Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disorder which kills the brain cells, causing memory loss and cognitive decline. This leads to severe psychological impairments which changes how people think, behave and other complications such as paranoia, disorientation and unprovoked aggression. These psychological impairments reduce people’s functional ability and therefore reduce their quality of life.
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.
(Coulter, 2013)
As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, People become less able to carry out usual functions and activities. This is due to the death of large number of brain cells. One of the functions impaired by the disease is communication skill. Since people with AD have trouble remembering things, communication is hard for them. It may be hard for them to find words or forget what they want to say. When talking, the disease also causes people to talk without train of thought. The listening role is also affected by the disease. People can have problems with understanding what words mean, paying attention during long conversations and even find it very hard to block out backgr...
... middle of paper ...
...o learn how to drive or find other means of transportation since he is no longer able to drive safely and letting him do so will put the health of himself and other people at risk. Tackling these issues from the beginning will allow the person with AD to help the caregiver to prepare for the future.
(Family Caregiver Alliance, 2012)
Alzheimer’s disease is a serious disease which causes people to behave in a challenging way for their family and caregivers to manage. These behaviours are caused by damage to the brain that leads to psychological and functional impairment. Due to this impairment the people with AD are often neglected and labelled by the society. Family caregivers play a massive role in the care of their loved ones with AD. Patients and family caregivers often experience stress in dealing with all the obstacles that Alzheimer’s disease put them through.
Informal supports, such as aid for housekeeping and running errands, are crucial to maintaining the lifestyle of individuals with Alzheimer’s in the community; however, the disease’s erosion of physical, cognitive, and communicative abilities often creates tremendous strain for family caregivers. Individuals and family caregivers dealing with Alzheimer’s often experience increasing social isolation as the disease’s progression undermines both mobility and the capacity for meaningful and appropriate engagement with the community (Banerjee et al., 2003). A number of studies have documented the physical and mental health costs borne by unsupported caregivers, and the link between caregiver stress and the institutionalization of their ill family members (Andren & Elmstahl, 2005; Banerjee et al., 2003). Taken together, the stress and isolation of dealing with Alzheimer’s disease undermine the health and quality of life of everyone involved, eventually precipitating institutionalization.
However, this type of care brings a lot of unconditioned difficulties due to the constant care they have to provide the elderly people with dementia. In a recent study it was discovered that caregivers experience stress differently given the circumstance this was shown by analysis of 234 people with dementia (Robertson, Zarit, Duncan, Rovine, & Femia, 2007). The findings were that caregivers in intense and distressed groups experienced higher behaviora...
(Davidson, F. G.) Due to the nature of dementia being a neuropsychological disorder, those affected by the disease tend to look like they will not require much care, which, in reality, they often require more care than the caregiver originally expected, leading to stress and burnout. Another effect caused by this can be the caregiver blaming themselves by feeling like they are failing to give proper care, which, in reality, can often be very far from the truth. If the caregiver does not receive help from anyone else, the task of watching over the victim becomes a daunting twenty for hour task. Sometimes, the caregiver won’t be allowed quality sleep. Over 66 percent of home caregivers suffer from some form of psychological or physical illness. The most common illness that is resulted from giving care to Alzheimer’s disease is depression. The caregiver needs to monitor their emotional well-being as well as the well-being as the person that they are giving care to. Usually, giving care to those with dementia is actually more stressful than giving care to those with cancer. When the caregiver is a family member and not a professional, the emotional toll is often even greater. It is important for caregivers to remember that they need to take care of themselves first and
The author wrote this book with a clear undeniable purpose in mind. Although a head football coach at a major university, it is his own personal experience, off the field that has qualified him to lead, instruct, guide and direct current and future caregivers who struggle to understand AD and the difficult journey though out each stage of the disease that lie ahead.
Alzheimer’s disease is the leading neurodegenerative disease in elderly adults. It affects more than 30 million people in the world (1). There are a few major markers behind Alzheimer’s disease. These include amyloid β plaque, oxidative stress, and inflammation. A potential target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are the processes involved in the synthesis, transport, and function of retinoids.
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.
This paper is on dementia, a late-life disorder, as it pertains to the geriatric population. “It is estimated that 24.3 million people around the world have dementia and that, with an estimated 4.6 million new cases every year, we can expect about 43 million people and their families to have to handle the challenge of dementia by 2020.” (McNamera, 2011) I will cover three relevant points concerning this disorder that cause changes in the brain.
In the field of Psychology you can find an abundance of mental disorders that can have an affect on people all throughout the world. Out of all the mental disorders that can be found around the world, some of them are more well-known and more widespread than others. The following disorders could be described as being well-known and widespread disorders: depression, bi-polar disorder, Alzheimer's, and OCD, which could also be called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. All of these mental disorders can be very dangerous and possibly deadly if people don't receive the proper care in order to be able to contain these disorders. Out of these very dangerous and possibly deadly disorders, I believe that Alzheimer's is the most interesting disorder. I think that Alzheimer's is the most interesting disorder, because I think we have the least about of knowledge of the Alzheimer's disorder. As a society we still to this day don't have a cure that totally stops this disorder.
Alzheimer’s disease was found more than a century ago but still there is little known and understood about the disease. AD attacks the medial temporal lobes which interferes with memory and the ability to reason and pay attention. (Wierenga and Bondi, 2011). People with AD also have increased atrophy of brain tissue and the brain is clogged with neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques which are both believed to produce Alzheimer’s symptoms by disrupting the impulses between neurons (Sue et al. 2013). A look into what it feels like to have AD may give a better representation of how the person feels and how their loved ones feel.
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks and destroys brain nerve cells or neurons eventually killing the cells. It is the most common form of dementia (around 50-60% of all cases of dementia). it affects 1 in 20 people over the age of 65 and 1 in 1000 people under the age of 65. Although it affects more people over the age of 65 it doesn’t mean that age is the cause of the disease. Patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease suffer from memory loss, thinking difficulty, loss of language skills and changes in behaviour. No one is immune to this disease. Alzheimer’s disease is named after Dr Alois Alzheimer’s. In 1906 he noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who died from an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms included loss of memory, language problems and unpredictable behaviour. After her death he examined her brain and found abnormal protein fragments called plagues and tangles. These protein fragments are the two major features of Alzheimer’s disease. The third is the loss of connection between nerve cells and the brain.
In the final stage of Alzheimer’s disease, the individual makes little or no effect at communication, and their verbal responses are limited, often one word or just a sound. You must continue to be attentive to how your patient communicates their needs and especially careful to communicate care and concern through touch, facial expression and tone of voice.
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that affects cognitive function in the elderly population. The exact cause of the disease is unknown but may include genetic as well as environmental factors. A progression of specific neurological changes allows the progression of the disease. Short-term memory losses along with dementia are typical symptoms of the disease. A definite diagnosis of the disease currently can only be confirmed by an autopsy. The disease progresses in five stages that will vary with every patient. There is no current acceptable treatment to reverse or stop the progression of the disease.
Finally, communication, an important Activity of Daily Living (ADL) is explored and patient/carer advice is presented so as to maintain good health conditions in the patient. Analysis of Dementia According to Miller, 2009, dementia is the most accurate expression which illustrates the development of cognitive impairment. It exemplifies the diverse brain anarchies which ultimately lead to severe brain dysfunction (Alzheimer Australia, 2011). Dementia is the leading cause of disability in older adults in Australia, accounting for 17 percent of the cases (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2004). Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Vascular Dementia (VD), Frontotemporal Dementia (FD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) are the well-known forms of this disease.
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that occurs progressively and is currently irremediable. It affects cognitive functioning, like reasoning, attention and memory, and behavioral abilities,such as walking and talking. At the severe stage of Alzheimer’s, those affected are completely dependent.
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the central nervous system. The brain becomes inflamed and the cells of the brain being to undergo apoptosis, or cell death. As of now there is no permanent fix or cure for this disease. It is extremely debilitating to the people it affects and is always eventually fatal. These are all reasons to do everything we can to find a cure or any preventative measure to defend the body against this disease.