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Alzheimer’s Disease slowly takes away the ability for aging adults to remember associated persons, places and things that are common to them. It comes on very slowly at first with simply memory loss such as how to work a stove for a woman that has cooked all her life, to a man who is a mechanic but gets behind the wheel and can not remember what to do next. As the disease progresses so do the symptoms, often getting lost or wandering away from home are common. People with Alzheimer’s may become anxious, aggressive and combative. Forgetting family and friend’s names, or the ability to even recognize them on a day-to-day basis. It is a neurological disorder that ongoing studies are trying to understand, but have not yet found a cure. The progression is irrerversable; some medications may help with a small amount of memory, but as the disease progresses even that is not helpful.
Signs and Symptoms:
There are several signs of Alzheimer’s, your doctor can test your family member with various questions he may ask and will do so with only the patient. Family members are usually asked to step out of the room, because they have become accustomed to answering for the patient.
Symptoms that are common for people with Alzheimer’s confusion (dementia), coordination problems, fine motor skills impairment, Fain flicker awareness, willingness to speak but unable to remember the words, gradual memory loss, loss of cognition (person, place, time), impairment of judgment, personality changes, wandering and getting lost, anger or violence, incontinence and the inability to perform normal activities of daily living (bathing, feeding oneself etc.)
Treatment:
There are some medications that help with slight memory loss in the early stages, but the disease is an eventual fatal one. This is something the family must deal with and the treatment is not only for the patient but also for the family itself.
The hardships on the family are many. The patient/ family member must be watched constantly or have someone in the home with them. When the patient begins to forget who is with them, becoming agitated or angry the emotional impact on the family as a whole is tiresome and emotionally as well as physically exhausting.
Every area in the United States and abroad has centers that can care for the elderly adult (Eldercare) when the family needs a break. Many families fail to use this center for fear they are not living up to their responsibility. There are also homes, not unlike a nursing home that are staffed with people trained and specialize in Alzheimer’s disease. There are many books and information available to help a family cope. The main idea of these books is to learn not to take this disease as a personal insult, as many families do. The patient has not choose to particularly exclude or forget on purpose any one family member, it is just a progression of the disease
Disclaimer: This is not to be mistaken for medical advice please contact your physician if you suspect you may have this condition and follow his or her advice, this is for informational purposes only.
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