Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease Essay examples

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s are hardly ever the same for any one patient. Although the side effects of Alzheimer’s can result in the similar symptoms, such as memory loss, cognitive impairment, difficulty focusing, and taking care of ones self can be an outcome for most patients. Many will have a different personality, loss of sight, sense of smell, as well as no longer being able to taste (Medicine).

The beginning and symptoms of Alzheimer's are usually very slow and gradual. Alzheimer’s hardly ever occurs before the age of 65. It occurs (according to the AHAF) in the following seven stages: In stage 1 There are no impairment- Unimpaired individuals experience no memory problems and none are evident to a health care professional during a medical interview. Stage 2 Is a very mild decline- Individuals at this stage feel as if they have memory lapses, especially in forgetting familiar words or names or the location of keys, eyeglasses, or other everyday objects. But these problems are not evident during a

The biggest difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is that Alzheimer’s is degenerative and irreversible at this time. According to the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's disease accounts for 50-70 percent of cases of dementia (Sahyouni et al, 2017). However, there are other disorders that cause dementia such as Vascular dementia, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, dementia with Lewy Bodies and Frontotemporal dementia. In the early stages of many of these disease there are obvious differences in symptoms however, as the disease progresses the differences become more subtle, which can often lead to misdiagnoses. Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells. Each region of the brain is responsible for different function. Thus, when brain cells get damaged in certain areas of the brain the cells can not carry out their functions. This in turn causes cognitive and behavioral problems to occur. There is no specific test that can determine if one has dementia or Alzheimer’s. A diagnoses comes from a doctor's careful assessment of the patient’s medical history, a physical and cognitive functioning examination, and laboratory tests (Mayo Clinic on Alzheimer’s).

get it, but most cases are the only ones in a family. Some patients who develop

Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that eventually destroys memory and other other very important functions. First it starts with mild confusion and the patient has a hard time remembering. Soon after that they may get much worse

When it comes to Alzheimer's vs. dementia, it is clear to see the differences. Dementia is comprised of many different illnesses, and it is used to describe memory loss. If a person has Alzheimer's, then he or she has a form of dementia. However, if someone is diagnosed with dementia, it does not mean that they have Alzheimer's disease.

As we age, moments of forgetfulness are sure to become more common. The good news is that this is common and nothing to be worried about. Forgetfulness is not memory loss.

A major symptom of Alzheimer 's Disease includes the loss of abstract thinking. In conclusion, the person will lose the ability to solve problems and draw conclusions. Disorientation is also a major symptom which includes when one can become lost on a familiar street nut do not know how to get back home because he or she forgot where they lived. The lack of initiative takes place where person may become unmotivated or passive. Not pursuing their usual activities is a sign from this. Language problems occur where the person often forgets simple everyday vocabulary. Other symptoms include when one misplaces their items such as wallets and phones and at times puts them in odd places. Another one is mood swings where person can have rapid mood swings for no

In other words, Alzheimer's disease is a common disease among older people that causes memory loss. On the bright side, though, there are ways to treat this disease and ways to help people who already possess the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is incurable, but there are many stages, warning signs, and risk factors that can serve as detection devices for those who have older adults in their lives. One of the most common early signs of this form of dementia is memory loss. While it is normal for people to occasionally forget things, such as appointments and names, people with Alzheimer’s tend to forget these things more often and are not able to recall them even after a period of time. Other signs that signify a possible case of Alzheimer’s is difficulty performing familiar tasks (cooking, brushing teeth), problems with language (using odd words, failing to remember correct words), disorientation (forgetting where one lives, not knowing how he got to a certain place), problems with abstract thinking (forgetting what numbers represent), misplacing items (putting a hair brush in the freezer), moodiness, personality changes (confusion, suspicion, fearfulness), and loss of initiative

In my early 20s I was given an opportunity to work with Clara, an elderly woman who had dementia. Everyday I would arrive at promptly at 7:30am, I would prepare breakfast, and wait until 8:30am when she would wake up. Some days I was greeted by a cheerful Clara ready to take on the day, other days, I would have to reintroduce myself, calm her down and remind her of where she was, who I was, and explain to her daily routine. It was very difficult for me at times, I never got angry, but sad. It was truly heartbreaking to see this woman that I was caring for completely be taken over by dementia. Watching the videos, featuring Teepa Snow, brought back a lot of memories and experiences I had with Clara. The portrayals of dementia people were so

     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.

Although some kinds of memory loss are very normal in the aging process, the changes that are caused by aging are not that extreme enough to conflict with it. A number of certain diseases and conditions can cause dementia. These conditions and diseases consist of Parkinson’s disease, strokes, brain tumors, blood clots and Multiple Sclerosis, but the most common disease to cause this is Alzheimer’s disease (Crystal, 2009).

Symptom of Alzheimer is a slow chemical and structural changes in the brain that can destroy the abilities to remember, learn, reason and relate to others, it can impair thoughts/speech, it affect short term memory, cannot focus and pay attention, reason and judgment are damage, and she/he starts to misplace

The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include memory loss, change in behavior, and overall cognitive decline.