Early Onset Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease is typically a disease associated with old age, and the majority of Alzheimer's patients are seniors. There are two different kinds of Alzheimer's, however, and early-onset Alzheimer's can strike people of any age, though it most often manifests in the 40's and 50s. Early-onset Alzheimer's is said to account for approximately 5 percent of those afflicted with the disease.
The most difficult part of placing a number on early-onset sufferers is that doctors don't usually suspect Alzheimer's at that age. Therefore, many signs and symptoms that would have been identified as dementia if the person were older are associated with other things such as stress or menopause.
There is currently no cure for …show more content…
Many people in this age range may be raising a family or even be caring for senior members of the family. With the progression of the disease, their role in the family will change. This often leads to very difficult emotional challenges.
How do you talk to your children about Alzheimer's?
Who will pay the bills or provide for the family?
What will my role in the family even be?
In addition to these hard to ask and answer questions, there are many social aspects to the disease.
There are stigmas associated with Alzheimer's. It is not easy for anybody, but when the person is younger the difficulty of dealing with the disease may be even more pronounced.
Many sufferers from early-onset Alzheimer's withdraw from society. They may even withdraw from their familial relationships. Depression is very common.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, a person with Alzheimer's lives an average of four to eight years once they are diagnosed with the disease. There have been cases where the person has survived 20 or more years, however. Each person progresses at a different rate, and it is impossible to tell what stage a person is as when they are initially diagnosed. Making things more difficult, the brain of an Alzheimer's sufferer starts to change many years before the first signs or symptoms are
Alzheimer's disease is typically a disease associated with old age, and the majority of Alzheimer's patients are seniors. There are two different kinds of Alzheimer's, however, and early-onset Alzheimer's can strike people of any age, though it most often manifests in the 40's and 50s. Early-onset Alzheimer's is said to account for approximately 5 percent of those afflicted with the disease.
The most difficult part of placing a number on early-onset sufferers is that doctors don't usually suspect Alzheimer's at that age. Therefore, many signs and symptoms that would have been identified as dementia if the person were older are associated with other things such as stress or menopause.
There is currently no cure for …show more content…
Many people in this age range may be raising a family or even be caring for senior members of the family. With the progression of the disease, their role in the family will change. This often leads to very difficult emotional challenges.
How do you talk to your children about Alzheimer's?
Who will pay the bills or provide for the family?
What will my role in the family even be?
In addition to these hard to ask and answer questions, there are many social aspects to the disease.
There are stigmas associated with Alzheimer's. It is not easy for anybody, but when the person is younger the difficulty of dealing with the disease may be even more pronounced.
Many sufferers from early-onset Alzheimer's withdraw from society. They may even withdraw from their familial relationships. Depression is very common.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, a person with Alzheimer's lives an average of four to eight years once they are diagnosed with the disease. There have been cases where the person has survived 20 or more years, however. Each person progresses at a different rate, and it is impossible to tell what stage a person is as when they are initially diagnosed. Making things more difficult, the brain of an Alzheimer's sufferer starts to change many years before the first signs or symptoms are