Alzheimer's Disease Analysis

Alzheimer disease is a form of dementia caused by the destruction of brain cells. Alzheimer disease currently affects 60-80% of all cases of dementia, and people over the age of 70 are at a greater risk of developing it (“Alzheimer’s Disease”, 2011).

History of disease:

Alzheimer’s disease was named after the German physiologist who first introduced dementia’s neurological characteristics in 1906 (Jia, 2014). Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disease that destroys the memory and thinking skills of the affected person. Although Alzheimer's is usually considered a disease of the elderly, early-onset Alzheimer's is still possible in people younger. It’s also important to be as healthy as you can in your younger years, as people with

Once Alzheimer’s starts to progress, symptoms can change to the person becoming more difficult with refusing to do basic activities like bathing or sitting down. They also show signs of poor judgment and difficulty speaking and basic comprehension (“Alzheimer’s Disease”, 2011). Those who suffer from Alzheimer's forget the people and places they know because of the deterioration of their minds. The brains of Alzheimer’s patients are beginning to lose connections between the nerve cells in their brain. Without these specific connections, the neural function becomes weaker and the neurons will die out and damage will eventually spread around the rest of the brain. It’s important for early screenings for people over the age of 65. Doctors use exams like MMSE or the Mini-Mental State Examination, where they can measure the patient’s long and short term abilities as well as their communication abilities (“Alzheimer’s Disease”, 2011). Doctors can also ask patients to various other perform tasks that test their attention and problem solving skills as well as ask them about any recent changes in they have noticed cognitively or socially. It is also important that the doctor does a careful evaluation since there may be various other reasons as to why these patients are having these symptoms such as diabetes that has not been previously diagnosed

The damage of late diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is that it has already started to spread to the hippocampus, a region of the brain essential to the formation of memories. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that destroys the b-amyloid plagues and neurofibrillary tangles that is important for any type of neural connections in our brain. As the patient’s neuron death increases, the affected region of the brain shrinks (Jia, 2014). By the end stages of the disease, the damage is widespread throughout the brain. It is important for members to be educated about the disease so that they will be able to make plans for the future needs of the patient. It allows the family to make any necessary arrangements and plans for nursing home care if appropriate or at home care if possible as this disease