Alzheimers Disease

Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimers disease robs you of intellectual and social
abilities and interferes with regular life. About 4.5
million Americans have Alzheimers Disease. The disease
usually affects seniors over the age of 65. As the
population ages this number is expected to quadruple.

There is no cure for Alzheimers disease. There is progress
being made by researchers to improve the quality of life
for those who have Alzheimers. Drugs are being discovered
and studied which may lead to treatments of the disease.

If you have been a caretaker of a loved one with Alzheimers
disease, or have a loved one suffering with it, you know
that it takes patience and love to keep you and them going.

If you think a loved one may be showing early signs of
Alzheimers Disease, what should you look for? One of the
most prominent signs of Alzheimers Disease is
forgetfulness. It starts out with occasional forgetting
simple directions or recent events. It progressively gets
worse until the patient may forget even family names and
objects they see every day. They also may repeat things
they've already told someone, and put objects down and
forget where they placed them. On the other hand, they
might put something away so they will remember where they
put it, and put it in such an illogical place that no one
can find it.

Early Alzheimers Disease patients have trouble conducting
conversation and finding the right words to say. They may
have a hard time following conversations or expressing
their feelings. Eventually their reading and writing
ability will also be affected.

Abstract thinking is something else that these patients
with Alzheimers disease have. They may suddenly be able to
deal with numbers, especially in balancing the checkbook.
Disorientation causes them to lose track of time, and it is
easier for them to get lost. They may feel they are in
unfamiliar surroundings even if they are home.

They have trouble with everyday problems, such as knowing
that food has been on the stove too long. Patients with
Alzheimers disease eventually have problems dealing with
planning, judgment, and decision-making. Familiar tasks
become a struggle, even the basic activities like dressing
or remembering to bathe.

One of the most distressing symptoms of Alzheimers disease
is the personality changes that affect them. It is not
uncommon for a patient with Alzheimers disease to have
extreme mood swings and often accompanied by depression.
They may begin distrusting those around them, be
increasingly stubborn, and withdraw from family and
friends. As their Alzheimers disease get progressively
worse, they may become defiant, stubborn, aggressive, and
take part in inappropriate behavior.

One report tells of a wonderful woman, whom was a good
mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother that had been
afflicted with Alzheimers disease. When her family was
forced to put her in a nursing home due to the Alzheimers
disease, she became aggressive to other patients and began
using language she never would have dreamed of using before
she fell victim to Alzheimers disease. The staff had a hard
time in restraining her in the nursing home. They found she
was sneaking in to other patient's rooms, uncovering them,
and leaving them. This was so unlike the mother and
grandmother they knew before the affliction of Alzheimers
disease, they had a hard time even visiting. Most of the
time, she wouldn't remember her daughter being there that
morning. Finally, her family put an erasable board in her
room so her visitors could write their name and the date
they visited allowing the family to know who was there and
when.

Unfortunately, families don't often recognize the onset of
Alzheimers disease because it starts out so slow. There
usually are no sudden changes in the personality to alert
family members there is a problem. As the symptoms
gradually get worse, or they realize memory is fleeting for
their loved one, they may not realize until the patient is
far into the advanced stages of Alzheimers disease.

How Alzheimers disease progresses and what the average
survival rate will be depends on the individual. The
average survival rate is eight years. Some live fewer
years, and some could live up to 20 years with the disease.
People with Alzheimers disease eventually will no longer be
able to take care of themselves. This leaves loved ones
with the burden of deciding whether to place the patient in
a long-term care facility or try to take care of them at
home. It's a difficult decision and everyone must realize
that it takes considerable attention, love, and patience to
deal with the problems that come with Alzheimers disease.

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Steven Godlewski is a self-made millionaire and is
currently working with the staff at PillFreeVitamins.com He
has an extensive background in nutrition as well as other
health related fields. For more health-related articles or
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http://www.pillfreevitamins.com SEE Video at:
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