Research Paper On Alzheimer's

Professor Brenda Anderson
Developmental Psychology
26 November 2012
Alzheimer’s – A Growing Risk In today’s world the aging society has a new problem to face. In addition to retirement, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and many other issues, Alzheimer’s disease is becoming the biggest issue when entering late adulthood. Alzheimer’s, unlike other diseases and illnesses, has no cure and there aren’t many measures that are proven to prevent it. The issue of Alzheimer’s demands more attention and awareness because the majority of people will soon be entering the late adulthood stage of their life where they will most likely fall victim to Alzheimer’s disease. The history of Alzheimer’s disease begins with a German psychiatrist named Alois
Unlike normal forgetfulness and confusion, these symptoms gradually get worse over time. People that develop Alzheimer’s not only have problems remembering things, but they may be unable to write, their judgment may be impacted, and they will not be able to do logical problem solving. The memory is impacted by forgetting important appointments, misplacing items by leaving them in illogical locations, and forgetting the names of close family members or the names of objects that they use on a day to day basis. They may also forget who they are or when their birthday is. It is hard for people with Alzheimer’s to express how they feel with words, making writing nearly impossible to do once the disease takes hold. People that are normally happy and social beings may become depressed, develop anxiety and mood swings, paranoia, socially withdrawn, and their sleep patterns may also be affected
Everybody in the world will get older and will eventually be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or they will have a parent, sibling, or friend who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. While many people believe it will never happen to them, their mother or father may end up being diagnosed. Between 70% to 80% of people suffering with Alzheimer’s disease are being cared for in their own homes by their spouses or children. There are many support groups out there in society that help aid people that are caregivers for those who have Alzheimer’s disease. It is often very difficult to provide care for someone with Alzheimer’s and a social network of support is necessary. In addition to being afflicted with the disease, Alzheimer’s comes with a great cost to society. Many of the people who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are elderly and end up in nursing homes that they can’t pay for by themselves. They end up on social welfare programs that provide for their care at the cost to the rest of society