Alzheimer\'s

14 Pages 3614 Words

or patterns” (Diseases, 1997, p. 730). It has been found that “The earlier the diagnosis, the more likely your symptoms will respond to treatment” (Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 2002). Another aspect of Alzheimer’s that can be treated somewhat successfully is depression: “Depression can occur in older persons, especially those with physical problems. Symptoms include sadness, inactivity, difficulty thinking and concentrating, and feelings of despair” (Agency for Health Care Policy and Research).
The first signs of Alzheimer’s Disease include “atypical memory loss, confusion about places, loss of initiative, poor judgment, mood changes, trouble with routine chores, trouble with calculations, and mild aphasia” (Weddington, 1994, p. 13). As the disease progresses, the affected person may experience “greater memory loss, short attention span, problems recognizing people, restlessness, motor problems, weight changes, loss of writing and speech skills including a tendency to repeat things, and wandering (Weddington, 1994, p. 13). In the early and middle stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, people with the illness may be painfully aware of their intellectual failings and what is yet to come. These changes occur at widely varying speeds in different people, and not all changes occur in everyone, but the outcome is always the same. Eventually, people with Alzheimer’s Disease completely lose the ability to care for themselves and must be confined to bed with constant care. In the latest stages of the disease the brain can no longer regulate body functions, and victims die of malnutrition, dehydration, infection, heart failure, or other complications. Unfortunately, science has not yet found a cure.
Since normal aging may also cause a decline in the ability to remember names, places, and objects, as can strokes and heart disease, it is important to be examined by a doctor for a proper diagnosis. There is no well...