| General Info about Alzheimer's Disease |
"If any one faculty of our nature may be called more wonderful than the rest, I do think it is memory. There seems something more speakingly incomprehensible in the powers, the failures, the inequalities of memory, than in any other of our intelligences," wrote Jane Austen, the English writer. This most wonderful gift, if you loose, can make your life chaotic.
The enduring disorder in memory retention is known as Alzheimer's disease. Generally, the disease affects the brain tissues after one reaches forty years. Once affected, Alzheimer's gradually destroys the ability to reason, remember, imagine and learn. It is marked by abnormal clumps (plaques) and irregular knots (neurofibrillary tangles) of brain cells. For reasons not well understood, these plaques and tangles take over healthy brain tissues, devastating the areas of the brain associated with intellectual function.
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 What are the causes of Alzheimer's Disease ? |
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| What are the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease ? |
The affected individual may not be aware of these changes at first, but friends, relatives and co-workers notice that the person:
 Is increasingly and persistently forgetful.
Mildly disoriented.
Frequently loses or misplaces familiar items.
Has mild difficulties performing arithmetic calculations.
As the disease progresses to moderate Alzheimer's disease, the person:
Has noticeable memory loss.
Frequently uses words inappropriately.
Begins to lose the ability to perform normal tasks of daily living, involving muscle coordination, such as cooking, dressing, bathing, shopping, or signing a checkbook (apraxia).
May wander off, become agitated, start confusing day from night, and fail to recognize friends and relatives with whom they were very close with.
Loses the ability to recognize and use familiar objects, such as clothing (agnosia).
In the final stage of severe Alzheimer's disease, the affected individual:
Becomes uncomprehending and mute.
Loses all self-care ability.
Is unable to feed, dress and bathe him or herself. If the person has a sudden onset of these symptoms or early symptoms such as seizures, gait problems, or loss of vision and coordination - it's less likely that they indicate Alzheimer's.
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| How can we diagnose Alzheimer's Disease ? |
There are no quick, simple, reliable, inexpensive and noninvasive tests available to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, before the individual suffers significant damage. Diagnosis of Alzheimer's rests largely on the judgment of physicians experienced in dealing with similar illnesses. |
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| How can Alzheimer's Disease be treated ? |
No drugs are available to treat Alzheimer's disease. But the doctors give medicines to improve behavioral symptoms that often accompany Alzheimer's, including sleeplessness, wandering, anxiety, agitation and depression.
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| More Valuable information about Alzheimer's Disease... |
Alzheimer's disease was discovered by a German neurologist, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906 he autopsied the brain of a woman who had died after years of progressive dementia. Her brain tissue showed abnormal clumps and irregular knots of brain cells. Today, these clumps (now called plaques) and knots (now called tangles) are considered hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.
Once affected by this disease, the ability for work and play become compromised; the threat of loss of control and loss of independence may lead to difficulties with self-image and the sense of competence and may cause anxiety, depression and further physical ailments. An adequate level of adjustment is thus crucial to maintain both physical and emotional well-being.
Creative techniques for adapting to changes and maintaining control may need to be employed. Children will need information conveyed to them in a level that they can understand. Understanding and patience are needed to assist each person involved in the mourning of losses or changes. In other words, the adjustment process calls upon the need for healthy coping skills.
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| Frequently asked questions about Alzheimer's Disease... |
Which specialist should I consult for Alzheimer's Disease?
You should consult a Neurologist.
What is the caregiver's role during the early stages of an illness like Alzheimer's?
In the early stages of a dementiating illness, such as dementia due to Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, the patient suffers emotionally as they are aware of their inabilities. Family members are often not as aware as the patient, of daily difficulties. Patients may feel depressed and alone. Family members need to be supportive during these difficult times and acknowledge that they understand the fears of the patient.
What is the caregiver's role during the later stages of a dementia?
As the illness progresses the burden of the disease shifts to the caregiver, who must now care for their loved one without any failure. |
| Glossary |
Dementia - The loss of intellectual functions such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning. Dementia is not a disease itself but rather a group of symptoms that may accompany certain diseases or conditions. Symptoms may also include changes in personality, mood and behavior.
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