Alzheimer’s disease Rachel Dunn Indiana University East As we all gathered together on this chilly morning I began to look around at all the support for Alzheimer’s. Individuals assembled together for many different reasons. Some were there to support a cause they believe in while others were there in honor of a loved one. Before the walk began each individual had the opportunity to get a Promise Flower based on the reason for their involvement: The blue flower represented an individual with Alzheimer’s, the purple flower represents having lost a loved one to Alzheimer’s, yellow symbolizes supporting or caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, and orange represents supporting the cause and a vision of a world without …show more content…
I sat down to talk to my grandfather. He was sitting at the table in his favorite spot looking at the day’s local newspaper. He loved reading the newspaper from front to back each day. After joining him at the table and asked if there was anything good in the paper. He replied by saying, “I don’t know because I haven’t read it yet.” I knew in my heart that he had been sitting at that same spot most of the day reading the same paper over and over. As he continued to read and talk with me he kept asking me the same questions over and over. I would reply with the same response, answering each of his questions. My grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease the previous year. This is only one of the many encounters I had with my grandfather in which there was a constant reminder of his illness. According to Yu Sun (2014), “Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease clinically characterized by progressive dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms include confusion, aggression, language break-down and loss of cognitive functions” (p. 1). Throughout this paper I will examine the history of Alzheimer’s, warning signs of Alzheimer’s, ricks factors, stages of Alzheimer’s, treatment, and personal experiences with the …show more content…
During 1906 a collection of brain cell abnormalities were identified as a disease by a German physician, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. A patient of Dr. Alzheimer’s died of severe memory problems, confusion and difficulty understanding questions after many years of these symptoms. It was during the brain autopsy that the doctor noted condensed deposits surrounding the nerve cells. As the doctor further examined the brain he noticed that inside the nerve cells there was twisted bands of fibers. This lead to the disease being named after him and that the deep deposits and tangles means a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Over the years, there has been different types of research completed in regards to Alzheimer’s. Cognitive decline was linked with Alzheimer’s also during this time period. It was believe that the cognitive decline was affected by the number of plaques and tangles in the brain. With this new light of information the medical community started to recognize Alzheimer’s as a disease and not a normal part of aging. Scientist became more interested in understanding the human body as a whole and this took place during 1970 and 1980. A breakthrough was made during 1990 with an important discovery and a much better understanding of complex nerve cells in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. This new discovery led to Alzheimer defenselessness genes and numerous drugs were approved to
Pah-Lavan, Z. (2006). Alzheimer's disease: the road to oblivion. Journal of Community Nursing, 20(5), 4. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
The researchers of this paper will be researching the effects of Alzheimer’s on society as well as the individual. Alzheimer’s disease is a disease that causes mental deterioration. The researchers will discuss the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on the individual, the effects of Alzheimer’s on the caregivers, and the effects of Alzheimer’s on society. Alzheimer’s disease is like many other diseases; early detection is best because deterioration of the brain cells can be delayed. Greutzner, H. Alzheimer’s disease has a tremendous effect on the lives of those who live with the disease.
Alzheimer’s disease was first defined in 1906 by a German psychiatrist, Alois Alzheimer. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. It is a progressive brain disorder in which the nerve cells in the brain gradually die off. It is estimated that 26 million people world-wide are afflicted by Alzheimer’s and of those, approximately 4.5 million live in the United States. It is said to be the seventh leading cause of death in the USA and the fifth leading cause of death for those over age 65. Seventeen percent of women and ten percent of men age 55 and older can expect to develop Alzheimer’s (apa.org, 2009). Researchers report that this disease is more prevalent in African Americans and Hispanics than in whites (Crandell, Crandell, and Zanden, 2009, p. 578).
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. The very first stages of Alzheimer’ include symptoms like confusion and using the right words while talking. As it gets on to later stages symptoms like loss of memory and mood swings start to appear (Begley et al., 2001). Any sort of stem cell treatment is not available to Alzheimer’s patients yet, as researchers are still conducting new experiments. There are multiple neurons that get damaged by Alzheimer’s, which makes the problem even more complex and a different approach needs to be followed every time a clinical trial is conducted.
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.
The first case of dementia was discovered in 1906 by a German physiatrist Alois Alzheimer. It was first observed in a female patient and she was forty-one years old her name was Auguste D. Dr. Alzheimer observed a decline in the patient’s cognitive abilities. She lost her memory, she exhibited behavioral issues, and she suffered from hallucinations, lost the ability to comprehend language, disorientation and lost her speech. After Augusta’s passing Dr. Alzheimer preformed an autopsy that showed the classic triangles and knots we associate today with Alzheimer. Those triangles and knots are a proteins and plaque. The brain is self looked smaller and had distinct characteristics. Still with modern medicine the only way to diagnose a person with Alzheimer is after their death with an autopsy. (THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT, 2014).
Alzheimer’s disease got its name from the German doctor, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, he noticed that there were abnormal clumps and bundles of fibers i...
Alzheimer's Disease Introduction to Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain. It was first described by the German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915). in 1905. This disease worsens with advancing age, although there is no evidence. that it is caused by the aging process.
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.
Thesis/Preview Statement – Alzheimer’s disease (AD) causes a decline in brain function, it destroys healthy nerve cells. Today, we have discussed Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis of AD.
It is inevitable that eventually each of us will grow old and begin to face more and more health problems as our age rises. Elderly people are challenged by many illnesses and diseases that unfortunately, are incurable. One disease that becomes more common as people age is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s a common cause and a form of dementia and can severely damage a patient’s cognitive functions and can ultimately cause death. Living with Alzheimer’s disease can be saddening for both the sufferer and the family. Family and friends will find it very hard to cope when a loved one begins slipping away and losing memory of who they are.
Alzheimer’s can be caused by a mutation in the chromosomal genes 21,14, and 1. This mutation could be caused due to a mutation in a single gene. The only FDA approved therapies for Alzheimer’s disease deal with the function of the deteriorating neuron cells that affect a person physically and mentally. A clinical trial on gene therapy for Alzheimer’s disease was done and completed by 2009. In this trial, the target was to try and protect these neurons from deteriorating. This trial uncovered that a nerve growth factor (NGF) could be infused to the neurons to reverse the effects of symptoms like memory loss. Before the trial this gene therapy was don “In primate systems, [and] ex vivo NGF gene therapy has been demonstrated to sustain NGF protein production in the brain in the rhesus money for at least one year.” This has shown that gene therapy for Alzheimer’s could be promising and lead to a cure in this genetically inherited
Dementia is an organic brain syndrome which results in global cognitive impairments. Dementia can occur as a result of a variety of neurological diseases. Some of the more well known dementing diseases include Alzheimer's disease (AD), multi-infarct dementia (MID), and Huntington's disease (HD). Throughout this essay the emphasis will be placed on AD (also known as dementia of the Alzheimer's type, and primary degenerative dementia), because statistically it is the most significant dementing disease occurring in over 50% of demented patients (see epidemiology).
The good news is that we now know there's a lot you can do to help keep your brain healthier as you age. These steps might also reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. Like other parts of your body, your brain may lose some agility as you get older. It can deteriorate even more if you don't take care of it. Science is unlocking many of the mysteries of the brain, but we don't have all the answers yet.
Mykenzie Moyle Ms. Douglass English I, P.4 16 May 2014 Research Paper 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 keeping up with 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.