Welcome to Alzheimer's
Alzheimer’s is a neuro degenerative disease is characterized by the progressive loss of brain function. According to "alz.org" Alzheimer's is the 7th leading cause of death! The areas of the brain targeted first by the disease are associated with memory, so first observable health symptoms are usually mild forms of memory loss. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of the more general condition known as dementia. Dementia is a general medical term used to describe any progressive damage to the areas of the brain to control memory or any other cognitive function.
The earliest stages of Alzheimer’s all involve symptoms associated with memory loss. Affected individuals may have a hard time remembering what day or month it is. They may find themselves losing items more frequently than normal, forgetting recent events or confused and disoriented in familiar environments. Normally, old memories are unaffected in these earlier stages. An affected person will recognize old friends and family, but may not have any clear memory of recent interactions with them.
As Alzheimer’s progresses, the affected person often begins exhibiting difficult behavior. They often become paranoid, quick to anger, overreact to minor things, suffer from hallucinations, and can even become violent. These behaviors are seen even in individuals that were shy, timid, or passive people prior to developing the disease. Someone in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s will usually begin to lose motor control and will need help dressing and performing everyday personal hygiene functions. They often also lose the ability to speak clearly, read or write. At this stage in the disease, even older memories become affected, and afflicted people may not recognize family members or life long friends at times.
In the later and final stages of the disease, individuals usually have complete memory loss and will recognize no one. They will be unable to communicate, walk, participate in personal care activities, or even eat on their own. As a result, sufferers in these late stages usually are incontinent and begin to lose a lot of weight. They often spend most of their time sleeping, and frequently suffer from seizures. Alzheimer’s will eventually lead to death due to loss of brain function.
While there are no known cures for Alzheimer’s, there are some treatments available that can slow the health condition down, and a promising array of new treatments on the horizon. Our increased understanding of biology and the human genetic code have many scientists hopeful for effective preventive measures and possibly even cures in the near future. Already, there are results from a number of recent studies that suggest that certain life behaviors, such as a healthy diet and regular exercise, can help reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer's disease. Installing exercise facilities at your home can help with Alzheimer and other disease prevention. For example, we recommend daily swimming exercise using exercise hot tubs which can be conveniently located in your back-yard.
Alzheimer’s Disease
It starts with minor memory lapses, like getting people’s names confused or forgetting where you put your car keys (or to an extreme, even where you parked the car on the street). At this stage, it’s nothing more than an old running joke that other family members get a laugh out of during get-together's. But then, as time goes, it begins to affect other aspects of your life, including work, and disrupts daily routine. Pretty soon, you’ll find yourself wondering how to flush the toilet, figuring out what the switch on the wall is for, and countless menial tasks that you used to take for granted. Or, you’d wake up one morning and find that you can’t see anything. Panicking with the certainty that you have gone blind, things become more eerie when the wife tells you that your eyes are closed. You forgot to open it. You forgot how to.
The disorder is called Alzheimer’s disease, and it affects millions (4.5, according to the most recent study) of people over the age of 65. Scientifically speaking, Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia, a brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. The disease starts to manifest its symptoms after the age of 60. The older a person gets, the worse the symptoms become.
During the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language are affected. At this moment, scientists have yet to discover what triggers Alzheimer’s disease and the cure, but countless research is being done and have been successful in helping patients with this condition cope.
How Alzheimer’s Disease Got Its Name
Alzheimer’s disease was first discovered in 1906 by Dr. Alois Alzheimer (hence, the name). Dr. Alzheimer had a woman patient who died of an unusual mental illness. While studying her condition, the doctor noticed changes in the patient’s brain tissue, such as abnormal clumps (known as amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (called neurofibrillary tangles). Years later, these plaques and tangles in the brain are considered as common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Other signs of Alzheimer’s disease that later scientists discovered include dead nerve cells in the memory and cognitive areas of the brain, disrupted connections between nerve cells, and low levels of neuro chemicals, all of which result in impaired thinking and memory.
Treatment
As mentioned, there is no cure yet for Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, what treatment options are available do not guarantee a halt in alzheimer's disease progression. How fast or how slow alzheimer's progresses varies from patient to patient, but the average is that patients with Alzheimer’s disease generally live from eight to ten years after they are diagnosed. If, however, the patient is diagnosed in the early and middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease, the drugs like tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine may help prevent some of the symptoms from becoming worse.
Alzheimer's and Dementia
Alzheimer's and dementia are strongly linked because Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia. Dementia is the constant evolution of the atrophy of the brain's cognitive functions. In the case of Alzheimer's, abnormal protein build up happen in the brain which interferes with its normal functions through interactions with the brain nerves and neurotransmitters that cause these elements to whither and die.
Alzheimer's and early stage dementia involve progressive memory loss and other functions that are attributed to brain deterioration. Natural brain atrophy and cognitive function loss is a normal experience by humans as we age. However, Alzheimer's type of dementia is way beyond what is considered normal.
Alzheimer's type dementia is extremely debilitating and the disease can run its course from as fast as 5 years but some cases stretch on to 20 years. The disruption of Alzheimer's type dementia can be very confusing and difficult. What's really hard to accept is that as of the moment, there are no known cures or successful treatments available for Alzheimer's patients.
Of all the types of dementia, only a very tiny percentage is reversible and Alzheimer's is not one of them. Once it attacks, there can be no slowing or stopping down. All one can do is be prepared for the onslaught. In this case, it is also important the patient's friends and loved one understand and know all about Alzheimer's and dementia so that they too can be allowed to cope with this situation.
If you suffer from the very early stages of Alzheimer's type dementia, it can be very difficult for you to accept what is happening to you while you are aware of your situation. Often times, patients can create very difficult situations for themselves as well as for the people around them. For instance, people with Alzheimer's type dementia can have the same conversation with the same person over and over again without realizing it.
Perhaps a person with Alzheimer's type dementia can forget that they have just previously called a loved one to tell them something only to put the phone down and call right back to talk about the exact same thing. Situations like these can cause difficulties that is why it is important for people with Alzheimer's type dementia to have the proper care.
Loss of correct judgment will inadvertently follow as the Alzheimer's type dementia progresses so it might be prudent for patients to be supervised all the time. Eventually, patients will have to depend exclusively on specialized care for all their needs. This makes it important for patients and their loved ones to choose the right facility for this process.
It is important that people with Alzheimer's type dementia be treated with respect and dignity all throughout the duration of the disease. While the patient has not lost all ability to make judgments and remember important things, they should be consulted in terms of what facilities or type of professional care they think they would benefit from.
As a loved one of someone who has Alzheimer's type dementia, it can be very hard and painful to witness the continuing progressing of alzheimer's disease. This may cause some negative emotions and a lot of grief that may be unwittingly projected at the patient.
However, at the onset of the disease, when the patient is still conscious and aware, they can go through an even more painful process of accepting their disease.
Alzheimer Stages
A condition that mainly affects the brain functions, Alzheimer’s disease is actually a form of dementia. A person has dementia when a complex group of conditions develops, causing the gradual destruction of the brain cells, leading to progressive decline in the person’s mental function. Being a common form of this particular brain disorder, Alzheimer’s disease is also characterized by a progressive destruction of the patient’s brain cells. This leads to damage and eventually complete loss of memory and learning abilities, reasoning skills, decision making, communication, and even the ability to carry out daily activities.
Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. However, new treatments have been discovered, due to the deepening insight scientists have of the biology of the disease. One of these insights is the fact that the disease seems to progress in stages – Alzheimer stages.
There are seven Alzheimer stages documented by Alzheimer's experts based on common patterns of symptom progression. These Alzheimer stages correspond in some way to the underlying degeneration of the nerve cells, particularly those that involve learning and memory. As the disease gradually spreads to other cells, the degeneration begins to affect other cognitive functions, such as thinking, judgment, and behavior.
Alzheimer Stages 1 - Early Stage Alzheimer's Disease - No Obvious Impairment
The first of the seven Alzheimer stages exhibit no impairment of the normal functions of the individual patient. Because of this, there is no way that health care professionals may identify any tell-tale signs of Alzheimer’s in the individual during a medical interview at this stage.
Alzheimer Stages 2 - Mild Alzheimer's Disease - Very Mild Cognitive Decline
Some may consider the cognitive decline in this particular stage of the Alzheimer stages as normal, especially if the patient is of an age where mild cognitive decline is to be expected, i.e. persons aged 60 or older. Signs include memory lapses, such as forgetting familiar words or names or the location of keys, eyeglasses, and other everyday objects. These lapses are not apparent during the medical interview or to friends, family, and co-workers.
Alzheimer Stages 3 - Mild Cognitive Decline
In some people, this stage can be diagnosed. It is at this stage that friends, family, and co-workers begin to notice deficiencies.
Alzheimer Stages 4 - Moderate Alzheimer's Disease - Moderate Cognitive Decline
This is known as the mild or early stage Alzheimer’s disease where the problems become clear cut after a careful medical interview.
Alzheimer Stages 5 - Moderately Severe Cognitive Decline
The mid-stage of Alzheimer’s disease shows major gaps in memory and deficits in cognitive function. Patient may start to require some assistance in doing day to day activities.
Alzheimer Stages 6 - Severe Alzheimers Disease - Severe Cognitive Decline
Difficulties in memory continue to worsen. It is at this stage changes in personality start to emerge.
Alzheimer Stages 7 - Very Severe Cognitive Decline
The final stage when individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment. In addition, they also lose the ability to speak and ultimately, the ability to control movement.
Living With Alzheimer's Disease
When someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, those around should not think it's the end of the world. The best thing to do is help the one who is suffering from it until the person dies.
There are drugs in the market which can help ease the pain but not reverse the process or stop the disease from spreading. The only thing it can do is slow down the process that could buy enough time until a cure has been found.
Family members should give this or hire a caregiver to do that when no one is able to take care of the person.
In time, the sufferer may not even recall the name of the children. One way to help the one living with Alzheimer's is through the use of visual aids. The name and the picture of the person can be shown in a card and someone can conduct memory exercises on the individual.
It will also be a good idea to talk as often as possible with the patient. The person should be within the line of sight of the individual and must say each word slowly in order to understand each word being said.
The best place to treat someone with Alzheimer's is in the home. The people who are there should make sure that there is order in the house and it is quiet at all times because noise will just aggravate the patient.
Living with someone who has Alzheimer's can be compared to taking care of a toddler. This is because the person will touch anything in sight and might even get hurt in the process. The best thing to do is to take make sure there is no clutter in the house and items that are deemed unsafe are hidden from view.
Alzheimer sufferers are known to wander off. The person can lock the doors but should the patient manage to get out, it is best to have either a bracelet or a pocket card inserted in the clothing. This must have the name, address of the patient as well as the contact number where someone can be reached to pick up the wanderer.
Studies show that those who are suffering from Alzheimer's disease really get worked up in the evening. This can be prevented by coming up with evening rituals such as washing the dishes, watching television or walking around for a while to make the patient calm and sleep tight.
Those who are suffering from Alzheimer's aside from the medicine prescribed by the doctor also need exercise. It doesn’t have to be anything extraneous but just enough to keep the strength up. An early morning walk or lifting small weights are just a few examples to promote a certain level of fitness for the patient.
It is not easy living with someone who has Alzheimer's disease because the task of taking care of someone is both tiring and frustrating. People have to understand that no one wanted this to happen but the reality is that the problem is there.
It is a good thing there are support groups out there that can help family members and patients cope with this disease. The people can also live closer because it won't be long before the inevitable will happen and this person will go off to a better place.
Tips to Create a Care Plan for Alzheimer's Family Member
Although it is someone no one wants to look forward to, it is best if you plan ahead. As soon as Alzheimer’s is diagnosed, you should be looking to create a care plan for the afflicted person. There are some key questions that you need to be asking yourself, and to insure that you create the best plan possible, you need to answer them all as deeply as possible.
Usually the first thing that crops up is the financial and legal concerns. It is not entirely uncommon for a person with a disease like Alzheimer’s to enter a state where they are unable to make decisions for themselves, and because of that someone needs to be able to make the decision for them. So first thing: who is going to decide on what to do with the person’s finances once they are unable to do anything themselves? Generally you’ll want to choose someone who is good with money. Next, create a living will. A living will essentially decides whether or not the person will choose to remain on life support or not, if things become that bad. Finally, insure that the Alzheimer’s victim has a will, and if not, consult a lawyer immediately to make one. This needs to be done before the person is unable to communicate what they would want in a will themselves.
Arguably most important, and one of the most difficult to decide categories, is care. The main question you should be asking is figuring out who will be the main caregiver, and what role will everyone else in the family play? Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s is a very demanding job, and to leave it to one person may not be such a good idea. Figure out who the primary caregiver is, and make sure that they are both able enough to do it, and that they have the time to do it. An adult daycare facility may not be out of the question, and it will certainly take a mountain of pressure off the primary caregiver. In deciding what role the other family members will play, first make a list of the various roles there are (taking the person for walks, helping out around the house), and then have people volunteer for various positions. Make sure that each of the people volunteering can commit the time to the task they volunteered to, or they will be useless.
Living conditions and exactly what to do are always high on the care plan. First, make a note of where the Alzheimer’s victim is living at the moment. Now, think about exactly what Alzheimer’s is going to do to them. If they’re on their own, are they going to be safe? If they’re living with someone, is the person they’re living with going to be able to care for them? Will they be able to do it all the time? If not, you should start to look at long-term care facilities, or assisted living. Both of those options can help out a tremendous amount, and may or may not be paid for by health care.
Speaking of health care, you need to decide who is going to make all the decisions regarding the health of the person once they are unable to. It is best to decide on one or two people (preferably one), as any more than that and a bunch of conflicting thoughts may arise. When there is conflict, nothing will get done.
Lastly, prepare for emergencies. What happens if the primary caregiver is unable to be with the patient on short notice? What if they’re away on vacation? You need to make up a back-up plan, just in case. It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. You should make sure that all members of the family, as well as the neighbors are aware of the back-up plan. It doesn’t do much good if it just sits there.
If you follow all of the above points, you should be able to make a care plan suitable for the patients needs. Remember to do this as soon as possible after the initial diagnosis, as that is when it will be easiest, and you’ll be able to hear the wishes of the patient themselves.
Your Options of Care for Late Stage Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s is a very cruel and unforgiving disease of the brain. Damaging its ability to retain memories and communicate with the rest of the body, it is a degenerative condition, meaning that it grows steadily worse with time. Unfortunately, there is no known cure, nor method of reversing the damage, once it is done. While early stages of Alzheimer’s seem like little more than the occasional memory lapse, a person who is suffering from the final stages of Alzheimer’s is in need of 24 hour care and constant watching. How do you handle an adult who is suffering from Alzheimer‘s disease? What sort of care facilities are available, to help a loved one who is in the final stages of this devastating disease? What can you do to help?
The most important thing that you can do, to help a person with Alzheimer’s disease, is to be patient, caring and understanding. A diagnosis of this magnitude can be just as devastating as the condition itself, and patients are often frustrated, confused and afraid. Assure your loved ones that, no matter what, you will be there for them and discuss different options with the patient, letting them have a say in the decision that is being made.
When a person is suffering the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, there are many options available for them, such as retirement housing, adult day services or in-home respite services. However, as the disease progresses and the Alzheimer’s patient comes to require more and more assistance and supervision, these independent care facilities are no longer an option. By the time that a patient has entered into the final stages of Alzheimer’s, they will require 24-hour care and constant supervision. By this point, the main question is whether you wish to care for your loved one at home, or if you believe that a nursing home can provide them with the best care at the moment.
This type of decision can be difficult, both on the patient and on their loved ones. At a time when they are feeling lost, frightened and confused, the Alzheimer’s patient is already dealing with feelings of being abandoned and often suffering from anxiety, or lashing out with aggressive behavior. This can make a wise decision difficult, sometimes, to choose. While few find pleasure in the idea of having someone they love placed into a home, in some cases, this may very well be what is for the best.
Nursing homes are needed when the patient requires 24-hour supervision or special care. Specially licensed and able to administer the proper medications as needed, some nursing homes even have specialized programs for those suffering from dementia. Additionally, nursing homes have licensed professionals on staff and have to submit to regular inspections, to insure patients are receiving suitable care.
Many people feel guilty about leaving their loved ones in a nursing home and choose to keep the patient with them, where they are more familiar with their surroundings and cared for by those that love them. True, these are very noble reasons, but again, one must always look at the big picture. Before you take such a risk, think everything over clearly; are you truly able to stay with your loved one throughout the duration of this disease if it goes on for another 20 years? Are you willing to give up your career? What about your life out, dancing in the clubs, or taking trips? Can you put your life on hold for all that time?
For those who feel that they are capable of caring for an Alzheimer’s patient, another form of help is available in hospice care. Hospice care is an option for any terminally ill patient, during their last 6 months of life or, as in the case of those suffering dementia, during the last stage of Alzheimer‘s disease. Experienced with medical equipment, meds, and often just talking and helping to alleviate stress, hospice care workers often help to tend for the ill person, handling the things that they cannot do at home, such as bathing, administering certain medications, et cetera.
Whether you choose to have your loved one’s care provided in a nursing home or in your own home is a choice that you and they have to make, hopefully together. Take into consideration all avenues; cost, needs, programs, reliability and respectability. Once you’ve weighed your options and considered all routes, when it comes down to the final decision, follow your heart.
Stem Cell Research and its Impact on Study of Alzheimer’s & Dementia
Stem cell research is a highly contentious issue. Stem cell research involves the use of cells from human embryos that are a few days old, and occasionally, cells from fetuses greater than eight weeks old. Opponents of embryonic stem cell research compare it to abortion because the cells are capable of producing human life. Proponents of stem cell research point out stem cells are destroyed on a daily basis in fertility clinics – these stem cells are unused embryos from couples undergoing fertility treatments – and that rather than destroying these cells, scientists ought to be able to use them for medical research. In the US, federal law currently prohibits providing federal funding for any kind of stem cell research, however, the research that has been done has shown great promise for a number of diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
Dr. James Thompson created the first stem cell line using human embryos in 1998 at the University of Wisconsin. He used embryo stem cells to grow healthy, functioning heart cells. This success opened up the possibility of generating healthy cells to replace all kinds of diseased cells in the body, including the ability to replace diseased cells in the brain. Further research has been hindered in a major way because of the federal ban on funding, but the research that has been conducted has only increased the excitement of scientists and doctors more.
One common misconception about stem cell research is that the debate could be stemmed if adult stem cells were used in the research. Adult stem cells do not offer anywhere near the potential for regeneration that embryonic do. Adult stem cells are thought to be “multi potent,” meaning they can only generate certain types of cells. Stem cells from embryos, on the other hand, can be “totipotent” or “pluripotent.” Totipotent cells are embryonic cells in their first few days of development. These cells have the potential to grow into any kind of cell in the human body. Embryonic cells are “pluripotent” after a period of around four days. At this point, the cells can develop into any kind of cell in the body with the exception of the cells needed to create a fetus. Clearly totipotent and pluripotent cells are the most desirable for research because their potential is nearly limitless, allowing scientists to experiment with cures for different diseases with ease.
Though stem-cell research has great promise in the quest to cure medical conditions such as diabetes, spinal chord injuries, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, it cannot be assumed stem-cell research definitely holds the key to the cure for Alzheimer’s or dementia. Doctors and scientists still must understand much more about the causes of Alzheimer’s and dementia before they can be sure what would offer a cure. In addition to understanding how normal and abnormal cells develop and how to heal abnormal cells, scientists must also develop some way for their stem cell discoveries to be tested in Alzheimer’s patients to ensure they are effective and safe. The patient testing of stem cells generated in the lab might be the most difficult issue facing scientists, beyond the ethics debate.
Many patients, and their families, who are affected by conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, for which stem cell research offers a reason for hope, find themselves wanting to encourage future research. Despite the federal ban on government of funding embryonic stem cell research, the research itself is not illegal when funded privately. People can also donate their stem cells for scientific research – women can donate blood from umbilical chords, and couples with unused embryos from fertility clinics may donate those embryos to scientists.
The debate over stem cell research is likely to continue for a long time to come. This, however, does not mean that research will stall. Countries outside of the US who have different policies about embryonic research continue to conduct experiments and attempt to generate healthy cells. Stem cell research potentially opens the door to even more issues of medical ethics, like designer babies and cloning, but at the same time, the ability to generate healthy brain cells in a laboratory that could replace brain cells damaged by Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia offers hope to some families struggling with the devastating potential effect of alzheimers and dementia.
