The Cause Of Alzheimer's Disease

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Alzheimer’s disease is a form of Dementia among older people and which affects the area of the brain which control thought, memory, and language. The disease usually begin around the age 60, and the risk of having the disease increases with the older you get, sometimes it occur at an earlier age. Scientists have estimated that roughly five percent of men and women between the age of 65 and 70 have Alzheimer, and almost half of those aged 85 or greater. However, Alzheimer is not considered a normal part of the aging process. It is my belief that there are factors that can contribute to on-set of Alzheimer. I will be looking at several areas that I found to be a great interest. They will be the cause, the treatments, and the caring for an Alzheimer’s …show more content…
I believe that genetics plays a vital role in Alzheimer’s disease. Other risk factor include high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, low levels of folate, substance abuse (illicit drugs alcohol), combination of prescription medication, and hormone or vitamin imbalance. In some cases, although the person to have Alzheimer, a severe depression can be causing the symptoms. This is known as pseudo—dementia (false dementia). In most cases, however, dementia cannot be cured. There is also increasing evidence that physical, mental and social activities are protective factors against developing Alzheimer’s disease. It is stated that Alzheimer’s disease is a slowly progressive disease, and patients usually survive an average of 8 to 10 years from time diagnosed, although, they may survive as long as 20 years. I learned early that Alzheimer’s disease cannot be cured. Treatments also plays an important role in helping a person to maintain life with proper …show more content…
Some studies has shown that training in mindfulness- learning how to focus on the present moment- may help improve the emotional well- being of people with early-stage dementia due to Alzheimer’s and their caregiver. Although, patients and their caregivers in the study who had attended an eight-week mindfulness training program showed improvement in depression scores and sleep quality, as well as their overall quality of life. Researchers has shown that people who look after family members suffering from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer may be particularly vulnerable to anxiety, depression, immune dysfunction and other health concerns. It is my opinions, I disagree with the statement that all we can offer these people is home care, institutionalize or euthanasia is a dismal assessment and is not a fair statement of the facts. It is true that the disease cannot be cured, and in its later stages there is little that can be done but institutionalize the patients and make them comfortable, but they are still human beings and are still entitled to be treated as such. Caring for Alzheimer’s patient is exhausting, and help needs to be sought from family members, friends, and community resources. Support groups are available for those caring for family member that have Alzheimer. Dr. Robert Katzman of the University of California “estimates the total could be