Exploring Alzheimer's Disease

As the average life span continuously rises the population of the elderly also increases. This rise relates to the increase in late onset diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease which causes many functional impairments and comes with many challenges. These challenges are not only life altering for the individual but also manifest within the family. Although there are many challenges there is also an abundance of opportunities, adjustments and adaptions as well as new therapies and treatments that are progressing towards an easier life for those that live with this disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of Dementia which is characterized by progressive loss of previously acquired skills including memory, language,
There is much grey area in the causes of this disease due to experts not being able to tell what causes these beta-amyloid deposits. Being that Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease over time more and more nerve and brain tissue become damaged leading to more severe symptoms. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease can be memory loss, difficulty performing familiar tasks, vision problems, changes in mood, poor or decreased judgement and misplacing things. If an individual has several of these symptoms one should then see a physician for a complete evaluation. There is no exact test to test for Alzheimer’s, however if an individual is experiencing significant cognitive decline, all other brain diseases are ruled out and the clinical course is consistent with that of Alzheimer’s then a physician can confirm that an individual has the disease. There are three stages within Alzheimer’s disease which are the early, middle, and late stages. In the early stage the individual may still function independently however may deal with memory lapses such as problems remembering names or losing or misplacing familiar objects. The middle
Cognitive and functional impairments are central to dementia and are seen to be associated with the occurrence of depressive features within Alzheimer’s disease. People that get Alzheimer’s disease often start out with Mild Cognitive Impairment which means that the individual is having minor problems with their mental abilities such as memory or thinking. As the disease progresses cognitive abilities can be severely compromised causing the person to be very disoriented. People with Alzheimer’s may also experience problems in abstract thinking and other intellectual functions such as figuring out when to pay bills and forgetting to turn the stove off. Impacts of this disease are not only related to cognitive functions but also impact the physical function of the individual. Physical problems are not usually seen until the middle stage of Alzheimer’s. Individuals in the middle stage of this disease may begin to experience trouble controlling bladder and bowel movements as well as decreased fine motor skills such as tying shoes and taking shorter steps. The combination of rapid cognitive decline and loss of physical abilities may lead to feelings of despair and loneliness. The adult may have trouble finding a sense of fulfillment and feeling happy with their life. This