Living with Alzheimer's Disease

With the increase in our elderly population (people over sixty five) increasing daily the subject of Alzheimer’s disease, what is it and how to cope with knowing someone who has it is a very real topic that needs to be addressed by today’s society. This topic may seem distance to You or I , and you may think that you will never have to deal with this disease but as the advances in medical care and the longevity the average person living well into their seventies or eighties the norm now ,knowing someone with Alzheimer’s disease could be reality in your near future. 5.4 million Americans mainly over the age of 65 have Alzheimer that is 1 in 8 and over 15 million family members and others are caregivers for people with Alzheimer ‘s (www.alzinfo.org).

In this paper I will detail the top ten signs of Alzheimer’s disease and the seven stages a person with the disease may go through. Alzheimer’s is defined as a progressive degenerative disorder that attacks the brain’s nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills and behavioral changes. There is confusion between the word dementia, which mainly is loss of memory and sometimes-cognitive functions and can be treated by some drugs for some patients and Alzheimer’s, which is also memory loss and loss of cognitive functions but which is permanent and has no known cure. In reality dementia is a symptom of Alzheimer ‘s and Alzheimer’s disease is the cause (www.alzheimersreadingroom.com) . My dad who is 82 has Alzheimer’s although my mom refers to his condition as a severe case of dementia. With Alzheimer ‘s disease the only way to confirm a person had this disease is by an autopsy upon their death to check for plaque and tangles in the brain (www.mayoclinic.com).

The following symptoms are associated with the onset of Alzheimer disease.

1.Memory, people with Alzheimer’s may repeat statements and questions over and over. When I am talking to my dad on the phone I will tell him where I am living and what is going on in my life and a sentence later he is asking me where am I living at. Forget conversations, appointments or events, and not remember them later. I will call my father everyday on the phone and it is like he has not heard from me for weeks so I repeat what I told him the day before. Routinely misplace possessions, often putting them in illogical locations. My father would always put his wallet on his dresser when he was in the house, now there are times where he puts it an unused drawer or different room of the house and tells my mother that someone broke into the house and stole his wallet. My mom and dad have four children and when I call my dad he recognizes my voice, my brother’s and my sister Dianne but when his third child calls who is my sister Mary my mother with my has to remind my dad who she is (alzinfo.org).

2.Disorientation