Living with Alzheimer's Diease

Facts about Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease, also known as dementia, is a severe brain disorder that affects a person’s ability to live a regular life. Alzheimer’s disease affects areas of the brain such as thought, language, and most importantly memory. When Alzheimer’s disease begins in the human body, the nerve cells begin to die off in areas of the brain that are extremely imperative to mental functioning and memory power. To this day, scientists still have no conclusion to what the causes of Alzheimer’s disease are. There is most likely more than one single cause for Alzheimer’s disease, and everyone if affected differently by it.

Alzheimer's Symptoms

Alzheimer's disease symptoms can vary greatly from person to person. Alzheimer’s disease is a major risk for people over 65 as risk increases with age. Alzheimer’s disease can begin slowly and then progress quickly. A physician cannot always identify the symptoms and signs of Alzheimer’s disease and may only recognize the forgetfulness, which can also be related to memory changes in older individuals.

Alzheimer's Stages

In the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, many people might find that they have trouble remembering what they did 10 minutes ago, activities they have done recently or the names of people they know and love. When Alzheimer’s disease continues to develop in the later stages, the symptoms can be easily noticed and can become extreme enough to seek medical and professional help. When people fall into the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease they might forget how to do simple tasks like shaving, combing their hair, and brushing their teeth. They tend to fall into a state of confusion and can no longer think as clearly as they use to. They begin to have problems with their language and communication skills as well as general understanding. In the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease, the individual might act out aggressively, disappear from home, or feel extreme feeling of anxiety. This is when the patients with Alzheimer’s disease need constant support and care from friends, family and a care taker or nurse in some cases where the family is not close by. Today, there is only one way to identify and diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. This process involves finding out whether there are plaques and tangles within brain tissue. Doctors have to wait until they can look at the brain and do an autopsy. This is why doctors can only make an estimated diagnosis, because to find out the real causes behind the Alzheimer’s disease would require a person to be alive and suffering with the disease. Alzheimer’s disease starts slow and begins with small memory problems and then ends with extreme brain damage. Alzheimer's disease treatment will differ for each individual and will be based on age, health, and other serious factors. The course the disease takes and how fast changes occur vary from person to person. Alzheimer’s disease patients can live for a period of approximately eight to ten years after they are diagnosed, and in some cases people can live for twenty years or more.

Alzheimer's Treatment

There are treatments for Alzheimer’s disease to help with symptoms, but not to stop the progress. Some people in the early and middle stages of the disease have taken medications that prove effective in minimizing any pain or symptoms. Talk to your doctor about what Alzheimer’s disease treatment is suitable for your loved one or yourself. It is important to remember that some medicines may help control behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease such as depression, wandering about, aggravation, anxiety, and insomnia but will not cure someone of it. Treating these symptoms often makes patients more comfortable and makes their care easier for caregivers.

Alzheimer's Care and Support

Please get in touch with your local Alzheimer’s disease association where you can learn more about the disease and treatments, and to be provided with Alzheimer’s disease support and Alzheimer’s disease care.