What is Alzheimer's disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the top ten leading causes of
death in the United States, the 6th leading cause of death among American
adults, and the 5th leading cause of death for adults aged 65 years and older
(CDC, 2011).
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a disorder of the brain that is
usually irreversible and progressive and believed to be as a result of some
changes in brain nerve cells (Lu & Bludau, 2011).
The disease occurs gradually and it eventually leads to the
death of brain cells. AD has been linked to dementia, a condition in which an
individual losses intellectual abilities such as thinking, remembering and
reasoning (Hebert, Scherr, Bienas, Bennett, & Evans, 2003).
Quick facts
·
5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease,
and 200, 000 individuals who have the disease are under age 65.
·
One in eight older Americans has Alzheimer's disease.
·
Alzheimer's disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in
the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United
States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.
·
More than 15 million Americans provide unpaid care valued at
$210 billion for persons with Alzheimer's and other dementias.
Payments for care are estimated to be $200 billion in the
United States in 2012 (Alzheimer's Association, 2011).
What Are the
Symptoms?
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include:
·
Memory loss,
·
Decreased judgment,
·
Difficulty in speaking or writing,
·
Challenges in planning or solving problems, and
·
Difficulty in understanding visual images and spatial
relationships (Alzheimer's Association, 2011).
References
Alzheimer's Association.
(2011). 2011 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures . Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_facts_and_figures.asp
Hebert, L. E., Scherr,
P. A., Bienas, J. A., Bennett, D. A., & Evans, D. A. (2003). Alzheimer
Disease in US Population. Archives of Neurology , 60, 1119-1122.
Lu, L. C., & Bludau,
J. (2011). Alzheimer's Disease. New york: ABC-CLIO.
National Academy on an
aging Society. (2009). Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: A growing Challenge.
Retrieved from http://www.agingsociety.org/agingsociety/pdf/Alzheimers.pdf
Abeer, great video! I am going to show this to my students when we study the nervous system.
ReplyDelete-Sophia
Abeer,
ReplyDeleteThat for sharing all the facts and figures. One other part that I found interesting is that Alzheimer’s also affects the caregivers with one third reporting depression, 60% report emotional stress levels at high or very high, and it is estimated there were 17.4 billion hours of unpaid care of the 15.2 million friends and family that help provide care and is estimated to be 210.5 billon (Alzheimer’s Association, 2012). Caring fo the ones that we love can also take a large toll on us as well.
Hi Abeer,
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I think it's great that you're bringing attention to one of our larger public health problems; one that is often neglected. I had no idea that Alzheimer's was a leading cause of death. I'm not sure why, but that surprises me. I guess because I don't know anyone or have met anyone with Alzheimer's I am unaware of just how common this condition is.
I'm glad BJ brought up the issue of caregiver stress. I do work with people who struggle with caregiver stress. It is usually for older people caring for their aging parents. Alzheimer's is one terrible condition that they struggle with.
A common issue is that the caregivers are embarassed to admit that they are tired and stressed or that they could use some help. It's important to be aware of the symptoms of caregiver stress and to know that there is support available. Some of the symptoms of caregiver stress are depression, anxiety, anger, irritability, health problems, and lack of concentration (Alzheimer's Assocation, 2012). Caregivers also need to keep their personal health and wellbeing as a priority.