Dementia is a syndrome characterized by disturbance of multiple brain functions, including memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgement.
World Health Organisation 2015
Increasingly in Irish society and the health service, mental health is coming to the forefront as one of the main problems presenting in patients. Like many other disciplines in the medical field, physiotherapy has had to adapt to these changes. Learning about these mental disorders and the psychology behind them has helped the care and physiotherapy treatment of these patients ensuring they get the best care available to them. One of the more common psychological disorders encountered in physiotherapy is Alzheimer’s disease. In this essay Alzheimer’s disease will be reviewed and the impact of physiotherapy has on Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, the implications of Alzheimer’s will be considered in this essay. …show more content…
Globally, it is estimated that 25 million people have dementia (World Alzheimer’s report 2009). According to the 2002 Census in Ireland, it is estimated that 35,000 people have Alzheimer’s disease. In 2004, the Central Statistics office predict that over 100,000 people will have Alzheimer disease in Ireland in 2035 ( Prof O’Shea 2007 p8). Alzheimer’s disease is often categorised as a proteopathy which is abnormal accumulation and deposition of proteins in certain disease states causing malfunction in certain cells (Walker and LeVine 2000 p 83). The amyloid beta and amyloid tau protein are the proteins associated with affecting an Alzheimer’s brain. The most distinctive marker of Alzheimer’s is neurofillary tangles which are aggregates of amyloid tau proteins found in the brain (Kaur et al 2012 p 161). It is the most common characteristic neuropathic lesion and essential for neuropathological diagnosis (Brion JP 1998
World Health Organisation 2015
Increasingly in Irish society and the health service, mental health is coming to the forefront as one of the main problems presenting in patients. Like many other disciplines in the medical field, physiotherapy has had to adapt to these changes. Learning about these mental disorders and the psychology behind them has helped the care and physiotherapy treatment of these patients ensuring they get the best care available to them. One of the more common psychological disorders encountered in physiotherapy is Alzheimer’s disease. In this essay Alzheimer’s disease will be reviewed and the impact of physiotherapy has on Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, the implications of Alzheimer’s will be considered in this essay. …show more content…
Globally, it is estimated that 25 million people have dementia (World Alzheimer’s report 2009). According to the 2002 Census in Ireland, it is estimated that 35,000 people have Alzheimer’s disease. In 2004, the Central Statistics office predict that over 100,000 people will have Alzheimer disease in Ireland in 2035 ( Prof O’Shea 2007 p8). Alzheimer’s disease is often categorised as a proteopathy which is abnormal accumulation and deposition of proteins in certain disease states causing malfunction in certain cells (Walker and LeVine 2000 p 83). The amyloid beta and amyloid tau protein are the proteins associated with affecting an Alzheimer’s brain. The most distinctive marker of Alzheimer’s is neurofillary tangles which are aggregates of amyloid tau proteins found in the brain (Kaur et al 2012 p 161). It is the most common characteristic neuropathic lesion and essential for neuropathological diagnosis (Brion JP 1998