Get to know Alzheimer's Disease and Home Care Medicine

What is Alzheimer's? Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia and accounts for around 70 percent of all cases. In Alzheimer's patients, brain cells degenerate gradually and eventually die, causing memory loss and other mental deterioration that affect daily activities.

There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease although there are drugs that can slow the progression of symptoms. This progressive brain disease usually occurs in older people (Alzheimer's in the elderly), with symptoms that usually appear after the age of 60 years. However, there are a small number of patients who might develop early Alzheimer's, between the ages of 30 to 60 years. This is known as the onset of Alzheimer's.

There are three general stages of the disease, namely mild, moderate and severe. It may take years for patients to go from one stage to the next. Research shows that changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's can begin within a decade or more before the first symptoms appear.
The course of Alzheimer's varies from patient to patient, but this disease is usually diagnosed at a mild stage. Alzheimer's causes brain cells to die and areas of the brain affected by shrinkage in size.
Signs & Symptoms of Alzheimer's

The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are not always easy to recognize and can be associated with normal aging. One of the first signs of the disease is short-term memory loss, often forgetting conversations and even forgetting where they live. Symptoms worsen at each stage of the disease.
The following are common signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's:

Mild Alzheimer's

• Ask repeatedly
• Sring forgot
• Having difficulty handling money, paying bills and balancing checkbooks
• Requires more time than usual to complete daily tasks
• Misplacing things everyday, often putting things in inappropriate places, such as placing keys or reading glasses in the refrigerator.
• Display moods and personality changes such as increased anxiety, anxiety and aggression
• Having bad judgment, for example wearing warm clothes on a hot day

Alzheimer's Intermediate Level

• Experiencing long term memory loss and forgetting their personal information such as name, occupation and date of birth
• Forgetting common words and names of everyday objects
• Having difficulty recognizing family and friends
• Can't learn new things
• Having difficulty carrying out tasks that involve several steps, for example bathing, dressing and cooking food
• Having difficulty facing a new situation
• Experience hallucinations, delusions and become paranoid
• Showing impulsive behavior

Severe Alzheimer's

• Unable to communicate
• Groaning and snorting
• Having difficulty swallowing food and eating
• Has a lack of bladder and bowel control
• Sleep most of the time
• Developing skin infections
• In the later stages of the disease, patients with Alzheimer's may be bedridden and totally dependent on the nurse.

Causes of Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's is believed to be caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors. The exact cause of this disease is not fully known.
Alzheimer's patients develop several abnormalities in the brain that have an effect on a gradual decline and ultimately death in brain cells, namely:

• Beta-amyloid protein plaque: A buildup of beta-amyloid protein deposits that destroy brain cells and interfere with communication between cells.
• Convoluted nerve cells: Convoluted nerve cells develop (neurofibrillary tangles) and this affects the transportation of nutrients into cells.
• It is not clear why this abnormality occurs but the research point as a link to blood protein usually occurs called ApoE.

Alzheimer's Home Care Treatment

Alzheimer's is diagnosed after a thorough clinical, psychiatric and neurological assessment. Because there is no cure for this disease, treatment involves drugs that help deal with symptoms.
The duration of Alzheimer's varies from patient to patient and can range from a few years to several decades, culminating in death. On average, Alzheimer's patients live for 8-10 years after symptoms appear.