Introduction
Alzheimer’s is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and gets worse over time. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events or short memory loss. As the disease advances, symptoms can include difficulty with language, disorientation, mood swing and behavior problems. As a person 's condition progressed, they often withdraw from friends and family. Slowly, bodily functions deteriorated and eventually death occurs. “Although the speed of progression can vary, the average life expectancy following diagnosis is three to nine years”.
Aging with Grace describer a study performed by Dr. David Snowdon, which followed a group of nuns for the remainder of their lives to assess their progression into dementia. The study involves 678 Catholic sisters with ages ranging from 74 to 106. As they are being studied by Dr. Snowdon and staff,” multiple tests assessing memory, concentration, language, visual-spatial abilities and orientation to time and place are being performed routinely”.
Furthermore during the “Nun Study”, autobiographies of nuns were also analyzed for correlation between what and
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The study was performed on a group of nuns whom volunteered to physical and mental exams during the remaining years of life. The study proved that a healthy diet, emotions, and strokes all correlate to the amount and severity of symptoms a person will go through during their adulthood. The study did have some disadvantages, such as that the test subjects did not represent the regular population. This made the research only relevant to individuals of similar lifestyles to the nuns. Overall the book teaches us a number of lessons about the progression of dementia. This knowledge can be applied today in nursing practice to provide better patient teaching and understanding of the