Alzheimer's Disease
The drastic lifestyle changes during Alzheimer's
Overview
Causes
Risk Factors Of Alzheimer's
- Age - Many people over 85 years old develop this disease and other neuro diseases
- Gender - Females are at a greater risk for Dementia or Alzheimer's than males
- Certain Genes - the gene "APOE" or also known as apolipoprotein E, is linked and associated with getting Alzheimers
- High cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes
- Sleep Disorders
- Family History- there is a higher risk if there is Alzheimer's in the family
- Lower Education Level- not as much brain activity
- Race- African Americans and Hispanics are at higher risk because they are shown to have more medical problems
Symptoms
- Inability to understand and remember new information
- Forgetfulness
- Repeating statements and questions
- Feeling lost in conversation, where they are, etc
- Worsening decision-making capability
- Poor comprehension of actions around them
- Changes in mood, behavior, personality
- Cannot recognize faces, objects and places
- Problems with speech, reading and writing
- Insomnia and Sleep problems
Porportion of People with Alzheimer's in US
Healthy brain vs brain affected by Alzheimer's
Treatment
There is no cure for Alzheimer's, but it is common to use medication to help lesson the symptoms of the disease. Some of these medications are:
- Donepezil
- Alantamine
- Rivastigmine
- Tacrine
Where To Find Caregivers
Atria Shaker: Assisted Living
Website: http://www.atriaseniorliving.com/atria-shaker-albany-ny.aspx?CommunityNumber=10321
Location: 345 Northern Blvd, Albany, NY, United States
Phone: 518) 595-4278
Loudonville Home: Assisted Living
Website: http://www.loudonvillehome.com/
Location: 298 Albany Shaker Road, Albany, NY, United States
Phone: (518) 463-4398
Vocab
Neurodegenerative disease- an umbrella term for a range of conditions which primarily affect the neurons in the human brain. They are incurable and debilitating conditions that result in progressive degeneration and /or death of nerve cells. This causes problems with movement (called ataxias), or mental functioning (called dementias).
Beta-Amyloid- an amyloid that is derived from a larger precursor protein and is the primary component of plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease
Mild Cognitive Impairment- an intermediate stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more serious decline of Alzheimer's. It can involve problems with memory, language, thinking and judgment that are greater than normal age-related changes.