Alzheimer’s: A Caregiver’s Disease
Introduction
Named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, the man who first diagnosed the disease after examining the brain of a woman that died of an unusual mental illness, Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that attacks and destroys memory, thinking, and eventually life skills including the ability to perform simple tasks such as speaking, swallowing, and writing. The deterioration of the brain is the result of amyloid plaques (or clumps) and neurofibrillary tangles as well as the loss of connections between neurons. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia among older adults, and most people are diagnosed after the age of 60. There is currently no cure for this debilitating disease, and it often takes a devastating toll on the loved ones that surround the patient.
While there are currently medication and psychological treatments available that help those living with the disease and those caring for those that have been diagnosed, there no cure for the disease and no way to stop or reverse damage to the brain. Much attention has …show more content…
Memory processes require all parts of the brain to work together. In particular, the hippocampus (located above the brain stem) and the amygdala (located under the temporal lobe) are most critical for storing and retrieving memories. The hippocampus is connected to various pathways to other parts of the brain, where memories are acquired and stored. This part of the brain is responsible for organizing experiences so they can be recalled later. The hippocampus could be called a directory. When damage occurs here, this so-called database is damage which affects everything associated with what is stored – the majority of everyday experiences. People with partial damage to this region – which usually occurs in the second stage of AD – cannot recall pas learning experiences in order to apply them to current
Introduction
Named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, the man who first diagnosed the disease after examining the brain of a woman that died of an unusual mental illness, Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that attacks and destroys memory, thinking, and eventually life skills including the ability to perform simple tasks such as speaking, swallowing, and writing. The deterioration of the brain is the result of amyloid plaques (or clumps) and neurofibrillary tangles as well as the loss of connections between neurons. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia among older adults, and most people are diagnosed after the age of 60. There is currently no cure for this debilitating disease, and it often takes a devastating toll on the loved ones that surround the patient.
While there are currently medication and psychological treatments available that help those living with the disease and those caring for those that have been diagnosed, there no cure for the disease and no way to stop or reverse damage to the brain. Much attention has …show more content…
Memory processes require all parts of the brain to work together. In particular, the hippocampus (located above the brain stem) and the amygdala (located under the temporal lobe) are most critical for storing and retrieving memories. The hippocampus is connected to various pathways to other parts of the brain, where memories are acquired and stored. This part of the brain is responsible for organizing experiences so they can be recalled later. The hippocampus could be called a directory. When damage occurs here, this so-called database is damage which affects everything associated with what is stored – the majority of everyday experiences. People with partial damage to this region – which usually occurs in the second stage of AD – cannot recall pas learning experiences in order to apply them to current