Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia that affects the brain. There is no cure for it but many treatments. Alzheimer’s is fatal and there are few stages of dementia. It is the 6th leading cause of death, more than 5 million Americans have it, and 15,5 million caregivers gave around 17.7 billion hours of unpaid care that cost around $220 billion in 2013. In my family, my grandmother who is 86 years old has very early stages of Alzheimer’s. She started having symptoms when she was 81. My grandfather took most of the care of her but as he got ill my aunt Kathy took over. When my grandfather got ill and had to be in 24 hour care, we all agree to put my grandmother in assisted living care 10 minutes from one of my aunt’s house. The normal symptoms of early Alzheimer’s is loss of memory, decision-making, behavior, language, and personality. My grandmother has short term memory but her long term is still good. She would ask what was for dinner every hour and we would remind her. We would sometimes test her and question her back to see if she can try to remember. Another problem she has is that she forgets she needs to go to the bathroom so she wears adult dippers to help keep her clean. She might get stubborn when we push her to go to the bathroom but we trick by saying that we need to go. Every few hours one of us would take her to the bathroom so she didn’t have to rely on the adult dippers. She would call me by my cousin’s name almost every time I see her, so I would remind her my name and it would take her awhile to realize that I’m not my cousin. Another problem my grandmother has that she would forget what the plans were for the day so every other hour we would get questioned about it. While my grandfather was ill he had to be pu... ... middle of paper ... ...ere personally and felt it was great place for my grandmother to stay. Kathy said she feels more comfortable and relieved to know that there are people she knows working there. My grandmother has decent size apartment that is equipped with metal handles to help her use the bathroom or shower. I really liked about it all that she still had some independence while living there by enjoying the company of others through special activities, meals, or social gatherings. They have 24 hour medical care with once a day a nurse checking up on her. The big plus my aunt told me is that they focus on memory, the staff members are specially trained to care for those who have memory loss and work with them to meet individual’s capabilities. When I visited my grandmother I asked her myself if she likes it and was meeting new people, which she told me with a cute big smile she did.
Pah-Lavan, Z. (2006). Alzheimer's disease: the road to oblivion. Journal of Community Nursing, 20(5), 4. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Think about it, an average teen in this world has just been diagnosed with a type of incurable dementia which will forever change his or her life. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is one of the less common forms of dementia. It is when the nerve cells in the frontal lobe die and over time the brain tissue shrinks. Frontotemporal dementia is mostly found in people who are in their teens or twenties. It can affect young people in a very negative way. They start to get aggressive and as the disease gets worse they lose friends and have a difficult time in school and understanding things. Frontotemporal dementia is a rare disease that is on the rise and affects the people of the younger generation.
Dementia is a significant health issue in Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2012) (AIHW 2012). Whilst Dementia primarily affects older members of the community, it can also affect young people and has a significant influence on overall health and quality of life (AIHW 2012). The type of Dementia is a determinant in the severity and development of symptoms in individuals (Department of Health 2013) (DoH, 2013). The gradual, progressive and irreversible nature of Dementia has a considerable social and physical impact not only on the individual, but also on family and friends.
People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of their belongings, keeping up with plans, remembering appointments or travel dates. Many dementias are progressive. This means that symptoms start out slowly and gradually get worse with time. Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia are diagnosed based on careful medical history, a physical examination, laboratory tests, and the characteristic changes in thinking, day-to-day function and behavior related to each
Deciding to place a family member with Alzheimer's disease or Dementia in a medical facility is a very difficult decision to face. Alzheimer’s disease is a cognitive disease. As the disease progresses, it affects physical capabilities, as well. When a family member has been the sole caregiver of the patient, feelings of guilt, despair, and failure can surround the decision. Nonetheless, there are numerous reasons to move a family member into a nursing home. The Alzheimer patient would benefit from being moved to a medical facility because they will have trained medical staff, twenty-four hour care, and a safe, structured environment.
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 disease is the leading neurodegenerative disease in elderly adults. It affects more than 30 million people in the world (1). There are a few major markers behind Alzheimer’s disease. These include amyloid β plaque, oxidative stress, and inflammation. A potential target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are the processes involved in the synthesis, transport, and function of retinoids.
Alzhiemer’s disease is the most common form of dementia . It is a disease in which nerve cells in the brain die. As nerve cells die it’s difficult for the brain's signals to be transmitted properly. The death of the nerve cells occurs gradually over a period of years. The gradual loss of brain function seems to be due to two main forms of nerve damage, nerve cells develop tangles (neurofibrillary tangles) and protein deposits known as beta-amyloid plaques build up in the brain. The first sign of Alzheimers is memory impairment. Recent memory is lost first and as time goes on, attention is lost, simple calculations become impossible, and ordinary daily activities become difficult, and the patient feels bewildered and frustrated. Symptoms tend to worsen at night which is known as the sundown effect. Patients have dramatic mood swings such as outbursts of anger, bouts of fearfulness, and periods of lethargy. The patient becomes increasingly disoriented and because of disorientation they may wander off and become lost. Alzheimer’s also results in physical problems like an odd gait, or a loss of coordination. Over the course of time patients lose physical and communicative abilities entirely. Alzheimer's disease can run its course from onset to death in as few as four years, or it may play out over a period of as long as 20 years. On average people suffer with Alzheimer's disease for about nine years. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. One person out of eight age 65 and over has the disease.
In the field of Psychology you can find an abundance of mental disorders that can have an affect on people all throughout the world. Out of all the mental disorders that can be found around the world, some of them are more well-known and more widespread than others. The following disorders could be described as being well-known and widespread disorders: depression, bi-polar disorder, Alzheimer's, and OCD, which could also be called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. All of these mental disorders can be very dangerous and possibly deadly if people don't receive the proper care in order to be able to contain these disorders. Out of these very dangerous and possibly deadly disorders, I believe that Alzheimer's is the most interesting disorder. I think that Alzheimer's is the most interesting disorder, because I think we have the least about of knowledge of the Alzheimer's disorder. As a society we still to this day don't have a cure that totally stops this disorder.
The changes in Alzheimer’s normally begin in the part of the brain that affects learning (Overview Alzheimer's Association). Some other symptoms of Alzheimer’s include gradual memory loss, the decline in capability to carry out everyday tasks, and the loss of their language skills. According to Bialystok, the rate of decline in cognitive functioning was significant in the Alzheimer’s disease group compared to Mild Cognitive Impairment during the study of bilingualism and how it is associated with a substantial delay in the onset of (AD) and (MCI) (Bialystok, 2014). Disorientation, mood and behavior changes, confusion about past events are some severe symptoms. As Alzheimer’s worsens over time, the ability to get dressed or turn off the stove, are some examples of a possible decline in ability to perform everyday tasks.
Dementia worldwide is a common cause of death for the elderly. Dementia is a syndrome – usually of a chronic or progressive nature – in which there is deterioration in cognitive function beyond what might be expected from normal ageing. (WHO). Dementia can affect many things from memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, and calculation, learning capacity, language and even judgment. ““Dementia” is an umbrella term describing a variety of diseases and conditions that develop when nerve cells in the brain die or no longer function normally. The death or malfunction of these nerve cells, called neurons, causes changes in one’s memory, behavior and ability to think clearly” (Alz.org). To me, nothing seems worse than losing your mind at
Dementia is a major neurocognitive disorder that interferes with the independence of the elderly by inhibiting memory and thinking skills. Fifty to eighty percent of dementia cases constitute of Alzheimer’s diagnoses; consequently Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia and currently affects 5.2 million Americans. Most of these cases are patients above the age of 65 and by 2050; 13.8 million Americans in total will suffer Alzheimer’s due to aging of the general population, specifically the baby boomers. Total cost to society ranges from $157- $215 billion (Associated Press). Some would assume the cost of Alzheimer’s to be incurred by pharmaceuticals or medical costs, however RAND Corp suggests dementia cost to society is from care rather than treatment. Therefore, assistance provided by informal providers and directs caregivers incur a majority of the financial and social cost. Currently, the workforce does not have the capacity or training to care for these unique patients; the delivery system needs to address Alzheimer’s as the population ages and more and more fam...
The elderly represents a large amount of the population in our society and continues to grow each day. As the population grows, it is important to meet the demands and resolve the challenges that we encounter in regards to the overall quality of health and well-being of the elderly. Mental health of the elderly is a major issue but majority of the time goes unnoticed and untreated by caregivers and loved ones. About 20 percent of adults 55 and older are suffering from some type of mental health disorder, and one in three elderly adults do not receive any type of treatment (The State of Mental Health, 2008). Those suffering from mental illness are hesitant to seek out help or any type of treatment because of the stigma, services and cost for care that then comes with mental health disorders. Mental health issues that affect elderly include dementia, delirium, and psychosis. Some of the most common conditions include anxiety, mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder and cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease. Mental health is essential to the
This paper is on dementia, a late-life disorder, as it pertains to the geriatric population. “It is estimated that 24.3 million people around the world have dementia and that, with an estimated 4.6 million new cases every year, we can expect about 43 million people and their families to have to handle the challenge of dementia by 2020.” (McNamera, 2011) I will cover three relevant points concerning this disorder that cause changes in the brain.
You have ready different ideas about Dementia and its effects on the aging body. Indeed, dementia can be a great challenge for your elderly loved ones. However, its signs and symptoms may come naturally with all your elderly loved ones’ daily activities. Your elders might also find this alarming if you would not be able to know and understand their problems.