...Service for Alzheimer’s Patients Paula Newsome Kaplan University Everyone has an elderly family member whether it is a parent, friend or significant other we all grow old. With age there are several different things that come along with or happen when growing old, one thing being Alzheimer's disease. With Alzheimer's disease comes death. No one wants to talk about or deal with death. I had to deal with it even when I did not want to, it was forced upon me. My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and within a year she succumbed to her disease. I never really understood what Alzheimer's was until my grandmother was diagnosed with it. This is what made me want to learn as much as I could understand about Alzheimer's disease. Through my reading I found out Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the fifth leading cause of death in Americans age 65 and older.(www.Alz.org, 2012). So regardless if we want to deal with it or not it is estimated 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, including approximately 200,000 age <65 years who comprise the younger-onset Alzheimer's disease population. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain's nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavioural changes. The course of Alzheimer's disease is not the same in every person, but symptoms seem to develop over the same general stages. In most people...
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...Alzheimer’s Disease Tim Smith ITT Technical Institute GE-375 Dr. Robert Fahey April 12, 2012 Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a form of dementia, which is a loss of brain function (U.S., 2012). The disease gradually worsens over time affecting one’s thinking, memory and behavior. AD is the most common form of Alzheimer’s accounting for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases (Alzheimer’s, 2012). Although one of the risk factors is old age (majority of those with the disease or age 65 or older), 5 percent of the individuals affected by the disease have early onset (in their 40’s or 50’s). There are currently 5.4 million Americans living with this disease. Alzheimer’s is a disease that will increase in intensity over the years (Alzheimer’s, 2012). In the early stages an individual will experience mild memory loss. In the late stages of the disease a person will be unresponsive to their environment. There are seven stages of Alzheimer’s. In stage one the person does not demonstrate any symptoms. In stage two the person experiences a mild decline in their cognitive function which they or others may attribute to normal age-related behaviors. Symptoms may feel like mere memory lapses. In stage three, also known as early-stage Alzheimer’s others will begin to notice difficulties. The individual would have trouble remembering names, forgetting things they just read, misplacing valuable objects, and increased trouble...
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...family member that’s alive. Alzheimer’s disease makes this nightmare a reality by taking away someone’s mental ability to perform normal everyday tasks and remember their most important memories. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative, disease that affects the brain and can also profoundly affect you or someone you love. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative disorder that attacks the brain’s nerve cells or neurons. The neurons slowly break their connections with other nerve cells and then begin to slowly die, resulting in memory loss, behavioral changes, and loss in thinking and language skills (About Alzheimer’s, Definition of Alzheimer’s 1). An estimated 5.1 million Americans may have Alzheimer’s disease and half a million Americans under the age of sixty-five have a kind of early onset dementia including Alzheimer’s disease (About Alzheimer’s, Statistics 1)....
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...Running head: Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s Disease Brenda Silva Waubonsee Community College PSY 205 Research Paper Mr. Scott Hollenback October 27, 2011 Alzheimer Disease As Kevin Arnold quotes, “Memory is a way of holding on to things you love, the things you are, and the things you never want to lose.” Memories are the things we uphold. Whether it’s bad or good, those memories are engraved in us and can’t be stolen from us. But what if as time goes by, those memories are losing? Worst, you’re even losing your language skills, ability to recognize familiar things and you feel sense of depression. This means, as a person grows old he/she experiences deterioration in one’s self. Now, we are currently living in the age of technology. Our advancements in the past few decades overshadow everything learned in the last 2000 years. This increase has bought with it a large increase in disease afflicting the elderly community. AD once thought to be a natural part of aging, is a severely debilitating form of mental dementia. Although some other types of dementia are curable or effectively treatable, there is currently no cure for Alzheimer. A general overview of AD including the clinical description, diagnosis, and progression of symptoms, helps one to further understand the treatment and care of patients. Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory...
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...parents, friends, spouse, your address, relatives, even your own name! Scary feeling isn’t it? Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age. Alzheimer's affects people younger than age 65. Up to 5 percent of the more than 5 million Americans with Alzheimer’s have younger-onset. Many people with early onset are in their 40s and 50s. Defined by the Mayo Clinic - Alzheimer's is a irreversible disease that causes the brain cells to degenerate and die causing a steady decline in memory and other important mental functions. It's the most common cause of dementia. Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—and behavioral abilities — these brain disorders result in the loss of intellectual and social skills and interfere with day-to-day life. Alzheimer's disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms included memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior. After she died, he examined her brain and found many abnormal clumps. Alzheimer’s disease affects approximately 5.3 million people and is ranked 6th for cause of death in America. A question you may ask is can someone die from Alzheimer’s I would have to say yes. Now you are wondering how can one die from memory loss…well typical complications of Alzheimer's are heart attacks, thromboembolisms (blood clots), strokes, kidney failure, and lung infections...
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...Alzheimer’s Disease We live in an advanced world of technology and medicine. As much as many things positively impact society, numerous may also have a negative effect. Throughout the years, we were able to create cures through medicine that have allowed the life expectancy of the older generation to outlast the previous ones. But for many seniors, new problems arise that still require an antidote with the help of research and development. Even though females have a higher rate in life expectancy, they also have a greater chance in degenerating diseases; but both have an equal chance in getting a specific disease. One of which is the most common form of Dementia called Alzheimer’s that is caused within old age. Alzheimer causes memory loss and it goes from losing a little portion to even forgetting your entire past. This paper will discuss what happens with Alzheimer’s, who it targets, what are the signs of detecting this disease, and if there is a way to cure it. Alzheimer’s was first discovered in the early 1900’s by a German physician, Alois Alzheimer. He discovered the disease while observing a patient, a 51 year old woman named Frau Auguste D., who developed symptoms of memory loss and had difficulty understandings and speaking. After a few years of observations, Dr. Alxheimer discovered a progression of the symptoms which inevitably led to the death of the patient. Upon autopsy, abnormal impairment of the brain was discovered, along with a remarkable...
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...Final Research Paper Ryan Hermes Health 106 SP 13 “Alzheimer’s Disease; A Disease Without A Cure” Alzheimer’s disease, otherwise known as dementia, is a genetic disease that causes the brain to deteriorate until death. Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, and once the diagnosis is given the disease only gets worse. The disease isn’t very well understood, however researchers are working to help treat the symptoms of the disease. With all of the advancements in medicine there are no treatments available to stop or reverse the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. In 1901 a German psychiatrist named Alois Alzheimer’s documented the first recorded case of Alzheimer’s disease. He studied a woman named Auguste Deter, she was a woman in her fifties who had severe early onset Alzheimer’s disease, and she died in 1906. After her death, Alzheimer’s worked with two Italian physicians on staining techniques to study Auguste’s brain. He noted certain plaques that infiltrated her brain, however technology could only go so far at the time so the results of the brain examination were speculative. Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain in a way that causes its victims to lose some or most of their memory. This causes the patient to forget things such as who they are, who their relatives are, where they are, how to get home, or even when or how to eat. These problems make caring for the patient difficult because the care person has to do almost everything...
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...Running Head: DEMENTIA Dementia The many stages of dementia Crystal Pare University of Phoenix Worldwide, there are 35.6 million people diagnosed with dementia and climbs another 7.7 million each year, most cases, over the age of 65. Alzheimer’s, the most widely known symptom of dementia can be detected in a small amount of people, well before they are 65 years of age. There is, as of yet, no cure for Alzheimer’s disease (dementia), and the progressive range of organic brain diseases which are categorized by difficulties of short-term memory and other cognitive insufficiencies. There is very little in the way of treatment at this time, while scientists have been studying this disease for many years, and have started getting a better idea of the disease with constant successes. As dementia becomes more prevalent worldwide, proper diagnosis of the stages of dementia, each defined by its own distinct symptoms and behaviors, is key to providing effective treatment. Dementia is the loss of logical functions such as thinking, memory, and perception that is severe enough to inhibit with a person’s daily operations or functions. Dementia is not a group of symptoms alone, but somewhat a collection of symptoms caused by several diseases or ill conditions. Symptoms can include fluctuations in character, mood, and behavior. Some cases of dementia are treated and even cured because the source itself is correctable. Instances of this include dementia formed by substance...
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...Alzheimer ’s disease SOC 313 Social Implications of Medical Issues Instructor: August 8, 2011 Alzheimer’s disease is irreversible progressive brain disease that destroys memory and thinking skills. “Its onset is generally insidious that gradually deterioration of cognitive function and eventually resulting death.” (Falvo, D. 2009). Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia among older people from age 65 or older. “Nearly 70 percentages of dementias are Alzheimer’s, and over 4.5 million Americans have it” (www.alz.org). This disease happens in older people, but a small percentage that can affect those in their middle age. One of the greatest risk factors that increase Alzheimer’s in family history is ages, and genetics. Alzheimer’s develops in genetic, lifestyle, and environmental work factors that cause this disease process. “Research shows that Latinos and African Americans in the United States have higher rates of vascular disease for developing Alzheimer’s”. (www.alz.org). If someone in your family has Alzheimer’s such as a brother, sister, or parent, they are more likely to developing the chance to getting the disease. There are two stages to having the disease, early onset and late onset. The early onset stage affects a small percentage of people under the ages 35 to 65. The early onset stages are usually inherited from a family history meaning a greater chance for developing the disease. The person tends to deal with forgetfulness, mood swings...
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...Alzheimer’s Disease Susan Edmonson Daymar College Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimers Disease is a progressive, deteriorating disease that attacks the brain causing diminished memory, thinking and behavior. Therefore it is imperative to know how Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed, risks and the different stages of the illness. It is an illness that is evident in a gradual decline in brain function that gets worse with time. It can affect a person’s ability to find words, finish thoughts or follow instructions. Learning about Alzheimer's disease and realizing that it is much more than memory loss can benefit the families of those with the illness. This disease is progressive and eventually leads to death. While there is no cure, it can be treated. Alzheimer’s is not a classic part of aging (What is Alzheimers, 2015). It can earnestly affect a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. Those affected by Alzheimer’s live an average of eight years after the symptoms are evident. One can survive from four to twenty years, dependent on the age of the person and their health situations (What is Alzheimers, 2015). “In 2013, as many as 5 million Americans were living with Alzheimer’s disease”(Center for Disease Control, 2015 ). There are quite a few risk factors that can increase one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (Cummings,2008). “Aging is the most powerful risk”(Cummings, 2008). Having a family history of dementia can also be a risk factor, even though it is uncommon...
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...Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that is the most common form of dementia. Its onset affects 24.3 million people in the United States (Leifer, 2009, p. 588). The earlier symptoms of this disease are memory loss and decline of cognitive functions. These symptoms are often overlooked as the normal signs of aging. Alzheimer’s often is not diagnosed until it has progressed to the more debilitating stages. Fewer than 50% of people with the disease are currently diagnosed. Awareness of the pathology of the disease and understanding risk factors and early signs of Alzheimer’s is vital to prevention as well as providing a patient with an early successful treatment. There are multiple risk factors which contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, age being the greatest. Alzheimer’s disease is increasing in occurrence with 1 percent in adults’ age 60 years to nearly 45 percent in those age 85 years and older (Wierenga & Bondi, 2011, p. 37). There are genetic risk factors that also play a role with developing Alzheimer’s. Early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease has been linked to the presence of genetic mutations on chromosomes 21, 14 and chromosomes 1. Mutations found on chromosome 19 are a well-known genetic risk factor for late onset Alzheimer’s disease and may be the cause for 50 percent of the risk for developing it. Additional risk factors include cerebrovascular disease such as stroke, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, systolic hypertension...
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..."Where has Yesterday Gone" Memory loss, like old age is a condition which mankind has always reluctantly recognized and always - with resignation. Memory loses are sometimes trivial and meaningless and go unrecognized. However, when these loses are so great that a person does not know who or where they are the concerns are quite grave. Although it is realize that Alzheimer's disease destroys the brain memory function, many do not realize precisely how the memory is destroyed once one is aware of the process, it becomes faster to work forward to alleviate the destruction. "Without memory there is no knowledge to recreate or reproduce past perceptions, emotions, thoughts and actions that are so vital to live a full and functioning life. Memory is the key that unlocks doors that keep us functioning, not only mentally but physically (Corrick 32)." "Memory loss is not a sign of decay (Freedman 10)." As we get older, there is some mild impairment in our recollection of recent events, such as forgetting why one went into a room or misplacing a person's eye glasses, which even young are guilty of doing. As reported by Larry Squire, "forgetting is quite normal and usually develops in the third decade of life, and by one estimate 85 percent of the healthy elderly - those over 65--suffer some memory impairment (59)." According to Dr. Seligmann, "forgetting is the process through which information in memory becomes inaccessible, either because it is stored but is not at that time retrievable...
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...“Never Forget” Lindsey Cash Illinois Central College There is a debilitating disease that is “affecting an estimated 4 to 5 million adults” (Hahn, Payne, and Lucas 2011), this disease is known as Alzheimer’s disease. The first topic that will be discussed will be symptoms and diagnosing the disease. Secondly how it progresses and the stages associated with it, along with the two main types of Alzheimer’s disease. The last topic will be the possible causes, risk factors and medications available to the sufferer. “Alzheimer’s disease dementia is a progressive degenerative brain disease and has no known cure. It is the most common form of dementia and eventually leads to death. Alzheimer’s disease significantly impacts the patient’s ability to function cognitively, which is the most apparent symptom of the disease.“ (http://www.alzheimersdisease.com/info/what/what-is-alzheimers-disease.jsp?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=+causes%2Bof%2B+alzheimer's%2B%2B%2B&utm_campaign=Unbranded%2BSigns%2Band%2BSymptoms%2B5/11&gclid=CIrGwvG9l6wCFYpb7AodaSjuUA). There are several symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease listed on the website www.alzheimersdisease.com[->0] including misplacing things. Objects are not just being misplaced but being placed in areas they should not be an example of this is instead of placing a purse on the counter when a person walks into the house they may place it in the freezer or refrigerator. Everyone may lose something...
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...Alzheimer's Disease Introduction to Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain. It is first described by the German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915) in 1905. This disease worsens with advancing age, although there is no evidence that it is cause by the aging process. The average life expectancy of a person with the disease is between five and ten years, but some patients today can live up to 15 years due to improvements in care and medical treatments. The cause of Alzheimer's has not been discovered yet and it cannot be possible to confirm a person has Alzheimer's until their autopsy following death. How does Alzheimer's develop What causes Alzheimer's? Well no one know exactly the development of this debilitating disease. But recent advances has produced several clues as to how it is born. Initially when we study the brain of a Alzheimer's victim, we focus on two specific areas. One is the cortex of the frontal and cerebral lobes1. The second is the hippocampus (meaning seahorses in Greek which it resembles2) which is located below the cerebral cortex and responsible for short-term memory. If we study samples of these two section, we would find three irregularities which are not found in normal brain matter. These three are called neurofibrillary tangles, neuritic plagues and granulovacuolar degeneration3. A nerve cell has numerous axons and dendrites coming out...
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...Alzheimer's disease was discovered by Dr. Alois Alzheimer, who did a great deal of research in the early 20th century regarding the disease. Research implies that there are some risk factors that seem to be linked in people with Alzheimer's disease. Much research has been done to try and track the origin of Alzheimer's disease, and many include environmental and genetic causes. (3) Alzheimer's is classified into two types; familial AD, which runs in families and follows inheritance patterns, and sporadic AD, in which no clear pattern of inheritance is found. Family history is considered a major risk factor. Individuals who have a relative with the disease are much more likely to develop it themselves. (4) Alzheimer's affects over four million people in the United Stares. Researchers predict that as the baby boomer generation begins to age, Alzheimer's could impact as many as 14 million people nationwide. The number of Alzheimer's cases is growing rapidly, afflicting 10% or more of people aged 65 or older and almost half of those over age 85. Alzheimer's is slightly more prevalent in woman than men. (3) Aging greatly increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is usually seen in those over age 65, a rare and threatening type of Alzheimer's can occur in younger people in their 40s and 50s. This type is usually a result of family history or traumatic brain injuries experienced earlier in life. Aging in normally associated with the decline in the abilities to remember...
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