Alzheimer's disease is a slow progressive disease, and no known treatment can stop this progression. Knowing you will get this disease allows for early planning for the future. I would want to make sure my wishes for where I would live, and who would take care of me, could be voiced before these decisions would have to be made for me. Also, once the symptoms of Alzheimer’s start to become more severe, holding a career becomes more difficult. Finances would have to be planned so that my treatments and care could be paid for without any strain on my family. If I decided not to get tested and later on got diagnosed it would be much harder on myself and my family to deal with these situations in such a short amount of time. One of the biggest
Alzheimer 's disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain from which there is no recovery. There are three brain abnormalities that are the hallmarks of the Alzheimer’s disease is initially caused by plaques buildup in the brain’s neurons as illustrated in figure 1. The support structure that allows the flow of the nutrients through the neurons gets damaged and ultimately there is loss of connection among the neurons and they die off (National Institute of Health, 2015). This causes the brain tissue to shrinks, which is called atrophies. All this ultimately lead the victim of this disease to face difficulties in governing emotions, recognize errors and patterns, coordinate movement, and remember. Ultimately, a person with AD loses all memory and mental functioning.
Alzheimer’s is a disease in the brain that affects a person’s memory, thinking, and behavior. It is the most common form of dementia and is common in adults older than 65. More than five million Americans are being affected by Alzheimer’s at this moment. Alzheimer’s comes in three stages; early, middle, and advanced. The disease is caused by the shrinking of the brain due to many risk factors and genetics.
Receiving an early diagnosis is better for the Alzheimer’s patient. An early diagnosis helps families plan for the future, make arrangements, care of financial matters, and develop support networks. Developing the disease early provides a greater opportunity to get involved with clinical trials. Diagnosing the disease early prolongs the time a patient can be managed at home (“A Treatment Overview of Alzheimer’s Disease”). Early diagnosis can help retain function in the victim for months to years (“Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet” 4). With an early diagnosis, scientists can start finding the best treatment for the victim (“A Treatment Overview of Alzheimer’s Disease” 1). Doctors find the patients tolerance for medicines and therapies with an early diagnosis. Doctors also ask the patients opinions and preferences when the patients are first diagnosed.
Patients who suffer from AD also have their memory, ability to learn and to carry out activities affected. Since, AD is not just dementia related there is also another aspect to the disease that causes “progressive neurodegeneration” (Chen). The symptoms of AD are usually slow, but they get worse over time and start to affect your daily life. The majority of people affected by AD are aged 65 and older. If a family member has AD then future generations from that family member are more likely to have AD. This is a very important disease to try to find a cure because “by 2050 as many as 115 million people worldwide will have developed dementia“ (Chen). As of right now “AD affects more than 5 million people in the U.S. alone” (Chen). This creates a huge burden on the family because it leaves their loved ones unable to function alone or to be able to do anything alone. This puts the burden on the family because then they need to find the patient a home to live in to be taken care of or they have to bring the patient in to their home and take care of the patient 24/7. People suffering from AD need to be attended to at all times of the day and constantly reminded why and what they’re doing. This affects a family because then they’re not able to do their daily routines or continue to live their normal lives. The reason is because all of their energy needs to be focused on the family member suffering form the
Alzheimer’s Disease has been one of the top leading causes of death in our country. It is understood that this disease is identified as an excess of the protein amyloid-ß within an increase of plaque (Seneff, Wainwright, and Mascitelli, 2010). Additionally, as the brain ages, it gets used to the inflammation and oxidative stress, so it is important to take the right amount of antioxidant micronutrients like vitamin C and vitamin E as well as anti-inflammatory macronutrients such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to protect the brain from ageing (Whalley et. al, 2004). This is a devastating disease that affects most people over the age of fifty. Recently, there have been many studies done to figure out what causes this disease, if there is anything that can cure it, and how to prevent the disease. Seneff, Wainwright, and Mascitelli, believe Alzheimer’s develops with consuming too many carbohydrates, especially fructose and having a deficiency in cholesterol and dietary fats as well (2010). Whalley, Starr, and Deary have seen that poor diet, poverty, and failing health are links to developing Alzheimer’s Disease (2004). Furthermore, seeing increase in plasma homocysteine concentration increases risk of Dementia, which can result from an inadequate intake of vitamin B12/folate (Walley et. al, 2004). Additionally, Gray supports Walley’s findings and even believes having an adequate intake of vitamin B12/folate will have a positive effect on the overall health
Alzheimer’s disease is a prominent brain disease that effects a massive amount of individuals in the United States. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 60-80% of dementia cases, with no chance of being cured, prevented or decelerating over time (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). AD is the most well-known form of dementia, causing complications in brain function in the areas of memory, thinking, and behavior (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). In an effort to gain a deeper understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers create new knowledge about the disease, which is then distributed to the public. The goal in this information disbursement is to find new and inventive ways to treat AD, prevent AD from progressing at such a rapid pace, and aid in the quality of life in those diagnosed with AD as well as caregivers and medical professionals providing treatment to individuals’ with AD.
Despite the number of lives Alzheimer’s disease has affected, it cannot be cured. An estimated five million Americans are affected by this disease (“Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet”); treatment trials are being conducted in addition to extensive research to learn more about lifestyle choices to support brain health. As a result, researchers are beginning to find ways to prevent this disease. Lifestyle choices including physical activity, social engagement, obtaining a healthy diet, and receiving a good night’s sleep may help counteract Alzheimer’s disease and support brain health. Although an innumerable amount of people across the United States are affected by Alzheimer's disease, it can be prevented.
In conclusion, there are many ways that have been proved scientifically on how exercising regularly, having a quality sleep and practicing Mediterranean diet on daily basis can help us to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Before I end my speech, bear in mind that the number of Alzheimer’s disease in this world is expected to rise to 131.5 million by 2050. If we don't take a prompt action now, we may settle for nothing later. Benjamin Franklin (one of the Founding Fathers of the United States) axiom that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
In 1906 he noticed brain tissue in women changing and dying of an usual mental illness
The human brain is a remarkable organ, complex chemical and electrical processes take place within our brains. They let us speak, move, see, feel emotions and make decisions. Inside a normal healthy brain billions of cells called neurons constantly communicate with one another.Healthy neurotransmission is important for the brain to function well. Alzheimer's disease destroys memory and thinking skills over time by compromising the ability of neurons to communicate with one another (Jannis).The disease triggers as two abnormal protein fragments called plaques and tangles accumulate in hippocampus, the part of the brain where memory first formed, and destroy brain cells. Eventually,after the plaques and tangles completely kill the
“Memories are a way of holding onto the things we are; the things we love; the things we never want to lose.” ~Kevin Arnold
Is a cognitive disorder mainly found in older age and is mainly occur due to progressive death of neurons in brain. Deterioration of memory takes place in age group of 65 years or more. Around 5.5 million people found in United States suffer Alzheimer’s disease and worldwide its almost 35 million people. Alzheimer’s disease is sixth major cause of death in United States.
Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that results in dementia, disorientation, problems with speech, and behavioral issues within a person. This disease is detrimental and has no cure. Almost every single person knows someone that has this disease, or has known someone that has had this disease. That is the reason that I chose to research this particular topic. In 2013, my great uncle was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. He was the most down to earth man you would ever meet. He had a great sense of humor and always kept a smile on his face as well as the faces of the people that he was around. When he was diagnosed, we were devastated because we knew that this disease would eventually consume and take over his life. One of the very bold memories that I have of him after a year after his diagnosis was when we took a family trip to the mountains. We have a pretty large family, so we stayed in a mountain house. Well, the kids wound up sleeping down stairs together. On the second night that we were there. I woke up at 3 o’clock in the morning to yelling that was coming from the top of the stairs. I immediately recognized that it was my uncles voice and I began to get worried. Everyone was asleep, but I could hear him telling my aunt that he needed to go down stairs and make those kids stop playing basketball. I knew in that moment that his diagnosis was getting worse and worse by the day. This was the type of thing that scared me. Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most prominent health issue in older adults. In fact, more than 35 million people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease worldwide. (D’Aoust, Brewster, & Rowe, 2013) Of these individuals, a good portion are taken care of by at home caregivers. These caregivers can described by husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers. “Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic, progressive illness characterized by impaired cognition, loss of ability in instrumental and basic activities of daily living (aDL), reduced global functioning, and behavioral and psychological symptoms” (Haro, Kahle-Wrobleski, Belger, Agnello, Jones, Reed, Vellas, Wimo, & Argimon, Pg. 677, 2014) As the amount of patients with Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive mental deterioration that can happen in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is one form of dementia that gets harmful over time. Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with other diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Scientists believe that Alzheimer’s disease results from genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors that impact the brain. Alzheimer’s disease damages and kills brain cells and it also leads to brain shrinkage. In the brain tissue there are two types of abnormalities that are considered toward the disease, Plaques and Tangles. Plaques are clumps of proteins that may hurt and destroy brain cells. Tangles are a system that requires the normal structure and functioning of a protein. There are many symptoms when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease. For example, memory, you forget conversations you had, misplace possessions, and eventually will forget the names of everyday objects and family members. Overtime you forget how to speak, write, and think. There are also changes in the personality such as depression, anxiety, mood swings, changes in sleeping habits, and even wandering. There are two drugs that are used to slow down the process of Alzheimer’s since they have not found a cure. The first drug is called Cholinesterase Inhibitors, which is a drug for boosting levels of a cell-to-cell communication. The second drug is called Memantine, which works with another brain