Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating form of dementia. I can honestly say that it is a devastating disease. I have seen the effects it causes and they are horrible. It completely takes over a persons’ life. I have seen a close family member not remember people, become delusional, get lost in daily routes, and have trouble doing simple tasks.

          Alzheimer’s is an irreversible and progressive disease that slowly gets worse and worse. It affects a persons’ memory, thinking an behavior. Once it strikes, it gradually progresses into more serious memory loss, confusion, depression, hallucinations, delusions, and loss of appetite.

            According to an article, the causes of Alzheimer’s disease begin in the preclinical stage, where there are no symptoms but toxic changes begin to take place in the brain. A protein called amyloid starts accumulating in the brain and damages axons and dendrites.  These abnormal deposits form amyloid plaques and tau tangles which cause neurons to work less efficiently and with time they die. Soon the damage spreads to the hippocampus, which is important for forming memories. As neurons die, the damaged area begins to shrink and by the final stage the brain tissue has significantly shrunk.

            There are 3 stages in Alzheimer’s disease: mild, moderate, and severe. In the mild stage, symptoms include getting lost, taking longer to complete tasks, forgetting recent events, trouble solving problems, and mood changes. In the moderate stage, symptoms include changes in sleep patterns, delusions, hallucinations, poor judgment, and difficulty doing basic tasks. In the severe stage people with Alzheimer’s disease can no longer understand language, recognize family members, and can no longer care for themselves.

            It is heartbreaking to see how the gradual process of Alzheimer’s disease slowly takes over and destroys people’s lives. To go from a normal functioning person to not recognizing anyone and completely depending on others for their care is very distressing.