Alzheimer's Association

other diseases that prolong and progress symptoms; the disease most seen in patients with dementia is Alzheimer’s, which takes an even longer time to develop and show signs of further decline. There are only a few treatments that can help dementia but many are the same treatment for Alzheimer’s. “Medication for dementia should be started only by specialists. Those with mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease may benefit from an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor such as donepezil, galantamine or…

years and older suffer from presbycusis (Lin, Thorpe, Gordan-Salant, & Ferrucci, 2011). The elderly population is at a high risk of developing a hearing loss. The loss of hearing affects the elderly’s life in many modalities. Research on genetic associations is not reliable; most research in this particular area is based on personal accounts rather than fact. Gates, Couropmitree, and Myers (1999) investigated the inheritance rates of age related hearing loss (presbycusis); they discovered that…

and diagnostic criteria vary across the literature and can be unreliable. For example, several studies rely on information provided by family caregivers to measure depression. Yet, Mackenzie, Robiner and Knopman found that their participants with Alzheimer’s disease had a depression rate of 13.9%, whereas data collected from their families suggested that the rate was 50% (1989). Moreover, many studies do not control for type or stage of dementia. It is important to do so because depression acts…

One of the most popular subjects on the big screen and television that takes our attention very often, is a form of memory loss known as amnesia. People refer to amnesia usually as a mental illness that makes you forget everything about the past. But that is not right, and it is not wrong either. Yes, amnesia has to do with memory loss, but that does not mean that if a person is diagnosed with amnesia he/she will not remember anything at all from the past. Forgetting everything is only the…

Long Term Care: Reasons for Long Term Care According to Longtermcare.gov, over 70 percent of seniors over 65 will require long-term care during their lives. The chance that a senior will require long-term care depends on a number of factors, but there are several common denominators. More women will require long-term care than men. This is not because men are in better health, but because most women will live an additional five to seven years beyond their male counterparts. This means that…

accumulate which in return initiates the start of Alzheimer’s disease. The process of how Beta-amyloids may affect and or have a role in the beginning of Alzheimer’s is called the amyloid hypothesis. (Querfuth & LaFerla, 2010) There are many other theories to why Alzheimer’s occurs and what happens physiologically in the brain, but there is still so much that is unknown and yet to be…

Psychological Disorders Losing track of one’s thoughts is a common occurrence when the mind is preoccupied with a certain task. Eventually, one comes back to reality and realizes they have forgotten their train of thought. This forgetfulness can become frustrating and annoying for many people as it can become truly inconvenient to lose information randomly. Data from Statistics Canada (2015) suggests that around 2.3% of the Canadian population, who were aged 15 years and older, were living with…

Alzheimer’s disease is nothing new to people from across the world. Some may ask what exactly is this sad and depressing disease? It is the most common form of dementia, which is the deterioration of the functions of the brain. It reports for approximately 70 percent of dementia cases (Alzheimer’s). The course of the disease is slow at destroying one’s memory and thinking abilities. Symptoms develop in people with Alzheimer’s in their mid-60s, but do not be fooled for it is not just found within…

A brain tumor or intracranial neoplasm occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant or cancerous tumors and benign tumors. Secondary or metastatic brain tumors are more common than primary brain tumors, In children younger than 15, brain tumors are second only to acute lymphoblastic leukemia as a cause of cancer. In Australia the average economic cost of a case of brain cancer is $1.9 million, the greatest of any type of cancer. Signs and…

people who experience it or their caregivers wouldn't. But humor and improvisation may be a key element to reducing anxiety and creating joy for both you and your loved one. In Part I of this series I discussed some of the facts and myths about Alzheimer's and dementia. In Part II I presented five…