What Is Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive mental disease which affects the brain and destroys essential memory function. Unfortunately this disease is very common with more than 3 million people being diagnosed each year with various causes. It also has many symptoms and facts about it. Alzheimer's can even make a person sometimes even forget loved ones.

Alzheimer's disease progressively destroys memory and other essential memory function. The name alzheimers comes from a 1906 german physician, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. The Doctor presented a case before a medical meeting about a 51 year old woman,who had a very rare brain disease. A brain autopsy proved that the woman had some of the lesions and plaque that are now known to characterize alzheimer's

The main cognitive symptoms are Amnesia Aphasia and apraxia and agnosia. Amnesia is the loss of memory with Alzheimer's, short-term memory loss is damaged first. Aphasia is known as the inability to communicate effectively. A person that is experiencing Aphasia might forget words they have learned and might also have difficulty understanding spoken or written words. Apraxia is the inability to do everyday things like, brushing your teeth and getting dressed. Someone experiencing Apraxia may forget all motor skills they have learned. Agnosia is the inability to correctly process signals from the five senses. There is an often loss of capability to remember objects, people,sounds,and smells. The major psychiatric symptoms are personality change, depression, and hallucinations. Personality changes are found in some of the first stages of Alzheimer’s. Signs can of personality changes can be isolation and withdrawal. Depression can occur during any stage of Alzheimer's and is one of the only parts that can be cured at any stage of Alzheimer's. Hallucinations usually take place in the middle stages and are normally sensory impairments like hearing loss or poor

15 % of People from the ages of 65 to 74 are diagnosed with alzheimer's. Many studies have shown that alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging but is still mainly found in older people. It is estimated that about half a million people under the age of 65 suffer from alzheimer's or another form of dementia. After a patient is diagnosed with alzheimer's patients normally live from 8 to 10 years after being diagnosed. People with alzheimer's are very likely to develop co-existing diseases and most commonly die from pneumonia. Studies show that 1 in 3 seniors die with alzheimer's or another form of dementia. During that time caregivers can expect to have to pay up to 60000 dollars to care for an alzheimer patient just to stay in a assisted living home can cost up to 32,000$ more a year. This money is used to pay for a patient's room, medications and other things that are needed to help