Many people worry about eating right, getting enough exercise, and ever getting enough sleep. These can all be good things to worry about. However, people do not worry much about developing Alzheimer’s disease. They do not think it matters right now, but when we are older and develop the symptoms we will wish we would have taken action.
Of course, no one out there wants to become sick with anything like a common cold, cancer, or Alzheimer’s. Sadly, some of these things just happen. What if there was something we as people could do now to prevent these diseases? I think each person would jump right on it. However, that is not the case. There are ways to prevent these diseases and some people do not do anything about it. Now there is not a cure for Alzheimer’s, but there are a few ways to slow the process. Because Alzheimer’s is such a “young” disease, we do not know a ton about it. Some scientist has found that maintaining a healthy weight, healthy diet, and physical activity can help slow Alzheimer’s. Yet, there is not definite facts that these will work, scientist of the National Institute of Aging believe this will work. Like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, Alzheimer’s is becoming more and more popular. I do and don’t agree with some about the facts of eating right, maintaining a healthy weight, and physical activity. I agree we all need to watch what we eat and do. However, people 100 years ago ate natural foods and we are eating processed foods, we are living longer than they did. If scientists ever come up with a way to prevent Alzheimer’s I will definitely be someone to follow the rules. After writing these blogs I have learned the negative effects of Alzheimer’s on our bodies and our friends and families. Dealing with Alzheimer’s is hard on the individual going through the disease, but also to the ones who have to watch them go through the disease. So how can I comfort them? There are care facilities and assisted living places for people to go if they cannot carry out life's skills and processes. These places are meant for people who cannot live at home anymore. There are a couple of options; retirement housing, assisted living, nursing home, and Alzheimer’s special care units (SCUs) also called memory care units.
Assisted living, rest homes, and retirement housing are all similar units. Retirement housing would be a good idea for people who have an early stage of Alzheimer’s. This institute allows the individuals to live alone with some supervision. When someone applies for retirement housing they can still live at home. However, they will may need help paying bills, cleaning, and cooking. Rest homes provide 24 hour supervision. When in a nursing home, you will receive help with nutrition, bathing, activities, and housekeeping. This is very similar to assisted living. Assisted living is a little more intense with care. They are both very good places to get help. Alzheimer’s special care units are often like a step up from assisted living and rest homes. Many states often require assisted living and rest homes to posses the skills that an Alzheimer’s special care unit would posses. They all take great care of people. If I had Alzheimer’s I think I would most likely want to be in an Alzheimer’s special care unit because they know the most about Alzheimer's. However, all of the places that I talked about about are good places to be. Some may know Alzheimer's can be slowed down. How? Medicines. Scientists have studied many medicines and epidemics, in turn, they have come up with drugs that can help slow the progression of Alzheimer's. They do not cure the disease but they do help.
The most common drug is donepezil. The brand name is Aricept. This drug is approved for all stages of Alzheimer’s. This drug is one of two made for all stages. The FDA approved this in 1996. The research for this disease is becoming more and more common now. When an individual is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s their neurons are destroyed from the disease. In our brains the neurons communicate and connect to the synapses. At this spot small chemical bursts called neurotransmitters allow our brain to carry information to our cells. When our cells do not get information from the brain our body starts to fail. In this case it happens to be our memory. There are not very many drugs out there to help with Alzheimer’s yet but there are a few. Most are prescription because they do deal with the brain. If someone that did not have Alzheimer’s and they took the drug they could really hurt their brain. As of right now we do not know a plethora about Alzheimer’s. However, the study of the disease is becoming more and more popular. http://www.alz.org/research/science/alzheimers_disease_treatments.asp Many people know by now that Alzheimer’s doesn’t just happen one day, it is a progressive disease. There are different stages of Alzheimer’s. There are typically three stages they are: mild (early-stage), moderate (middle-stage), and severe (late-stage). Because everyone has different experiences with the disease each stage can be described differently. Certain stages can be better or worse for each person.
An individual suffering from the mild stage will most likely still be independent. What do I mean by independent? The individual will still be living at home, driving, and being socially active. However, the individual may struggle coming up with a name, remember information that was just presented to them, and misplacing objects to name a few. The mild stage is often hard to diagnose because people without Alzheimer’s often forget the same things. The moderate stage is the usually the longest stage and can last for many years. At this stage a person will need a greater level of care. At this stage people will often forget their personal history, feel moody, confusion of what day it is, or where they are at. Many will need to go to a rest home or need someone to watch them at all times. In many cases the diagnosed will wander off and get lost. Wandering off is one of the worst things because they could be severely hurt. The last stage of Alzheimer’s is severe or the late stage. The is the worst stage of Alzheimer’s and one of the hardest for family and friends to watch. During this stage the individual loses complete control of movement. They are more at risk to diseases such as a cold or sinus infection. When someone reaches this stage they will not be able to carry on a conversation. When this stages comes upon, they will need constant assistance with everyday things. No matter what stage of Alzheimer’s someone is going through it is still hard to deal with. Everyone hopes that their loved one stays in the mild stage the longest, but unfortunately that is not always the case. All people can do for this disease as of right now is wait and hope someone finds a cure soon. It always makes it easier for the diagnosed individual if they have a support system consisting of family and friends. http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_stages_of_alzheimers.asp Some say I know that Alzheimer’s affects the brain but how? Does it differ in men and women? Each time an individual is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, their brain begins to shrink. A healthy brain is a pink color, but when someone develops Alzheimer’s their brain turns a blackish gray color. However, color is not the only thing that happens to the brain when diagnosed.
There are many parts of the brain and many of those parts are affected. Some examples of those are the cortex, plaques, nerves, ventricles, and hippocampus, to name a few. First, I will elaborate a little bit on the cortex. The cortex is the largest part of the brain, and it controls more important things. This is where thinking, planning, and remembering takes places. The reason all of memory goes first because the cortex shrinks first. Not all of the brain shrinks, however. Ventricles are fluid filled holes in the brain. Ventricles work with communication. This part of the brain swells. When the ventricles swell, the communication of the body with the brain is slowed down greatly. The biggest problem people face when their brain shrinks is the hippocampus shrinking. The hippocampus controls the making of new memories. That is why when people get Alzheimer's they forget everything. Sometimes people act like a child or refer to their childhood when they have had this disease for a few years. When the hippocampus shrinks it is the cause of most problems people face. https://www.alz.org/braintour/healthy_vs_alzheimers.asp Alzheimer's is obviously a terrible disease. Is it worse in kids or adults? Either way it is a bad disease. If an adult at 65 years old gets diagnosed with the disease, they will have probably lived a pretty good life. If a ten year old would get the disease, they will have lost a lot of life. No matter how old a person is when they are diagnosed, it is still not fun for anyone.
Is Alzheimer’s more common in children or adults? Alzheimer’s is more common in adults 65 and older than in children. Just because they have the disease, the diagnosed may not look sick. The disease can be seen in the person’s actions. For example, some people may cry or become very angry. Alzheimer’s is very rare in children. The disease, known as Niemann-Pick disease type C, is a disease that is similar to Alzheimer’s that is found in children. The only difference is that it progresses quicker. The symptoms of this disease are similar to adults with Alzheimer’s. Memory loss is the most common factor between the two. Often health professionals do not look for Alzheimer’s in young people because it is so rare. Many people experience early onset, as early as their 40’s and 50’s. Doctors often miss these signs because they are happening when they are so young. Approximately 200,000 people experience early onset, also known as younger onset. The symptoms will vary throughout each individual. Many people realize when we get older we often are more forgetful. For example, where did I put my glasses? Today's society just accepts the fact that we are getting older. Sometimes, age doesn't have anything to do with forgetfulness. So if it is not age what is it?
Dementia is the result of dying brain cells. Like Dementia, Alzheimer's is a neurological disease. Alzheimer's starts with forgetting simple things like making something to eat and gets progressively worse throughout the rest of your life. In some cases, people get so bad they are unable to carry on a conversation. Almost every minute someone has developed the disease. When a person has alzheimer's their entire brain shrinks due to the cells dying. How do you tell when someone has the disease? There are many symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms are, repetitive questions, loosing personal belongings, forgetting appointments. Some people say, I know I don't have Alzheimer's and I loose many things or forget appointments. That may be true, but their symptoms do not worsen over time like the people with Alzheimer's. In conclusion, just because you forget where you put something it doesn't mean you have Alzheimer's. It could be the start, but you will not know until later on. However, it is a good idea to watch for the signs of the disease. As the world's population continues to grow, the disease is becoming even more common. Like I said before, someone is getting diagnosed with the disease every minute. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159442.php#what_causes_alzheimers_disease Many people ask, is there a cure or not? Will there ever be a cure? I believe there will be a cure. In my lifetime? I am not for sure, but I think there will be a cure.
With all of the technologies and knowledge we have today there should be cures for many diseases pretty soon. I believe that someone out there is closer than ever to finding a cure. What that is I don’t know, but I believe there is something. I think it is the same way for cancer and many other diseases out there. The person who finds a cure will be a major part in history. There are many different sides asking why there is not a cure yet. Of course, most people want a cure for all the disease because living with Alzheimer’s is horrible. Do all people really want a cure, however? Pharmacists and doctors make their living on selling drugs to help people with diseases. As soon as someone finds a cure they will not make as much money. Alzheimer’s is becoming a larger problem throughout the world. It is now the sixth leading cause of death. As people with the disease keep having children their, children will be at higher risk of the disease and it will keep getting worse. If a cure is not found soon Alzheimer’s could potentially become the leading cause of death. Obviously this will take some time, but when it happens almost everyone will know someone who has died from the disease. Alzheimer's disease is a horrible disease! Alzheimers, is a disease that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. Who gets alzheimer's? People of any age can get alzheimer's. Typically people over the age of 60 are diagnosed with the disease. The youngest person to ever be diagnosed was 27 years old. Alzheimer's worsens over the years. At first, the disease starts out as mild memory loss. At its worst stages, the person diagnosed with the disease will no longer be able to carry on a conversation with anyone. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. After a person is diagnosed they can live anywhere from eight to twenty more years, that factor all depends on other health problems. Is there a cure? No, not at the time. Many scientist across the world are working to find a cure for this horrendous disease. Doctors can prescribe medicines to help with the worsening of dementia but they cannot cure the disease yet. In the future I think there will be a cure for both alzheimer's and cancer. Our knowledge of Alzheimer's is becoming greater by the second. With all of the technology and machines that we have today, I believe that we are very close to uncovering the cure for this awful disease. Right next to cancer, alzheimer's is being studied all the time. |
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