My View of Alzheimer’s Disease My definition of Alzheimer’s disease that I have developed is a disease of the brain that affects memory and other essential mental functions. I understand that Alzheimer's disease is an age related disease that progresses over time. Typically people develop this disease when they are 65 years or older, but there is also early onset Alzheimer’s disease. There is no cure and very few treatments, although much research has been done. There are no definite causes of the disease, but there may be genetic factors and possibly environmental factors. People who suffer from this disease can experience many symptoms depending on the severity or stage of the disease. Most people are familiar with the memory loss but …show more content…
I have only heard stories and was never able to see first hand how these diseases affected my family members but it still helped me understand the disease more. My uncle with Lewy Body disease had eventually lost control over most of his mental and bodily functions. He was unable to do the simplest tasks including eating and speaking and I was able to learn the extent of the disease. Other ways I’ve built my understanding of Alzheimer’s disease is through the internet and television. I have seen how people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease are displayed on television which shows the more personal rather than medical aspects of the disease. Television also shows how the disease affects the people around the person with the disease including friends and family. It emphasizes the caregiving aspect of the disease and the challenges that come along with caring for and watching a person you love go through this. Along with this, I have also read some information about the disease in articles on the internet. I have read articles online about the research being done on Alzheimer’s disease including causes and treatments. The information on the internet is more technical and has more medical facts. From this, I’ve learned the different symptoms, possible causes and treatments, and what actually happens to the person’s