Alzheimer's Disease Essay

Alzheimer’s disease Holly Salyards Cincinnati State Technical & Community College Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disease which slowly destroys thinking and memory skills. These changes are severe enough to interfere with day to day life. This irreversible disease is the most common cause of dementia amongst the elderly, with an appearance of first symptoms after age 60. In 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer, noticed some changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms were comprised of memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior.

There are ma... ... middle of paper ... ...s time in history. In Conclusion, Dementia is the progressive loss of cognitive function. People who suffer from this group of symptoms deal with memory loss, disorientation, and fluctuating feelings. The brain of a person who suffers from Dementia is different in many ways from a healthy brain. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease take a toll on the brain causing shrinkage and tissue loss that accounts for the loss of brain function in some parts.

This disease makes it very difficult for older people to go on with their daily routines. People with rare genetic changes that virtually guarantee they will develop Alzheimer’s often begin experiencing symptoms while they are in his or her 40s and 50s (Thies 2012). When people think of Alzheimer’s they often think of memory loss and an exaggeration of normal aging, which is not true. Alzheimer’s disease is more than just a disease of old age and memory failure. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.

Once the Hippocampus is destroyed, the patient may not recall the last three years of their lives. Eventually an Alzheimer patient can develop Visual Agnosia, where their brain will be unable to comprehend what it is seeing. The Motor Cotex is the last area of the brain to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease. At this point, the person will be unable to swallow, talk, or even walk. (.r9) Alzheimer’s disease is persistently being studied with the hope of cures, and a better understanding of how one person can overcome Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that has behaviors that go along with it. In this disease, the orderly system of the brain becomes damaged and no longer works properly. “The brains of Alzheimer 's disease victims appear shrunken, particularly in large parts of the neocortex, the outer layer of gray matter responsible for higher brain functions such as thought and memory” (“Alzheimer’s Disease,” 2015). It usually begins with minor memory loss of recent events. This memory loss is slowly joined with forgetfulness, cluelessness of hygiene, impaired judgement, and loss of concentration.

It is said that memory declines as people age, and this can be just a natural part of life. However, in many cases as people grow older, they develop a mental disorder known as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is a disease that causes problems with memory, thinking, and overall behavior, and progressively becomes a bigger problem. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and is a very common disease in people over the age of 65. This terminal disease puts tremendous stress on the victim and the victim’s family.

We have been forced to place him in a nursing home, and watch him decline more rapidly. I would like to learn more about Alzheimer’s so that I might be educated more about the disease and the current research taking place regarding the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disorder that attacks the brain and slowly kills brain cells. The disease causes severe changes to occur in the brain. The disease moves slowly and begins with mild memory problems that increasingly get worse until the brain begins to shut down vital functions.

A decline has actually been identified to be cause for concern and thus falls under the broad scope of dementia. One particular disease that falls under the umbrella of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. This is an unfortunate disorder with a hallmark symptom of gradual, ongoing, neurological decline. The disease not only consumes a person’s short term memory but eventually the long term memory as well. Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s disease has been thought of as affecting only our geriatric population.

In this paper, I will emphasis Alzheimer’s disease more than others. Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease have a serious brain disorder, which impacts the patient performance of activities of daily living due to memory loss. Alzheimer’s disease is defined as, “a degenerative, incurable, and terminal disease…On a biological level, AD is described as a ‘“loss of the ability to think’” (Alzheimer’s treatment). Patients with Alzheimer’s disease exhibit progressive cognitive failure in forming and retrieving new memories. Patients experience changes in personality and loss ability to navigate familiar environments.

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.