Alzheimer’s Disease
Jackie Saunders
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about Alzheimer’s Disease.
Central Idea: Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia that progresses in four stages.
Presentational Aides: Pictures
Introduction
“Hey! Can you give me a ride home? I just live down the road.” Now, this sounds like a reasonable request, that most of us would probably do, but I hear this every day when I’m at work. It’s from the same lady, at around the same time of day. Of course, I’m talking about Alzheimer’s Disease, and I work in a nursing facility.
In 1901, German psychiatrist, Alois Alzheimer, identified the first case, of what is now called, Alzheimer’s Disease, in a fifty-year-old woman, named Auguste. He studied her case until she died in 1906.
Until 1977, Alzheimer’s Disease, or AD was the diagnosis of anybody age 45-65 who had symptoms of dementia. Since 1977, dementia and AD are viewed as two completely different things. People with dementia tend to be forgetful, but can still care for themselves. AD is characterized by progressing into four stages, pre-dementia, early (mild), moderate, and advanced (severe).

Body I. The first stage is pre-dementia. A. Symptoms are mistaken as normal ageing or stress. 1. Forgetfulness- can’t find the keys, or forgetting appointments. 2. Attentiveness- not paying attention during conversations, distracted easy. 3. Flexibility- problems adjusting if routines change.
Transition: The first stage, pre-dementia, can last up to eight years. Then it progresses to the second stage, early (mild) AD. II. The second stage is early (mild) AD. A. Language problems are starting to be noticeable. 1. Can’t find the right word when communicating. 2. Has difficulty when writing- can’t spell words right. B. Memory is starting to be affected. 1. Long-term memory is still good- can still remember childhood, and the past. 2. Short-term memory is not so good- can’t remember what happened yesterday, or what they had for breakfast today. 3. Can still perform most daily tasks independently- can feed and dress themselves.
Transition: The second stage, early (mild) AD is short, lasting about one year. It then progresses into the third stage, moderate AD. III. The third stage is moderate AD. A. Individuals can no longer perform daily activities independently. 1. Vocabulary down to just a few words. Talking in non-sensical sentences. 2. Reading and writing has now been lost. 3. Long-term memory is now impaired. B. Individuals start falling down a lot. 1. Difficulty in walking now. 2. Wandering can put them in dangerous situations. C. Behavior problems are starting to be noticeable. 1. Depression and anxiety are common. 2. Aggression with combativeness begins, especially towards caregivers.
Transition: The third stage, moderate AD, lasts about six months to one year. It then progresses into the fourth and final stage, advanced (severe) AD. IV. The fourth stage is advanced (severe) AD. A. Individuals are now completely dependent on caregivers. 1. They can’t feed themselves and have difficulty chewing and swallowing. 2. They are now incontinent of both bowel and bladder and have frequent UTIs. 3. They are now bed/chair bound and have constant skin breakdown. B. They don’t recognize family, friends, or caregivers now. 1. Confusion causes increasing aggressive behaviors. 2. They become withdrawn and more depressed. C. It now has become a terminal illness, and in six months, or less, will result in death. 1. Because they now won’t or can’t eat, starvation and dehydration is inevitable. 2. Being inactive and having poor nutrition can now cause pneumonia to develop.

Conclusion
Presently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. There are currently five medications that are prescribed by physicians, but there’s not enough data yet, to know how well they work.
Scientists know that scans of AD brains and normal brains show differences when compared. Autopsies have shown that AD brains are smaller than normal brains when compared. They have identified a substance, called amyloid plaques, which deposit between brain cells, in AD brains. They also have found evidence of neurofibrillary tangles in the brain cells.
Alzheimer’s Disease has become the most expensive disease in the United States, with care costing up to $77,000 per year for each one. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there will be around 11 million people with this disease by the year 2040.
Alzheimer’s Disease can strike anyone regardless of race or status in society. Not only is it my job to care for people with this disease, but it has also affected me personally. My mother had Alzheimer’s Disease and died in 2006, at the age of 77.
Works Cited 1) “What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?” www.alzheimers.org.uk 2) “What We Know Today About Alzheimer’s Disease” www.alz.org 3) “Alzheimer’s Disease: Causes” www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers