Dementia is a severe “decline in mental ability”according to the website ALZ.org. Patients with dementia experience extreme loss of memory. Dementia is more common in elderly patients. One form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.
This mental deterioration, called dementia, could be sudden if caused by a brain injury. However, it often develops over time, starting at roughly 65 years of age.
The manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease will often vary among patients. However, there are a number of common symptoms such as:
Alzheimer’s disease can be hidden or overlooked at its beginning stages due to the common belief that its symptoms are normal and to be expected in aging individuals. A person can be officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease once they to the doctor to receive a thorough evaluation and brain scan.
As Alzheimer’s disease is marked and noticeable, the patient’s brain tends to become smaller in parts while other areas become enlarged. Also, with the advancement of the disease, plaques and tangles may appear in the brain.
Alzheimer’s progression has put a huge question mark on doctors everywhere. No one knows the exact causes of Alzheimer’s, which makes it a challenge for preventative medicine and treatment. Alzheimer’s is not curable, thus the medical industry cannot define an exact cause of or standard progression for the disease. This makes Alzheimer’s extremely difficult to treat or prevent.
Alzheimer’s cannot be prevented and treatment entails reducing the effects of the symptoms. In many instances medical practitioners may recommend prescription drugs to prevent the advancement of Alzheimer’s disease. The proper medication is prescribed once the disease is diagnosed. These medicines help with tension and possible depression in the patient. Eventually a medical professional will be needed to take care of the patient on a full time basis.
Currently there are many new medications that are undergoing clinical trials and even more slated for development in the future. There were 1000+ clinical trials for such medications to treat Alzheimer’s disease in 2012 alone, and the search continues.
Many doctors believe that older people could possibly defer mental deterioration if they stimulate their minds and attempt new activities that are not part of their routines. Also, working out regularly, walking, and eating well have proven to slow Alzheimer’s disease’s advancement in the elderly.
It is important to note that while proper diet and exercise are very beneficial to elderly patients and their mental capacity, it has not been proven that such habits will reverse Alzheimer’s disease in patients.
Patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease may benefit from treatment methods. Keeping a daily routine is believed to help patients manage Alzheimer’s disease with a reasonable rate of success. Although Alzheimer’s disease cannot be cured, the symptoms seem to be put under control without needing medicine or perhaps even needing less. Since elderly patients tend to have certain adverse reactions to some medications, it is better to avoid taking medication whenever possible.
Since Alzheimer’s patients tend to forget events and sometimes lack necessary communication skills, it is difficult to tell whether a patient is being abused. Further, they may not properly report the incident, making them an easy target for corrupt caregivers. A patient might be neglected or abused in the form of burns, bruises, emotional intimidation, confinement, sexual abuse, etc. Family members of a patient must ask for references and thoroughly investigate the caregiver and the facility that will take care of the patient.