Living with Alzheimer's Disease
Most people dream of living a regular, normal everyday life and watching their children
grow up and have families of their own, but for some people these dreams and all their
memories from their past can be erased and lost in an ageless disease that affects more
then four million Americans today. Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive disease that varies
from person to person and robs its victims of their past and future. Alzheimer’s Disease is
known as the “Great Eraser” and turns everyday normal people into helpless and lifeless
individuals who are left being cared for by a caregiver such as family or friends because
they are unable to take care of themselves. Not only does this disease affect the person
who has the disease but also takes a great toll on the family members who have to live
with the victims. Alzheimer’s leaves family members feeling helpless, sad, confused and
angry because they feel that there is more that they could do or that they could have done
with them in the past when they were more healthier and were able to do more things.
Today more then 100,000 Americans die each year from Alzheimer’s Disease. The number
of deaths keep rising and this is leaving families of the victims looking for answers to
questions that not even scientists or doctors can figure out about the disease, like why this
disease is caused and how this disease can be cured.
Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive and irreversible brain disorder that destroys
mental and physical functioning in human beings and eventually leads to death, not
because of the disease itself but because the disease eventually causes the body to
shutdown the parts a body needs to keep a person alive. Alzheimer’s Disease is the fourth
leading cause of deaths in adults. Alzheimer’s Disease is a neurological disease that takes
away a person’s memory of their past and future. Alzheimer’s Disease eventually causes a
person to not be able to take care of themselves anymore. The people who develop
Alzheimer’s Disease often experience a wide variety and mixture of emotions, they are
usually confused, frustrated, angry, scared and feel depression. The victims feel this way
because they lose their social and interest abilities that interfere with everyday functions.
(Alzheimer’s Association)
Alzheimer’s Disease worsens with the advancing of age, although there is no
evidence that it is caused by the aging process. The average life expectancy of a person
There are 4 main parts of the brain. Each part of the brain is responsible for different systems in our body.
· genetics: occasionally the disease has a tendency to run in certain families (inherited or genetic predisposition), but this is not common.
in the first place and was suffering from other major illnesses. The society does not
Alzheimer’s disease was first defined in 1906 by a German psychiatrist, Alois Alzheimer. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. It is a progressive brain disorder in which the nerve cells in the brain gradually die off. It is estimated that 26 million people world-wide are afflicted by Alzheimer’s and of those, approximately 4.5 million live in the United States. It is said to be the seventh leading cause of death in the USA and the fifth leading cause of death for those over age 65. Seventeen percent of women and ten percent of men age 55 and older can expect to develop Alzheimer’s (apa.org, 2009). Researchers report that this disease is more prevalent in African Americans and Hispanics than in whites (Crandell, Crandell, and Zanden, 2009, p. 578).
...s exist as an inherited disease in some families. The majority of case studies show that the patients affected have no family history of the disease.
What is Alzheimer ? Is Alzheimer 's more difficult for the patient or for the patient’s siblings?
mainly affects women, data shows that men can also be affected as well; each year more than
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia which is a brain disorder that impairs mental functioning. Dementia attacks the part of the brain which controls memory, language, and thought. It makes everyday tasks like remembering to brushing your teeth, or to pay your bills next to impossible to do, which is why so many people who are diagnosed with this disease are in complete care. This disease has different phases, the first being slight forgetfulness and then the persons emotions may heighten as well as language impairment, violent outbursts, loss of bladder control and from there it keeps getting worse until complete dysfunction of the brain occurs and eventually death, which most of the time is the result of infection.
progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. It is the most common form of dementia; a group of brain disorders that results in the loss of intellectual and social skills ("Alzheimer's Disease"). It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and the fifth leading cause of death for people of the age of 65 or older ("2013 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures"). One in every three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, and over 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease ("2013 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures").
Nowadays, over 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s Association, 2013). This statistic is staggering, and unless a prevention or cure is found, it’s predicted that 16 million of Americans will have Alzheimer’s disease by 2050 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2007). Alzheimer’s disease can be either sporadic or familial. Sporadic Alzheimer’s disease can affect adults at any age, but usually after age 65. Familial Alzheimer’s disease is a rare genetic condition where one of several genes is mutated and finally lead to Alzheimer’s disease, usually in their 40’s or 50’s. (Fight Alzheimer’s Save Australia, 2010) Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, (Sam Fazio, 2008), degenerative brain disease that slowly destroys brain cells, resulting in impairment of cognitive function and eventually even the ability to perform the simplest tasks of daily life.( Alzheimer’s Association, 2014) Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s disease has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. For instance, Rivastigmine is a parasympathomimetic or cholinergic agent for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia of Alzheimer’s disease. The drug can be administered orally or via a transdermal patch and is normally sold under the trade name Exelon. (Wikipedia, 2014) ; (AMH,2013)
Alzheimer’s disease, known by many as “The Long Goodbye.” Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. This is a degenerative disorder that attacks the brains nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavior changes.
homicidal, or if they are unable to care for themselves. Suicide risk becomes high if
When someone is suffering from a disease that is incurable they feel like they burden everyone
person was to learn the different things about a disease, then they would have a better chance of
experiences they build to make them better people. A lack of social and emotional development