Term paper on Alzheimer S Disease
Alzheimer S Disease Essays
While the free essays can give you inspiration for writing, they cannot be used 'as is' because they will not meet your assignment's requirements. If you are in a time crunch, then you need a custom written term paper on your subject (alzheimer s disease)
Here you can hire an independent writer/researcher to custom write you an authentic essay to your specifications that will pass any plagiarism test (e.g. Turnitin). Waste no more time!
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
We are currently living in the age of technology. Our advancements in the
past few decades overshadow everything learned in the last 2000 years. With the
elimination of many diseases through effective cures and treatments, Canadians
can expect to live a much longer life then that of their grandparents. In 1900
about 4% of the Canadian population was over the age of 65. In 1989 that figure
tripled to 12% and the government expects that figure to rise to 23% by the year
2030 (Medical,1991,p.13). This increase has brought with it a large increase in
diseases associated with old age. Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is one of the most
common and feared diseases afflicting the elderly community. AD, once thought to
be a natural part of aging, is a severely debilitating form of mental dementia.
Although some other types of dementia are curable or effectively treatable,
there is currently no cure for the Alzheimer variety.
A general overview of Alzheimer's disease including the clinical
description, diagnosis, and progression of symptoms, helps one to further
understand the treatment and care of patients, the scope of the problem, and
current research.
The clinical definition of dementia is "a deterioration in intellectual
performance that involves, but is not limited to, a loss in at least 2 of the
following areas: language, judgement, memory, visual or depth perception, or
judgement interfering with daily activities" (Institute,1996, p.4).
The initial cause of AD symptoms is a result of the progressive
deterioration of brain cells (neurons) in the cerebral cortex of the brain. This
area of the brain, which is the largest and uppermost portion, controls all our
thought processes, movement, speech, and senses. This deterioration initially
starts in the area of the cortex that is associated with memory and then
progresses into other areas of the cortex, then into other areas of the brain
that control bodily function. The death of these cells causes an interruption of
the electrochemical signals between neurons that are a key to cognitive as well
as bodily functioning.
Currently AD can only be confirmed at autopsy. After death the examined
brain of an Alzheimer victim shows two distinct characteristics. The first is
the presence of neuritic plaques in the cerebral cortex and other areas of the
brain including cerebral blood vessels. These plaques consist of groups of
neurons surrounded by deposits of beta-amyloid protein. The presence of these
plaques is also common to other types of dementia.
The second characteristic, neurofibliary tangles, is what separates AD from
all other forms of dementia. Neurofibliary tangles take place within the
disconnected brain cells themselves. When examined under a microscope diseased
cells appear to contain spaghetti-like tangles of normally straight nerve fibers.
The presence of these tangles was first discovered in 1906 by the German
neurologist Alois Alzheimer, hence the name Alzheimer's disease.
Although the characteristics listed above are crucial to the diagnosis of
AD upon death, the clinical diagnosis involves a different process. The
diagnosis of AD is only made after all other illnesses, which may have the same
symptoms, are ruled out. The initial symptoms of AD are typical of other
treatable diseases therefore doctors are hesitant to give the diagnosis of
Alzheimer's in order to save the patient from the worsening of a treatable
disease through a misdiagnosis. Some of the initial symptoms include an
increased memory loss, changes in mood, personality, and behavior, symptoms that
are common of depression, prescription drug conflict, brain tumors, syphilis,
alcoholism, other types of dementia, and many other conditions.
The onset of these symptoms usually brings the patient to his family doctor.
The general practitioner runs a typical battery of urinalysis and blood tests
that he sends off to the lab. If the tests come back negative, and no other
cause of the symptoms is established, the patient is then refereed to a
specialist. The specialist, usually a psychiatrist, will then continue to rule
out other possible illnesses through testing. If the next battery of tests also
comes back negative then the specialist will call on a neurologist to run a
series of neurological examinations including a PET and CAT scan to rule out the
possibility of brain tumors. A spinal tap is also performed to determine the
possibility of other types of dementias. The patient will also undergo a
complete psychiatric evaluation. If the patient meets the preliminary criteria
for AD an examination of the patients medical history is also necessary to check
for possible genetic predispositions to the disease.
The psychiatric team finally meets with the neurological team to discuss
their findings. If every other possible disease is ruled out, and the results of
the psychiatric evaluation are typical to that of a person with AD, the
diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is given.
The initial symptoms of AD are usually brushed off as a natural part of
aging. The myth that a person's memory worsens over time is just that - a myth
(Myers,1996, p.100-101). AD's victims are mostly over the age of 65 and many
delay treatment by attributing their problems to age. A victim might forget a
well known phone number or miss an important appointment. These symptoms
eventually escalate to the total disintegration of personality and all patients
end up in total nursing care.
In descending order, the patient goes from (1) decreased ability to
handle a
complex job to (2) decreased ability to handle such complex activities
of daily
life as (3) managing finances, (4) complex meal preparation and (5)
complex
marketing skills.Next comes (6) loss of ability to pick out clothing
properly, (7)
or to put on clothing properly, followed by (8) loss of ability
to handle
the mechanics of bathing properly. Then (9) progressive
difficulties with
continence and (10) toileting occur, followed by (11) very limited speech
ability
and (12) inability to speak more than a single word. Next comes (13)
loss of
ambulatory capability. Last to go are such basic functions as (14) sit
up, (15)
smile and (16) hold up one's head (Brassard,1993,p.10).
The average time from diagnosis to inevitable death is 8 years. The family
of the victim is usually able to care for the victim for an average period of
about 4 years (Alzheimer's, 1996,p.44).During the progression of the disease
between 10% and 15% of patients hallucinate and suffer delusions, 10% will
become violent and 10% suffer from seizures (Alzheimer's,1996,p.46).
Once a person is diagnosed as having AD, an assessment is made of the
disease's stage of progression and of the strengths and weaknesses of the victim
and the victim's family. There are different types of assessments available to
evaluate the level of dysfunction of the patient. Based on one of these
assessments a care plan is put together by a team consisting of a family member,
a paid or unpaid care provider, and the victim's physician. Throughout the
progression of the disease, and depending on the needs of the patient, a wide
range of expensive medication, such as psychoactive drugs to lift depression and
sedatives to control violence, may be required.
Unfortunately, although a wide range of treatments have been tested, most
prove to be ineffective. At the beginning of the disease the family is able to
look after the patient without much effort. Frequently families will hire a care
giver in order to alleviate some of the work.
Simple changes in the home can make life much easier for the sufferer, help
them keep their self esteem, and prolong their stay at home. Examples of low-
cost modifications to the environment include reducing the noise levels in the
home (telephones, radios, voices, etc.); avoiding vividly patterned rugs and
drapes; placing locks up high or down low on doors leading outside (AD sufferers
are known to wander off); clearing floors of clutter; reducing the contents of
closets in order to simplify choices (Alzheimer,1992, p.17). These costs are
paid for by the victim's family. Many of these, and other more expensive
modifications are introduced in long-term care settings. They help in
maintaining the safety and security of the victim as well as reducing their
confusion.
The patient's and the family's condition should be assessed every six
months (Alzheimer,1992, p.21). In response to constantly changing needs, the
aspects of care must be constantly modified....
MLA Style
. EssayMania.com. Retrieved on 12 Feb, 2012 from
<http://essaymania.com/41423/alzheimer-s-disease>
More College Papers
Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimers Disease
What is Alzheimers Disease? The most common form of dementing illness,
Alzheimers Disease (AD) is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the
brain, causing impaired memory, thinking and behavior. The person with AD may
experience confusion, personality and behav
Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive and irreversible brain disease that
destroys mental and physical functioning in human beings, and invariably leads
to death. It is the fourth leading cause of adult death in the United States.
Alzheimer's creates emotional and financia
Alexander III
Alexander III
According to Plutarch, Alexander was born on the sixth of Hecatombaeon
(July) in the year 356 B.C. He was the son of Philip, king of Macedon,and
Olympias. Supposedly on the day he was born the temple of Artemis burnt down,
signifying his future glory. Not much is known of t