Furthering Awareness of Alzheimer's disease
By Ronnie Kayla Neiman
January is the start of another new year, and it is also the month set aside to spread awareness about Alzheimer's disease.
The first thing you should know; what is Alzheimer's disease? Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks.
The most known risk factor for dementia is age. The older you become, the greater the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. This disease tends to affect people over the age of 65 and becomes more likely after the age of 85. Women also tend to be diagnosed with and suffer from Alzheimer's disease due in part that women have a longer life expectancy. Some of the factors that can further increase the risk of developing the disease is diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors and brain injuries.
What are some of the possible symptoms someone can experience? Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include loss of memory, difficulty with day-to-day tasks, and changes in mood and behaviour. Other symptoms include a loss of vocabulary, poor and irrational decision-making, the lack of the ability to learn and relearn skills. Some may think these symptoms are part of normal aging, but they aren’t.
Is there a treatment or a cure? Sadly there is no known cure at this time and while it is not possible to restore function to brain cells damaged by Alzheimer’s disease, there are treatments and strategies that can help both the person with the disease and the person and/or persons caring for the patient. Current approaches to treatment tend to focus on helping people maintain mental function, manage behavioral symptoms, and slow down certain problems, such as memory loss.
What to do if someone close to you has this debilitating disease or if you are the caregiver? Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease can have high physical, emotional, and financial costs. The demands of day-to-day care, changes in family roles, and decisions about placement in a care facility can be difficult.
Becoming well-informed about the disease is one important long-term strategy that provides emotional and mental well-being for the patient and the family.