Dementia is a reasonably popular syndrome mainly affecting the minds of the elderly. It affects the cognitive abilities of the human brain, making it difficult for the body beyond the expected repercussions of biological aging. Alzheimer’s illness is one of the most common causes of dementia. It accounts for almost 60%-70% of all dementia cases around the world.
Alzheimer’s disease can severely affect the brain, causing us to forget entire events. This is a slow but progressive disease that only gets worse as it progresses. Patients affected by Alzheimer’s should be given delicate care and should be carefully monitored. Knowing more about the disease is a prerequisite to do the right things for an Alzheimer’s patient.
Here’s what you should know about Alzheimer’s.
What is Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that can cause atrophy to the brain and even cause the neurons and non-neuron cells in the brain to die. This can cause seriously severe damage to the brain, affecting your brain and all its abilities. It is a slow but progressive disease that can worsen over time, making it difficult to do even the simplest tasks.
Alzheimer’s can cause you to lose your cognitive abilities, including all reasoning, thinking, social and behavioral skills, making it extremely difficult for your day-to-day life. Loss of abilities related to your memory is what most people relate Alzheimer’s with, as it is one of the major effects of Alzheimer’s on the human brain.
Since, Alzheimer’s progresses from bad to worse over time, there can even be a situation where the patient cannot perform even the simplest of tasks.
Alzheimer’s should not be mistaken for the natural deterioration of the human brain. Surely, the elderly may struggle with slight memory loss due to their age, but a much higher degree of memory loss, such as Alzheimer’s, is not part of natural aging.
What are the symptoms?
First and early signs of Alzheimer’s appear as the impairment of memory abilities. These include symptoms like being unable to remember details about recent events or short-term memory loss, being unable to acquire and process new information, etc. These signs may sometimes be mistaken for inabilities due to aging or stress. It sometimes may be the case, but if the symptoms become regular and difficult, it is highly recommended to seek immediate clinical support.
Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain’s cognitive abilities, such as reasoning and thinking abilities. These can drastically impact the patient’s life as all day-to-day tasks like decision-making and planning become extremely difficult.
Further symptoms of Alzheimer’s include changes in behavior and characteristics. The patient may become aggressive if talked about the disease as he/she most probably does not remember having the disease. Overall changes in personality can also be expected from Alzheimer’s patients.
What are the stages?
Alzheimer’s disease typically has 3 stages, each different from the other based on the severity of symptoms. These are mild, moderate, and severe.
The mild stage is also known as the early stage as it showcases some of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s. Although the patient might face difficulties remembering names and details of events, they can usually go about their lives like normal during this stage.
People suffering from moderate stage Alzheimer’s can face remarkable loss in memory, difficulty in reasoning and communication, and even confuse the senses. Social skills can also worsen as the patient might find it difficult to recognize family and friends.
Severe Alzheimer’s can cause the patient to not perform basic tasks. They will need help performing almost all personal and daily tasks like walking and eating.
What are the causes?
Alzheimer’s mainly affects the brain, causing it to lose many of its cognitive abilities. This happens due to the shrinkage of the brain and the loss of brain cells. Although the true cause of the disease is yet to be uncovered, some understandings can be discovered by studying the reasons behind this atrophy of the brain and loss of brain cells.
Ageing can cause Alzheimer’s as it can sometimes cause damage to the blood vessels in the brain and can even cause the brain to shrink.
Alzheimer’s can also be transferred through generations of a family through their genes. Down’s syndrome is a hereditary disorder that can affect humans and eventually lead to Alzheimer’s disease.
How can it be cured?
Unfortunately, an effective cure for Alzheimer’s does not currently exist. However, there are plenty of treatments available for reducing the severity of the symptoms put forth by Alzheimer’s. Some of the major treatment medicines prescribed for lessening the symptoms include Galantamine, rivastigmine, and donepezil. These are cholinesterase inhibitors that can help lessen the effects of some behavioral and cognitive symptoms.
The treatment medicines may change depending on the severity and stage of the Alzheimer’s case. Constant support and care are also essential for treating Alzheimer’s to the best.
How can we help?
The most effective treatment recommended for a person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease is the constant care and support from their family and friends. Alzheimer’s disease has a cruel sense of humor as it makes the family and friends watch their beloved person’s condition get worse. There might even come when the patient doesn’t even recognize their own family. But they should have a clear resolve in standing firmly with the patient even when things are really tough.
Some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s can make the patient aggressive for various reasons, but the caregivers, whether they be family or friends, should have patience with anything. The caregivers should have a clear understanding of Alzheimer’s disease to achieve this. This can help them be prepared for anything that may come along.
The caregiver should also be able to handle effective communication with the patient, as Alzheimer’s can cause harm to cognitive and communication skills. If the patient is in the moderate or severe stage of Alzheimer’s, there is high a chance of bodily harm as they won’t be able to know if something is dangerous or not. In those instances, the safety of the patient should be given priority.
Final Thoughts
Alzheimer’s is a serious disease that can severely affect a person’s lifestyle. Being prepared can only do good for you as it can happen to anyone. Sufficient care is the best treatment for Alzheimer’s today and Aastha makes it possible for you to provide it to your loved ones.
Aastha is a one-of-a-kind center that is committed to giving the most important people in your life, the best care possible. Aastha offers Palliative care & hospice, Dementia & Alzheimer’s care, Geriatric Hospital and Home care. Their Dementia Care facilities provide superior care complimented with a homely environment. Managing elders with dementia requires patience, flexibility & a safe environment. At Aastha Geriatric Centre, we offer comprehensive Dementia Care Programs. For more information visit us at- Hospice (meegodigital.com).