9 - Alzheimer’s Disease

Most often, Alzheimer’s affects people 60 and over, but it has also been known to strike people in their early 40s and 50s. About 300,000 Canadians are afflicted. Dementia is a decline in intellectual ability severe enough to interfere with a person’s daily routine. It can have many causes. Alzheimer’s is the most common disorder. Other conditions that produce dementia are strokes, Huntington’s chorea, Parkinson’s disease, depression, drug interactions, stress (due to serious health problems or death of a spouse, for example), thyroid problems, and vitamin deficiencies (B-12). Memory loss and changes in mood and behaviour are early signs of dementia. Early and accurate diagnosis is essential to determine the cause of the dementia.

Causes

Alzheimer’s Disease is characterized by the progressive degeneration of brain cells. Cause of the disease is not known, but heredity and environmental toxins are suspected. Only 5 to 10% of the Alzheimer’s Disease cases are believed to be caused by purely genetic factors. Groups of nerve endings in the outer layer of the brain degenerate and disrupt the passage of electrochemical signals between cells. Brain shrinkage occurs because many nerve cells have been destroyed.

Symptoms

In the initial stages, the individual experiencing Alzheimer’s Disease exhibits minor symptoms often attributed to other illnesses. One of the most dominant symptoms is a progressive deterioration of memory, judgment, and concentration. Mental powers such as reasoning and verbal skills are affected as well as physical coordination. A spouse or a friend may notice changes in spending habits, neglect of nutrition, sanitation, grooming, home care, or unusual mood swings or increased alcohol consumption. Gradually the individual becomes more forgetful. As memory loss increases, changes also appear in personality, mood, and behaviour. People with dementia have short attention spans, walk around a lot, seldom sit still for long, and are often agitated.

someone opening a pill bottleTreatment

Providing simple memory aids may assist the Alzheimer’s patient, such as a prominent calendar, lists of daily tasks, and directions about how to use common items in the home. Understandably, people with Alzheimer’s Disease have difficulty comprehending the changes in their thinking and behaviour, which may lead to frustrations.

An experimental drug called THA to treat the disease is undergoing testing in the United States. It may help reduce memory loss and other symptoms in some patients. Currently prevention or cure is unknown.

Recently, a nurse who has been a long-term worker with the elderly discovered an unusual therapeutic idea. A life-size doll about the size of a year-old baby with a fairly realistic-looking face brought some comfort to Alzheimer’s patients. They could hold and hug the doll; it distracted them when they were restless and agitated; it provided something to talk to while they were alone; or they could talk to others about the doll. Having the doll helped them reminisce a little about their younger days