Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia characterized by progressive, irreversible deterioration of general intellectual functioning. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for almost 80% of dementia diagnosis, and occurs in middle or late life. Statistically, it shows that it affects more women than men. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease die an average 4-6 years after diagnosis, however, the disease duration varies from 3-20 years. (LeMone, 2015)
Scientist estimate that more than 5.3 million people have Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. A new case of Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed every 70 seconds, and the most significant risk factor is rising age. The lifetime risk for AD for those …show more content…
The progression of Alzheimer’s varies for each individual and may not precisely follow these stages. Stage one is classified as “No Cognitive Impairment”, meaning the patient’s memory has not changed and there are currently no problems to address. Stage two is classified as “Very Mild Decline”, meaning the patient will start to have memory lapses, forgetting familiar names, or losing everyday objects like keys. Stage three is classified as “Mild Cognitive Decline”, meaning others begin to notice problems, the patient begins to have trouble finding words, there is a decreased ability to remember things, and also have trouble retaining little information. Stage four is classified as “Moderate Cognitive Decline”, meaning the patient has an impaired ability to perform challenging mental arithmetic, and has reduced memory of personal history. Stage five is classified as “Moderately Severe Cognitive Decline”, meaning the patient has confusion on where they are and are also confused about date or time, and have trouble with less challenging math problems. Stage six is classified as “Severe Cognitive Decline”, meaning the patient has worsening memory, there is an emergence of personality changes, and there is a need for extensive help. Lastly is stage seven “Very Severe Cognitive Decline”, meaning the patient is not able to respond to the environment, is …show more content…
The only definitive method of diagnosis is postmortem examination of brain tissue. As a result, Alzheimer’s is diagnosed by ruling out causes for the patient’s manifestations. ADAS, or Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale, helps evaluate cognition and differentiates between normal cognitive functioning and impaired cognitive functioning. It is especially useful for determining the extent of cognitive decline and can help evaluate which stage of Alzheimer’s a person is in, based on their answer and score. The assessment measures cognitive as well as non-cognitive behaviors, such as: spoken language ability, comprehension of spoken language, recall of test instructions, word finding difficulty, following commands, naming objects, construction praxis, ideational praxis, orientation, word recall, and word recognition. (alz.org,
Scientist estimate that more than 5.3 million people have Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. A new case of Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed every 70 seconds, and the most significant risk factor is rising age. The lifetime risk for AD for those …show more content…
The progression of Alzheimer’s varies for each individual and may not precisely follow these stages. Stage one is classified as “No Cognitive Impairment”, meaning the patient’s memory has not changed and there are currently no problems to address. Stage two is classified as “Very Mild Decline”, meaning the patient will start to have memory lapses, forgetting familiar names, or losing everyday objects like keys. Stage three is classified as “Mild Cognitive Decline”, meaning others begin to notice problems, the patient begins to have trouble finding words, there is a decreased ability to remember things, and also have trouble retaining little information. Stage four is classified as “Moderate Cognitive Decline”, meaning the patient has an impaired ability to perform challenging mental arithmetic, and has reduced memory of personal history. Stage five is classified as “Moderately Severe Cognitive Decline”, meaning the patient has confusion on where they are and are also confused about date or time, and have trouble with less challenging math problems. Stage six is classified as “Severe Cognitive Decline”, meaning the patient has worsening memory, there is an emergence of personality changes, and there is a need for extensive help. Lastly is stage seven “Very Severe Cognitive Decline”, meaning the patient is not able to respond to the environment, is …show more content…
The only definitive method of diagnosis is postmortem examination of brain tissue. As a result, Alzheimer’s is diagnosed by ruling out causes for the patient’s manifestations. ADAS, or Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale, helps evaluate cognition and differentiates between normal cognitive functioning and impaired cognitive functioning. It is especially useful for determining the extent of cognitive decline and can help evaluate which stage of Alzheimer’s a person is in, based on their answer and score. The assessment measures cognitive as well as non-cognitive behaviors, such as: spoken language ability, comprehension of spoken language, recall of test instructions, word finding difficulty, following commands, naming objects, construction praxis, ideational praxis, orientation, word recall, and word recognition. (alz.org,