease, and many other diseases. D. Two main categories 1. Cortical Dementia-“The cerebral cortex is affected. This is the outer layer of the brain. The cerebral cortex is vital for cognitive processes, such as language and memory. Alzheimer's disease is a form of cortical dementia, as is CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease)” (Nordqvist, 2013, pp. 9). 2. Subcortical Dementia-“A part of the brain beneath the cortex (deeper inside) becomes affected or damaged. Language and memory...
Words: 603 - Pages: 3
...Is it ethical to allow individuals with the disease to receive a placebo when participating in a research study into Alzheimer’s disease? Lit Review Dementia is an umbrella term or senility which means an enormous group of symptoms that are caused by disease that affect the brain, for instance Alzheimer’s disease. The brain starts to shrink because increasingly the cells die, which is known as brain atrophy (image below) which can sometimes be seen in a brain scan of someone in the later stages of dementia. When the cells die and it cannot be replaced at all. What is Alzheimer’s disease? The term Alzheimer is named after by Alois Alzheimer, who was a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist in 1906. Alois discovered the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) which is the most ordinary form of dementia that has no treatment, medication or cure at all. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease, that the brain gets damaged gradually, as this happens the symptoms becomes more sever then eventually leads to death. It is a brain disorder that extremely disturbs a person’s knowledge to carry out daily activities. Throughout the course of the disease, protein, ‘plaques’ and ‘tangles’ develop in the structure of the brain, leading to the death of brain cells. People who have AD have a shortage of some beneficial chemicals in their brain, which are involved with the transmission of messages with the brain. However, some drug may help keep symptoms from getting worse for a restricted...
Words: 1977 - Pages: 8
...OUTCOME IN THE LATE STAGE OF ALZHEIMER DISEASE Name: Institution: A business plan describing evidence-based intervention to improve outcome in the late stage of Alzheimer disease Executive summary According to the “British Medical Journal (BMJ)” on the subject “Care plans for individuals with Alzheimer disease: Intuitively a good idea but hard to prove they are effective in practice.” It is seen that teaching based intervention for Alzheimer care are suggested by large professional organizations although it is not evident on who should undertake these models to the patients. Care plans replicas along with the guidelines usually do have the stated objectives of delaying an illness development and functional beg off (Schneider, 2016). Alzheimer is illustrated by momentous impairments in several cognitive areas, functioning as well as the behavioral burden. Premature revealing, as well as management, can avert overuse of expensive healthcare resources and permit the affected people and caregivers the time to prepare for the prospect financial, medical along with the emotional confronts. This planning proposal offers the right measures concerning the evidence-based intervention to improve outcome in the late stage of Alzheimer disease. Among the cited evidence-based intervention that the business proposes to employ in combating the new stage of the disease do include the use of physical along...
Words: 2450 - Pages: 10
...C. (23 July 2015). Article title [Music, memory and mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease] retrieved from url: http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/138/8/2122). Alongside these positive benefits with alzheimers, I believe when it comes to health and music we must acknowledge how music can change our mood. For me as a musician, when I am feeling down or sad, I play music or listen to music and it can take the sting out of whatever burden has shackled itself to my overall happiness. Music also has the power to pump you up for a good...
Words: 872 - Pages: 4
