Alzheimer's Research Paper

991 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Whats the effects on a person with dementia

In the United States approximately 5.1 million Americans are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is a condition where the person who is affected suffers from deterioration of the brain, which causes memory loss. People living with Alzheimer’s do not remember or recall any memories from their past, and as the disease progresses they will not know how to walk, talk, or eat. By knowing what Alzheimer is, one can understand how to stall further development of the disease. The most common form of Dementia is Alzheimer’s (US 1). Of Dementia, Alzheimer’s accounts for about 60-80% of all cases (US 1). Of these women having nearly twice the risk to get Alzheimer’s than men (WebMD 1). Having a history of heart disease increases the risk …show more content…

When a person gets diagnosed it is usually a family member that notices that the person has a problem (US 1). Many times a patient will repeat themselves not knowing what they said before (US 1). They can go on for many months and not feel a change in their memory (WebMD 1). Basic things such as eating or even brushing their teeth may be a challenge not because they are not able to but because, they forgot. Patients with Alzheimer’s can have a number of problems with their oral hygiene (US 1). There is an increase in cavities and calculus and they could also have many other issues in their mouth depending on how advanced their case is. A daily struggle for a person with Alzheimer’s might be, not being able to clean their teeth properly or remember to clean their dentures. This can cause a lot of bacteria, plaque buildup, and bad breath it could even make the patient …show more content…

One of their theories is that Alzheimer’s is caused by plaques, protein fragments, and tangles, twists of fibers, in the nerve cells of the brain (WebMD 1). Scientists think that these proteins and tangles interrupt the cell from communicating with each other causing the never cells to die (US 1). Many researchers are trying to develop a drug that helps reduce the number of plaque and tangles that are produced in the cells of the brain (US). In the book “100 simple things you can do to prevent Alzheimer’s and age-related memory loss” it states that the best thing to do is to keep your brain active and stay as healthy as

Show More
Related

  • Alzheimer Case Study

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alzheimer’s has no current cure, but there treatments available for the symptoms. Treatments cannot stop alzheimer’s from developing but they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve their live quality. Medicines like Cholinesterase inhibitors, and Memantine are to help with memory.Drugs don’t consistently help relieve the symptoms, so there are also Non -drug treatments, like managing their environment and establishing a routine to help minimize stress and anxiety. In the first stage of Alzheimer the person phases a lot of emotional stages that are very challenging and distressing. In early stages people experience irritability,Anxiety and depression. “What are the complications?” is a question commonly asked , and they are an infinite number of complications. Let start with depression, most people become depressed when they realize that they are losing their memories and abilities to do the basic things. The second complication i would say is illness or medicine side effects. This disease makes communicating harder for the person, they might be in pain but not been able to tell the nurse. Falling is another one, alzheimer can cause changes in balance and coordination, which might led to broken bones , head trauma or other injuries.Pneumonia and other infections, Alzheimer 's can also cause a loss of body functions , like swallowing or bladder control. This can cause for the person

    Read More

  • Allie Hamilton Case Study

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of their belongings, keeping up with plans, remembering appointments or travel dates. Many dementias are progressive. This means that symptoms start out slowly and gradually get worse with time. Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia are diagnosed based on careful medical history, a physical examination, laboratory tests, and the characteristic changes in thinking, day-to-day function and behavior related to each

    Read More

  • Alzheimer's and acetylcholine

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alzheimer’s is a horrible disease that takes the lives of many. There is someone diagnosed with Alzheimer’s around the world every seventy-two seconds. It is a form of dementia that slowly takes away the most basic of memories all the way to the memories of children, weddings, and even the saddest ones such as family death. The people that Alzheimer’s affects have a hard time with remembering tiny details and the disease begins with taking away the function of short term memory. This happens because the levels of acetylcholine are known to drop up to ninety percent beginning in the entorhinal cortex and moving into the hippocampus. Because of this, of the first signs of Alzheimer’s is the loss or decrease of the sense of smell, hence the entorhinal. The cells in the hippocampus called the hippocampal cells lose their connection and the result of this is the total loss of short-term memory. The neurons resting in the cerebral cortex then start to degenerate which in turn leads to the difficulty with the function of language and judgment. This also causes appetite to decline and then there is the loss of control over bowel movements. The disease will progress with many ending up not even recognizing their own children, much less being able to eat or bath or do simple tasks that they normally would not even have to think about.

    Read More

  • Alzheimers Disease

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness that affects the brain tissue directly and undergoes gradual memory and behavioral changes which makes it difficult to diagnose. It is known to be the most common form of dementia and is irreversible. Over four million older Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to triple in the next twenty years as more people live into their eighties and nineties. (Johnson, 1989). There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but throughout the past few years a lot of progress has been made.

    Read More

  • Alzheimer's Disease Essay

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that is on the rise among ageing populations worldwide. Alzheimer’s disease leads to the death of neurons in numerous areas of the brain, including the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, which are two areas of the brain correlated with memory. (5) According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease could rise from 5 million to 16 million in the United States and by 2050 the total worldwide is predicted to rise to 100 million. This could relentlessly strain health-care systems because the

    Read More

  • Alzheimers Disease

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia which is a brain disorder that impairs mental functioning. Dementia attacks the part of the brain which controls memory, language, and thought. It makes everyday tasks like remembering to brushing your teeth, or to pay your bills next to impossible to do, which is why so many people who are diagnosed with this disease are in complete care. This disease has different phases, the first being slight forgetfulness and then the persons emotions may heighten as well as language impairment, violent outbursts, loss of bladder control and from there it keeps getting worse until complete dysfunction of the brain occurs and eventually death, which most of the time is the result of infection.

    Read More

  • Alzheimer's Disease Essay

    1938 Words  | 4 Pages

    People with Alzheimer’s disease often suffer from fatigue, irritability, loss of appetite and visual impairment. They are more likely to develop infection, such as pneumonia and bladder infections. Suffering from AD means that it can be harder to deal with these infections and illnesses, which eventually make it more difficult to recover. When people die from Alzheimer’s disease, normally it is because of a related problem, such as an infection rather than the disease itself. However, if Alzheimer’s disease progresses to the point where the areas of the brain that control essential functions, such as breathing, swallowing and balance are affected, it will be fatal.

    Read More

  • Alzheimer's Disease Essay

    1509 Words  | 4 Pages

    Alzheimer’s disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that becomes more prevalent with age. Discovered by German psychologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906, it is associated with a memory loss, speech impediment, and dementia. In Canada alone, 500,000 people suffer from this terrible disease and the number of cases is predicted to double by 2031[7]. Worldwide, nearly 44 million people are believed to be experiencing Alzheimer’s disease and every 68 seconds, someone in the United States of America develops Alzheimer’s [8]. Alzheimer’s disease is also the sixth leading cause of death in North America. Furthermore, it is the only leading cause of death that is still increasing in prevalence. Not only fatal, Alzheimer’s is also severely crippling for all the friends and family that are affected by the patient. The memory loss and dementia that is directly linked to Alzheimer’s disease can cause the patient to forget the identity of their loved ones. For the people that have known the patient for many years, this can be very devastating. The long and terrible journey from an able-bodied and functioning member of society to a barely self-sufficient person is not a pleasant one. Undoubtedly, Alzheimer’s disease needs to be cured not only for those suffering from the affliction, but for their loved ones who have to endure the fateful journey as well.

    Read More

  • Understanding Alzheimer's: A Foreseeable Epidemic

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    The horrible feeling of forgetting a coworker’s or an acquaintance’s name may be one of the most frustrating things a person can experience. This is a fact that many patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s face on a reoccurring basis. Loss of memory is a common part of the aging process and is sometimes referred to as dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and is not reversible in this day and age. In fact, 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases are Alzheimer’s and in 2015 more than 5.1 million cases age 65 or older were reported (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). The most startling statistic is that by 2050, 14 million Americans and 81 million worldwide cases are expected (Wierenga & Bondi, 2011). While dementia is a part of Alzheimer’s it also affects an afflicted patient ability to perform day to day tasks, increased mood swings, and in the later stages, the ability to even walk or care for themselves. This horrible disease

    Read More

  • Alzheimer's Disease Essay

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the leading causes of death in America and there are currently more than five million people living with the disease (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). What may be most troubling about these numbers is the fact that Alzheimer’s disease has no current cure. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurocognitive disorder and a common form of dementia that will affects a person’s memory, way of thinking and their behavior (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). AD typically develops slowly and the more time a person has the disease the worse the symptoms will become. AD in its later stages becomes so severe that people with the disease cannot even do simple daily tasks. Although there is no cure there are still ways to prevent, delay, and possibly treat the disease.

    Read More

  • Alzheimer's Disease Essay

    1896 Words  | 4 Pages

    Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, and this terminal, progressive brain disorder has no known cause or cure. Its greatest known risk factor is increasing age which is why is it is infamous for developing in the elderly, typically in ages 65 or over, however for the 5%(1) that develop Alzheimer’s in their 40s or 50s it is known as early Alzheimer’s. Because Alzheimer’s worsens over time, those with it tend to struggle with completing daily tasks especially elderly people. Given that there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, the treatments available slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. It is not known what causes Alzheimer's, however, those with Alzheimer's have been found to have abnormal amounts of protein (amyloid plaques) and fibres.(The amyloid plaques and fibres are found in regions of the brain where problem solving and thinking take place e.g The cerebrum.) Due to the unusual amounts of amyloid plaques and fibres, it reduces the effectiveness of healthy neurons and eventually, destroying them.

    Read More

  • Alzheimer's Speech Outline

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alzheimer's affects people in different ways, each person will experience symptoms or progress through Alzheimer's stages differently.

    Read More

  • The Notebook Alzheimers Character Analysis

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alzheimers is a disease that affects the brain. One of the first symptoms is difficulty in remembering events. In 2015 it was estimated that there were over three million people in the United States with Alzheimers. An out of those three million people, almost two thirds of them are women. Alzheimers disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Alzheimers is one

    Read More

  • Planet Of The Apes Analysis

    1251 Words  | 3 Pages

    It has been shown that two-thirds of women are living with Alzheimer’s (Latest Facts & Figures Report | Alzheimer's Association). Alissa Sauer says “Women are more liable to get Alzheimer’s than men). Women have a 1 in 6 chances to get the disease, while men run the chance of 1 in 11. Out of the 5.5 million people with Alzheimer’s, there is 3.2 million that are women living in the united states.

    Read More

  • Essay On Alzheimer's Disease

    1302 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alzheimer’s Disease is formed in the brain but yet, has no known cure or treatment. Alzheimer’s Disease has many symptoms. Memory is the biggest symptom along with mood swings and having a hard time with keeping a conversation. A patient with Alzheimer’s goes through 7 stages; The first stage, which is misplacing things or forgetting what something is used for, second stage, they start losing more of their memory and they begin to forget where they are or what they are doing, the third, fourth and fifth begin to mentally decline and need someone to take care of them and worsen over time.The sixth stage they begin to have an even more difficult time going to the bathroom and cleaning themselves or using electronic devices such as phones or televisions. The final stage, at which the long goodbye comes to an end, they now are mentally and physically gone. Some doctors prescribe medication to the patients to help deal with some of the symptoms.

    Read More

More about Alzheimer's Research Paper

Open Document