Over four million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (1). One of those is my grandfather. He has suffered from Alzheimer’s for almost 8 years. I have watched my grandfather slowly decline and forget things such as where he lived, my name, and even how to talk. Many times I was upset and confused and often puzzled at the way he acted. I knew something was seriously wrong because he could never remember anything and often had tears in his eyes. I felt angry when he didn’t remember who I was. Eventually, he could no longer put together a sentence that made sense and he relied on others for total care. We have been forced to place him in a nursing home, and watch him …show more content…
When he dissected her brain, he discovered coiled deposits around the nerve cells, called neuritic plaques. He also discovered twisted bands of fibers, or neurofibrillary tangles, inside the nerve cell in the brain. However, even after this discovery, the disease still wasn’t recognized as a major disease until 1970, when neurological research began to expand. This degenerative brain disorder has since, been named after Dr. Alzheimer. Even today, doctors use the same technique that Dr. Alzheimer used to observe the plaques and tangles in the brain. (2) Studies show that the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease increases with age. Almost 20 percent of Americans between the years of 75 and 84, and almost half of those that are 85 years and older suffer from Alzheimer’s disease (3). One out of every 10 persons that are 65 years of age and older are said to be victims of Alzheimer’s disease, yet even some early-onset victims might be in their 40s and 50s (4). Many believe that if an individual develops Alzheimer’s at an early age, it is related to genetics. Yet, still others believe that Alzheimer’s that develops at a later age, is related to genetics as well. A mutation on chromosome 19 has been linked with a later onset of Alzheimer’s disease, but not everyone that has the mutation develops the disease (5). Therefore, the parallel
Alzheimer's, the word strikes fear in some and an off-handed glance in others. The fact still remains that Alzheimer’s is an extremely shattering disease that removes the mind fraction by fraction over a period of time, this could even take decades. It begins as small memory lapses, slowly progressing to memory breaches but then progressively eroding your life to the point where around-the-clock care is the only option. With severe Alzheimer's, as we almost hear daily that patients have wandered off and gotten lost. In my own life, my grandfather was not even able to recognize his family members. Alzheimer's was a little known disease before 1960, but today it threatens to completely derail the health system in the United States.
Alzheimer’s disease is a disease that greatly affects people with memory loss and is common in the middle and old age group. Since it is a disease that can not be cured, many people want to gain more insight on how to help people with Alzheimer’s disease and how it affects them. This can be taught through a countless number of genres. Today, the two genres that look at the topic of Alzheimer’s disease are care manuals and autobiographies. Even though both genres discuss the topic of Alzheimer’s, autobiographies are more subjective because they contain more personal content while care manuals are more objective since they contain factual information despite the fact that it appeals to pathos in some
Alzheimer’s disease is named after a German doctor, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer became aware of changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual
Alzheimer’s and other dementias are impacting our communities on every level—that is why it is important to work together. Our Chapter’s quest to reach individuals living with the disease, family caregivers, members of the community and health care professionals continues to grow each year as we expand our reach through the hard work of our staff, volunteers and community partners. As we highlight the work of our programs and services throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire this year, we also encourage you to learn more by visiting us at alz.org/MANH.
The disease called Alzheimer’s is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (Weiner, 1987). It is estimated that the elderly population will double between now and 2030. During this period, the number of elderly will grow by an average of 2.8% annually (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). By 2050, the number of people with Alzheimer’s is estimated to range from 11.3 million to 16 million (Alzheimer’s Association, 2005). These startling numbers should prompt an examination into one of the leading causes of death among this group of people. Understanding what Alzheimer’s is and the known causes of the disease are a good starting point. For those who have aging family members, knowing the risk factors and warning
Early-onset Alzheimer’s is a rare, but fast stage of Alzheimer’s disease. According to Glenn E. Smith, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist at Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn. (2014), Early-onset Alzheimer’s is an uncommon form of dementia that strikes about 5 percent of patients with symptoms before the age of 65. This form of Alzheimer’s has been known to develop between the ages 30 and 40, but that’s very uncommon (Smith 2014). Scientists do not have an explanation of why people get the disease younger than others. Early-onset Alzheimer’s that is hereditary in family members is connected to three different genes that differ from the APOE gene that can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s in general (Smith 2014). The innate conduit of inheritance is much stronger in early-onset Alzheimer’s (Smith 2014). If one has a genetic mutation
In 2009, my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Prior to this determination, my family and I had simply attributed it to the forgetfulness of old age. However, as my grandfather began to ask the same questions within a matter of minutes, we knew there was a deeper issue. After my mother had to stay on the phone to help him navigate previously familiar roads, she took him to the doctor. Years went by and his cognizance and memory began to deteriorate even further. Upon the death of my maternal grandmother, he moved in with my family due to his inability to live alone. My grandfather required constant supervision and monitoring at all waking hours. These circumstances exposed us even further to this disease as we realized the
There are few people who do not worry about getting AD as they get older. Indeed, the incidence of AD increases with each successive year of life after age 60. Currently, scientists estimate that “4.5 million people have AD in America alone and 22 million worldwide” (Willett 63). The disease affects about “five percent of people ages 65 to 74 and nearly half the population of people 85 and older” (“Alzheimer” 1). Disturbingly, the disease is becoming even more common. Statistics now show that the number of people with the disease doubles every five years among older people. Using this as a rule, Dr. Robert Katzman of the University of California “estimates the total could be 45 million worldwide by 2050” (qted in Willett 13).
By reading all of these startling facts one may wonder what causes such a horrible disease. In the year of 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer, the man in which the disease is named after, conducted an autopsy on a woman who died from an unusual mental illness. His findings showed changes in the women's brain tissues. He found abnormal deposits, now called senile plaques, and tangled bundles of nerve fibers, now called
Persons with Alzheimer’s have communication problems. At first, it is hard to find the right words. As it progress the person speaks in short sentences or in words. Often speech is not understandable. The person screams to communicate. It is common in persons who are very confused and have poor communication skills. The person may scream a word or a name. Or the person just makes screaming sounds. Possible causes include hearing and vision problems, pain or discomfort, fear and fatigue. Too much or not enough stimulation is another cause. The person may react to a caregiver or family member by
Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. “Its onset is generally insidious, with gradual deterioration of cognitive function, eventually resulting death.” (Falvo, D. 2009, pg. 226). Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia among people age 65 and older. “Nearly 70 percentages of all dementias are Alzheimer’s, and over 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s.”(www.alz.org). This disease is not just a disease that happens to older people, but there is a small percentage that can also affect those in their 30s.
“Increasing age is the greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s. Your risk increases greatly after you reach the age of 65. Nearly half of those older than 85 have Alzheimer’s disease” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). “Sex is a risk factor because women may be more likely than men to develop Alzheimer’s disease, because women live longer” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). “Family history and genetics are a risk factor for getting the disease because your risk of developing Alzheimer’s appears to be somewhat higher if a first-degree relative, for example, your parent or sibling, has the disease” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). The final risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease is past head trauma. “People who’ve had a severe head trauma or repeated head trauma appear to have a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). “In US, the Alzheimer's disease is the 6th leading cause of death overall and among those aged 65 and above, it is the 5th leading cause of death. While the deaths from major diseases, like heart disease have decreased, the death due to Alzheimer's has increased by more than 60 percent between 2000 and 2012. The total number of patients having Alzheimer's disease was 5.4 million in 2012. Out of this, the people aged 65 and above accounted for 5.2 million and at least 200,000 patients were younger than 65 with early-onset of Alzheimer's. It has been observed that almost 1 in 8 people coming under the 65 age group are patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Amongst the population in the 80 age group, almost 45 percent have been detected with Alzheimer’s disease” (M2 Press Wire,
Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1906 was the first to described Alzheimer's disease (AD). Millions of people have been diagnosed with the disease ever since. Alzheimer's disease (pronounced Alz'-hi-merz) is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking and behavior.
Alzheimer’s disease is known for “ robbing the patient's state of awareness” which happens in the older years (Willet 8). As life expectancy has increased, the disease primarily affects one in five people aged 75 to 84 which might seem like a small percentage but the number of cases has doubled over the past decade. Alzheimer’s is difficult to diagnose because there is no test to confirm whether the patient has the disease or not. Although plaque is the most dangerous type of the disease, dementia is a side effect that causes the patient to appear to be in a normal state of mind but it is more likely that a stroke or any other type of brain injury will occur that will cause death.Most people believe that the cause of death for someone over
In 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer recognized a change in a fifty-year-old woman’s brain tissue post mortem now known as Alzheimer’s disease. Today, Alzheimer’s is the most prevalent form of dementia affecting about 5.3 million people in the United States (Alzheimer’s Disease International, 2015). This disease gradually destroys memory and thinking skills, eventually preventing the ability of simple tasks to be performed. In this research paper I will first discuss my personal reason for researching this topic and give a description of Alzheimer’s disease. I will also go through the history and important demographics behind this disease and describe three purposed hypothesis behind the cause of Alzheimer’s. Next I will describe the various symptoms