Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention – Educational

About Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative brain disorder named after German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in the year 1906. Dementia is a general term used for the depicting loss of memory and other intellectual abilities which are serious enough to interfere with daily life.

Alzheimer’s Disease: The Most Common Form of Dementia

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia among older people. Alzheimer’s disease first causes progressive cognitive deterioration which involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. It is later accompanied by declining activities of daily living and by neuropsychiatric symptoms or behavioral changes. People suffering from Alzheimers disease often find it difficult to remember names of the people they know and tend to forget recent happenings. They might not recognize even their family members and may have trouble doing activities like speaking, reading or writing. Sometimes the condition of Alzheimer patients becomes so severe that they wander away from home.

The human brain contains 100 billion nerve cells or neurons. Each of these nerve cells communicates with each other to form a network like structure. These nerve cell networks coordinate the neural activities such as thinking, learning, remembering, smelling, hearing & seeing. To do their work, the brain cells operate like tiny factories. In Alzheimer’s disease, parts of the brain cell’s factory stop functioning properly. Scientists are still unsure as to where exactly the trouble starts from.

Alzheimer’s Disease : Causes

The greatest known cause for Alzheimer’s disease is increasing age. The statistics reveal that the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease doubles about every five years after age 65. The other major cause of Alzheimer’s disease is family history or heredity (genetics). When Alzheimer’s disease tends to run in families, either heredity (genetics) or environmental factors or both may play a major role. Alzheimer’s disease may also be caused by a serious head injury or severe heart diseases that damage the heart or blood vessels.

Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

There are no medical tests currently available to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease with definite accuracy. The first step in following up on the symptoms is to go and see a doctor with whom the patient feels comfortable. The patient’s mood and mental status is evaluated along with a detailed review of the patient’s medical history. Later on a couple of clinical diagnostic tests are performed to ascertain conclusive evidence on whether the patient suffers from Alzheimer’s disease or not.

Home Care and Treatment for Alzheimer’s disease

At present, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers are looking for new treatments and care techniques to alter the course of the disease and improve the quality of life for people suffering with Alzheimer’s disease. It is important to take ample care of yourself if you have to take care of someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease because taking care of Alzheimer patients can be quite challenging and overwhelming. You can talk to other people who have taken care of Alzheimer disease patients within their own family. But the most viable option is to get in touch with professional caregivers who are specialized in providing home care support to people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Assisted-living facilities especially for people with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Assisted-living facilities for people with Alzheimer’s disease are often referred to as “Special Care Units (SCUs).” SCUs are staffed with individuals who are specially trained to work with people who have Alzheimer’s disease. As such, the environment is designed to be very safe and comfortable, and the activities are designed to benefit the person with Alzheimer’s disease.

SCUs can differ in the level of care they provide along the continuum of the disease. For instance, some assisted living facilities will accept people with Alzheimer’s until they need skilled care (nursing home care) whereas others will only accept people who are in the early stages of the disease.

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