Dementia is distinguished by at least one cognitive dysfunction – language, sensory function, motor skills, or abstract thinking – and a loss of memory. The changes are so severe they interfere with normal life.
How Alzheimer’s Dementia Works
What happens at the cellular level in an Alzheimer's patient is that nerve synapses begin to fail to transmit and receive the electrical impulses that are the most basic components of communication. The strength, type and patterns of these cellular communications make up the hard-wiring of memories, thoughts and skills.
When synapses fail, the adjoining cells die. In the beginning, the affected nerve cells are primarily congregated in the areas of the brain that are responsible for storing new memories. As the disease progresses, other regions of the brain are involved. Autopsies done on brains from Alzheimer’s patients reveal large accumulations of these dead and dying nerve cells and an overall shrinkage of the brain from that loss.
Dementia Categories and Symptoms
Seven principal categories of dementia are identified in the report. The most common form is Alzheimer’s. Other types include vascular dementia, which often is caused by stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. The report also states that many patients fall into an eighth category, called mixed dementia, in which symptoms from more than one category are combined.
The primary risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is advancing age. Although some people do exhibit the symptoms prior to age 65, it is considered early onset Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, research has linked brain health to heart health. Improving cardiovascular health reduces the risk of dementia. Another cause of Alzheimer’s is a genetic disorder found in a very small number of families worldwide.
Surprisingly, findings now indicate that the risk factor for Afro-Americans is twice as high as for whites. The incidence of Alzheimer’s in Hispanics is about 50% greater than in whites. Although female dementia patients considerably outnumber males, the report concludes that it is due to the increased population of females. Women live longer than men.
The first sign of Alzheimer’s and dementia is a decrease in the ability to remember new information. The various types of dementia share many symptoms:
- disruptive memory loss
- loss of problem-solving ability
- changes in personality or demeanor
- communication difficulties
- increased difficulty doing routine tasks
- withdrawal from social situations
- confusion
- trouble interpreting visual images
Elder dementia is a progressive disease that numbs the patient's mind as it steals ever greater chunks of cognitive ability. This results in the patient not realizing the full impact of what he or she has lost.
The High Cost of Alzheimer’s Disease
In the US, more than ten million caregivers voluntarily attend to the needs of dementia patients. The cost of dementia care is valued at $175 million per year. Yet the cost is far greater than that of money. The loss of the ability to think – a skill highly valued in Western cultures that is often tied to a person’s sense of worth – is catastrophic. Many people have worked hard for their entire lives expecting to enjoy their “golden years” of retirement only to be robbed of their reward.
This loss doesn’t impact just the patient. Caregivers, who are often spouses, see their sunset years’ dreams of leisure, travel and gracious living fade away as they are ensnared in caring for an adult body with a child’s mind. Depression, anxiety and guilt often result.
The report lists Alzheimer's as the seventh leading cause of death – an increase of 46% – and cites the aging of baby boomers as the cause. Babies born in the Post-World War II era are now hitting retirement age, the period of life when dementia most often strikes.
Hope for Alzheimer's and Dementia Patients
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s. However, the progression of Alzheimer’s has been retarded for six to 12 months in half of the patients who take one of five medications that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The report notes that 90 drug treatments targeting dementia are going through human trials at this time.
Although current treatment results are temporary, medical management does impact the quality of life for both patients and caregivers. Medication, a healthy diet, counseling, support groups, eldercare programs, and respite care for caregivers are all beneficial.
Dementia affects an increasing number of older Americans and now years of research are coming to fruition in the form of new treatment therapies. While the reversal of symptoms is not expected, the disease can be managed. Government and private sector help is available for patients and their families.
Some people who perform caregiving tasks find A Sample Christian Prayer for Family Caregivers to be useful. Caregivers who have children and perform eldercare may find Fun Home Activities for Alzheimer's Patients and Children helpful.
Source:
Alz.org. Alzheimer's Association's 2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures (accessed Aug. 12, 2010)
Mistie Shaw - Writing for nearly half a century, Shaw's interests and education meander from music to the military, and from faith to fun.
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