Alzheimer & Dementia

This disease is named after Dr Alois Alzheimer diagnosed this as one of the frequent causes of suffering amongst older people.

It is a brain disorder that slowly destroys our memory and thinking skills and carries out simple tasks. The main reason for abnormal behaviour of people is a reduction of protein buildup in and around brain cells. This protein is called amyloid which forms plagues around brain cells. The other protein is Tau which gets deposited and forms tangles within brain cells. Both these protein deposits destroy the brain cells, thereby happens to be a loss of connection between the nerve cells (neurons) in the brain that disturbs functioning. Many other complex brain changes also play a major part in Alzheimer’s brain functioning. The damage initially appears to take place in the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex parts of the brain that are essential for forming memories. As neurons gradually die, extra elements of the brain are affected and start to shrink. By the final level of Alzheimer's, the damage is extensive and brain tissue has reduced in size drastically.

At this stage, damage occurs in areas of the mind that manipulate language, reasoning, conscious thought, and sensory process reducing the ability to understand sounds and scents. Memory loss and confusion develop worse than they have problems even recognizing family and friends. They may have problems performing regular duties that include getting dressed, and dealing with new conditions. Similarly, people at this stage additionally have hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia and may behave hastily. People with severe Alzheimer’s cannot even communicate and are entirely dependent on others for their care. By the end of life, the patient may be in bed most or all of the time as the body shuts down completely. 

A special concern area is preventing falls, which cause head injury, fractures and about that hospitalization. Need to prevent their wandering since wandering away to different locations unknown to them is quite a concern since the patient will not be able to relocate their area to get back and they as well as their family are in a very difficult situation, putting the patient at risk of significant injury and death.

To detect an Alzheimer's patient, medical practitioners usually perform brain scans, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or positron emission tomography (PET), to support an Alzheimer’s diagnosis or to rule out other possible causes for symptoms.

These tests are usually repeated for the doctor's information about how the person’s memory and other cognitive functions are showing any sign of changes.

People with memory issues are necessary to communicate with their health practitioner to find out whether their symptoms are due to Alzheimer’s or some other purpose, which may include stroke, tumour, Parkinson’s disease, sleep disturbances, side effects of medication or another kind of dementia. Some of these situations may be treatable and likely reversible.

There is no cure for Alzheimer's until now but with medicine and exercise, it can be delayed or temporarily improved. The most common cause of Alzheimer's is dementia. 

The first signs of Alzheimer's are symptoms related to memory. Though initial symptoms may vary from person to person, declining in other aspects of thinking such as finding the right words, vision/spatial issues and impaired reasoning or judgment may also signal the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition that can be an early sign of Alzheimer’s, but not everyone with MCI will develop the disease. MCI occurs mostly in those who have diabetes, issues of depression and stroke that increase a person’s risk for MCI.

Alzheimer-affected people have trouble doing their routine activities like driving a car, cooking a meal, or paying bills. They may ask the same questions repeatedly, lose their way easily, lose things or put things in odd places and find even simple things confusing. As the disease progresses, some people are worried, angry and sometimes violent. 

Alzheimer’s disease is currently ranked among the top leading causes of death in older people just behind heart disease and cancer. In 2020, COVID-19 contributed to a 17% increase in Alzheimer's and dementia deaths

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease till now only through nutritious food (proper diet) and proper exercise, further development of Alzheimer's disease can be delayed.

Support for Alzheimer's disease Caregivers:-

Caring for a patient with Alzheimer’s can have significant physical labour, mental trauma and financial costs as well. The demands of the caregivers regularly are quite challenging. Support of family members is very important and can make a difference concerning the mental state of the patient rather than relying on a care facility which is challenging and emotionally not effective. There have to be some strategies and approaches to improve the quality of caregivers and life for those living with dementia. Having well-informed about the disease is a very important factor for those giving support and caring for the patients. Programs that teach families about the various stages of Alzheimer’s and how to deal with difficult behaviours and other caregiving challenges can help.

Good coping skills, a strong support network, and respite care are other things that may help caregivers handle the stress of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. For example, staying physically active provides physical and emotional benefits.