I’ve finished up the rest of my Psychology class essay on Alzheimer’s disease. The italicized words are the first part in the previous post, and the bolded words are the second part. I kind of changed the first part a bit; it wouldn’t make much sense if I only post the second half of the essay. So here it is:
When I first heard of Alzheimer’s disease I always pronounce it as “Old-Timer’s” disease, and I’ve always knew it had to do with old people and memory lost. I did not know much else about this particular disease, nor do I have any interest in it. Not until two years ago, that is. But I choose this disease as my research essay because my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s about two years ago. My parents always go back to Vietnam every two to three years. They had gone back to Vietnam to see him last year, and my grandfather cannot recognize them or my uncle who is taking care of him. My parents are bringing me to Vietnam to visit my grandfather for the first time at the end of this year, so this is a good opportunity to learn about this disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurologic disease distinguished by loss of mental ability severe enough to obstruct with normal activities of an individual’s daily life, not present from birth, and lasting at least six months (Sims & Odle, 2006). It is the most common form of dementia, and usually occurs in old age. Alzheimer’s disease is “…marked by a decline in cognitive functions such as remembering, reasoning, and planning” (Sims & Odle, 2006). Between two to four million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, and it is expected to grow up to fourteen million as the population ages (Sims & Odle, 2006). The disease usually begins in your 60s, but it can start developing in your 40s, which is very rare (National Institute of Health (HIN), 2011). Women also have a slightly higher rate of developing Alzheimer’s than men (Sims & Odle, 2006). This is because women do live longer than men. The risk of developing the disease gets higher as you age. “Your risk is also higher if a family member has had the disease” (HIN, 2011).
The most noticeable early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are gradual disturbances in memory (Huffman, 2010, p. 266). It may just start out as simple incidents of forgetfulness such as not remembering where you’ve stored your keys. As the disease progress, it changes into something more serious like not remembering important date or events; asking the same information over and over; forgetting how to do simple daily tasks and eventually leading into trouble with speaking, writing, or eating; or unable to change your own clothes and need’s total care (HIN, 2011). The Alzheimer’s Association (2011) has developed a list of ten signs of Alzheimer’s disease, and they are:
Memory loss that disrupts daily life; challenges in planning or solving problems; difficulty completing familiar tasks at home; at work or at leisure; confusion with time or place, trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships; new problems with words in speaking or writing; misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps; decreased or poor judgment;, withdrawal from work or social activities; changes in mood and personality.
If you or someone you know experience several of those symptoms should immediately see a physician for an evaluation.
Alzheimer’s disease is organically based because it affects our brain. The disease will start out by destroying nerve cells in parts of our brain that control memory such as the hippocampus which controls our short-term memory (Sims & Odle, 2006). Once the neurons in the hippocampus shuts down, our short-term memory also shuts down; thus, our ability to perform familiar tasks decreases (Sims & Odle, 2006). Eventually, many parts of the brain get affected and lead to atrophy or shrink and lose function. Once this happens that person “becomes bedridden, incontinent, helpless, and non-responsive” (Sims & Odle, 2006).
Although Alzheimer’s disease cannot be cure, but there are medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) used to temporary slow down its progression. The FDA has approved Aricept, Razadyne, Namenda, Exelon, and Cognex to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (HIN, 2011). Those drugs work by slowing down the disease’s activity that breaks down the neurons (HIN, 2011). This help to slow down the progression of memory lost while improving memory skills. But it has shown to be about fifty percent effective in those who take it (Sims & Odle, 2006). Experts believe that by having regular physical exercise and eating healthier may be beneficial to lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s. This is because exercise and healthy diets may directly benefit brain cells by increasing blood and oxygen flow (HIN, 2011). Others suggest staying mentally and socially active can prevent Alzheimer’s disease (ADAM, 2011).
After doing research on Alzheimer’s disease, I’ve learned a lot and I think it is a very sad disease. People living with this disease will eventually forget about all their love ones and all their good and bad memories. It’s like dying and not knowing who you are or what you’ve accomplished. Every time my parents come back from Vietnam they always bring back recorded videos my grandparents and our relatives living there. My grandfather, who is in his 80s, is living with Alzheimer’s is very different from two years ago. In the video there was a party which had all of my grandfather’s friends. They are all around the same age and all were sitting in the same table. His friends were talking to each other, eating and drinking. My grandfather would just sit there. He did not budge nor said a word and would just stare in one direction, spacing out. I’ve heard from my dad my grandfather cannot change, unable to shower, unable to feed himself, and having a hard time swallowing. He doesn’t even know when to use the restroom. It is so bad that my uncle has to put diapers on him, and he doesn’t recognize anyone any more. Even though I have not seen my grandfather for over nineteen years, I cried when I saw that video. I am very excited to go see him near the end of this year!
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