Know Basic Facts About Alzheimer’s Disease

My initiative to write this blog today arouse out of concern for my friend’s father who was afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease that affected 60 to 80% of those affected by dementia. Considered as the 6th leading cause for death in USA, Alzheimer’s causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior, with the symptoms getting worse over time and interfering with the elder’s ability to carry on daily tasks.

Here are a few facts worth knowing:

• Understand that Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging, though increasing age is a risk factor; most elders with this disorder are above the age of 65 years, though every 5 out of 100 cases of Alzheimer’s have an early onset somewhere in their 40’s or 50’s.  

• Realize that Alzheimer's is a progressive disease; memory loss is mild in the early stages, but with time an elder loses his ability to carry on a conversation or respond to the environment. An elder with  Alzheimer's lives for an average of eight years after symptoms becoming noticeable; however the survival may range from 4 to 20 years depending on age and other health conditions.

• Sad, but true for caregivers; there is no cure for Alzheimer's, though there are treatments to cure the symptoms and to temporarily slow down the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve the life of the elder and the caregivers. Recently a lot of research is being carried on to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing.

• It is wrong to categorize all form of memory loss as Alzheimer's; an elder may have memory loss due to many other reasons. It is best to take your elder that is experiencing symptoms of dementia to a doctor who would be the best person to determine the cause and treat it.

• The first symptom of an elder afflicted by Alzheimer's is difficulty in remembering newly learnt information; changes first start appearing in the area of the brain that affects learning. The progress of the disease leads to other more severe symptoms like mood and behavioral changes, disorientation, and deepening confusion about events, time and place. The elder may have unfounded suspicions about family, friends and professional caregivers,  more serious memory loss and behavior changes, difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking.

• Lastly it is best to realize that the elder with signs of Alzheimer’s may not himself recognize he has a problem, while his family and friends will; it is best to consult a doctor immediately for early diagnosis and treatment that could improve their quality of life.      Two helpful support resources are ALZConnected, our messages boards and online social networking community, and Alzheimer's Navigator, a web tool that creates customized action plans, based on answers you provide through short, online surveys.

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