...Dementia Alzheimer’s I. INTRODUCTION a. Attention Device – Alzheimer’s disease has had a huge impact on many lives. The Alz.org, estimates that about a half million Americans younger than age 65 have some form of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. 1 in 9 people over the age of 65 is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. b. Tie to the audience – Everyone has a loved one over the age of 65 or may know someone who has a tough time remembering things, and even witness strange behavior in elderly people. Behaviors such as wearing multiple layers of clothes, aggressiveness and even lack of communication. These may very well be symptoms c. Credentials – In 2009 my grandmother, who was 69 years of age was diagnosed with dementia Alzheimer’s. I have sought...
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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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...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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...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...
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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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...Study Alzheimer’s Jamie Newell HSC/245 Intro to Health and Disease September 8, 2014 Gwendolyn Ivy Case Study: Alzheimer’s Case Study Chapter 21 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 with noticeable behavioral changes. (Alzheimer’s foundation, 2014). In the case of Jenny’s grandma, she states her grandmother is confused, forgets and is often short tempered; these are among the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Early stages can include mood and personality changes, poor judgment, difficulty with words or memory, trouble understanding simple directions, confusion with time or place and difficulty with normal daily activities. (Alzheimer’s signs & symptoms, 2014) There are many different stages of Alzheimer’s disease most are listed into three stages: stage 1 mild/early, stage 2 moderate/mild and stage 3 severe/late. For Jenny’s grandmother she appears to be between stages 1 and 2. Stage 1 has memory lost, confusion as well as mood swings and depression. Stage 2 is more progressive with even more confusion, memory loss is greater, some delusions and behavioral changes occur in this stage. Jenny states that her grandmother is short-tempered at times. Jenny needs to take her grandmother to a doctor so she can be evaluated by a professional to determine if she is in fact in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. ...
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...in the later stages of adulthood (ages 65 onwards) are most likely to develop dementia. Dementia is considered to progress in there different stages: early, middle and later stage. In the early stage of dementia it affects an individual with small signs such as frequently forgetting the names of people and where they have placed items. Middle stage dementia becomes...
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...Causes of sign and symptoms People with Alzheimer disease also develop deposits of protein and fibre that prevent the cells from working properly. When this happens, the cells can't send the right signals to other parts of the brain. Over time, brain cells affected by Alzheimer also begin to shrink and denature. Causes of sign and symptoms People with Alzheimer disease also develop deposits of protein and fibre that prevent the cells from working properly. When this happens, the cells can't send the right signals to other parts of the brain. Over time, brain cells affected by Alzheimer also begin to shrink and denature. How it affects the body body systems effected; Central Nervous System, Alzheimer disease is principally a disease of the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord. Digestive System- Alzheimer disease adversely affects the digestive system in several ways. Swallowing difficulties occur in people with Alzheimer’s, bowel control is also adversely affected with Alzheimer disease, faecal incontinence occurs in most people with advanced disease. Neuromuscular System- people with advanced Alzheimer lose the ability to use their muscles in fixed ways. Patients with late-stage disease typically lose their ability to walk. The ability to maintain posture to sit safely in a chair may also be lost. The muscles become increasingly rigid as control of the neuromuscular system declines. Physical effects; Apraxia- impairment to perform motor...
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...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...
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...Alzheimer's HCA/250 October 21, 2012 Tiffany Hanshaw Alzheimer's Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia that can affect a variety of ages, groups or gender. In 1906, a psychiatrist named Alois Alzheimer from Germany performed an autopsy on a female patient that had passed away ("Living with Alzheimer's", 2012). According to the "Alzheimer's Association" (2012), the most common sign and characteristics of Alzheimer’s is memory loss but also as the illness progresses, the individuals behavior starts to change. The person can start to have changes in how they feel and can become depressed, withdrawn, or anxious with themselves or family and loved. When it comes to memory loss for those with the disease, he/she starts to depend more on family or friends to help remind them of what things are in the their lives. The individual will notices small changes that will be brushed aside as just a normal part of the aging process but as time goes by, the signs are more noticeable. Speaking words at one time was an easy task but as time passes, he/she struggles with just trying to form the words they are thinking and wanting to say. Some of the other characteristics of Alzheimer’s are such as solving problems. This becomes a challenge because it is difficult to process what is being read such as a puzzle book or reading a novel. It will take longer to solve the puzzle or finish a novel due to the inability to concentrate on the task they are trying to perform. Activities...
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...Alzheimer’s Disease: Not Just Loss of Memory This is a 8 page, 10 resource paper discussing Alzheimer’s disease, discussing the history, symptoms, diagnosis and hopes for a cure of the disease. Alzheimer’s Disease: Not Just Loss of Memory Introduction Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative brain disease, is the most common cause of dementia. It currently afflicts about 4 million Americans and is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Furthermore, Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of mental impairment in elderly people and accounts for a large percentage of admissions to assisted living homes, nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities. Psychotic symptoms, such as delusions and hallucinations, have been reported in a large proportion of patients with this disease. In fact, it is the presence of these psychotic symptoms can lead to early institutionalization (Bassiony, et all, 2000). Learning about Alzheimer’s disease and realizing that it is much more that just a loss of memory can benefit the families of those with the disorder as well as society as a whole. The purpose of this paper is to look at the disorder, as well as to discuss the history, symptoms, diagnosis and hopes of a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. History Around the turn of the century, two kinds of dementia were defined by Emil Kraepin: senile and presenile. The presenile form was described more in detail by Alois Alzheimer as a progressive deterioration of...
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...Alzheimer’s Disease: Not Just Loss of Memory Introduction Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative brain disease, is the most common cause of dementia. It currently afflicts about 4 million Americans and is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Furthermore, Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of mental impairment in elderly people and accounts for a large percentage of admissions to assisted living homes, nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities. Psychotic symptoms, such as delusions and hallucinations, have been reported in a large proportion of patients with this disease. In fact, it is the presence of these psychotic symptoms can lead to early institutionalization (Bassiony, et all, 2000). Learning about Alzheimer’s disease and realizing that it is much more that just a loss of memory can benefit the families of those with the disorder as well as society as a whole. The purpose of this paper is to look at the disorder, as well as to discuss the history, symptoms, diagnosis and hopes of a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. History Around the turn of the century, two kinds of dementia were defined by Emil Kraepin: senile and presenile. The presenile form was described more in detail by Alois Alzheimer as a progressive deterioration of intellect, memory and orientation. As a neuropathologist, Alzheimer studied the case a 51 year-old woman. When she died, Alzheimer performed an autopsy and found that she had “cerebral atrophy”...
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...BEL311 ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES TERM PAPER ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE: NOT JUST A LOSS OF MEMORY Prepared by: XXXXXXXXX (matric no.) XXXXXXXXX (matric no.) Group XXX Prepared for: XXXXXXXXXXXX Date of Submission: July 2011 Introduction Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative brain disease, is the most common cause of dementia. It currently afflicts about 4 million Americans and is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Furthermore, Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of mental impairment in elderly people and accounts for a large percentage of admissions to assisted living homes, nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities. Psychotic symptoms, such as delusions and hallucinations, have been reported in a large proportion of patients with this disease. In fact, it is the presence of these psychotic symptoms can lead to early institutionalization (Bassiony, et al, 2000). Learning about Alzheimer’s disease and realizing that it is much more that just a loss of memory can benefit the families of those with the disorder as well as society as a whole. This paper is to look at the disorder, as well as to discuss the history, symptoms, diagnosis, current researches and hopes of a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. History Around the turn of the century, two kinds of dementia were defined by Emil Kraepin: senile and presenile. The presenile form was described more in detail by Alois Alzheimer as a progressive deterioration...
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...Alzheimer’s is a very common disease with over 44 million people having this disease worldwide. This disease is a horrible disease that affects the hippocampus and the cortex of the brain. Not only is this hard for the individual who has the disease, but also very hard for family members and friends to watch them go through with the disease. In most severe stages of Alzheimer’s disease, most people will not remember their family members names and often refer to their childhood. Doctors’ are still unsure why Alzheimer’s affects people the way it does because it is still a fairly new disease. As of right now, Alzheimer’s is ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and according to the Alzheimer’s Association National...
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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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