Dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease for Family and Friends

Alzheimer’s disease is a debilitating condition that affects the brain. It is the most common form of dementia among older adults. People with Alzheimer’s may experience a variety of symptoms related to memory loss including asking the same questions repeatedly, forgetting important appointments and dates, becoming lost or disoriented in familiar places, and being unable to perform simple tasks. Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects a person very gradually. Symptoms may start out mild at first but will become more severe over time. The life expectancy of a person diagnosed with the disease is a little over eight years, but this also depends upon the age at which the patient is first diagnosed. People who are diagnosed with the disease in their sixties have a longer life expectancy than a person diagnosed in their eighties. However, this is to be expected since the older we get, the greater risk we have for contracting other diseases. It is usually around two to three years from the first onset of symptoms until a person is properly diagnosed with having the disease. Currently doctors do not know what causes Alzheimer’s disease. Although much research is being performed on patients, there are still many questions that remain unanswered. Most doctors believe that Alzheimer’s is not caused by one single factor but instead is the result of several factors that increase a person’s risk of getting the disease. There are three different categories of Alzheimer’s including early onset, late onset, and familial. Early onset Alzheimer’s is less common and only affects a small percentage of patients. Most patients with this type of the disease are diagnosed before 65 years of age. People who have Down’s syndrome have an increased risk of developing early onset Alzheimer’s. It is not uncommon for people with Down’s syndrome to start experiencing symptoms of this disease as early as their forties. Late onset Alzheimer’s is the most common form of the disease. It occurs particularly in adults over 65 and may affect as much as half of the population, 85 years of age or older. Although common in older adults, Alzheimer’s should not be viewed as a natural part of aging. It is a disease that causes severe damage to the brain over time. Familial Alzheimer’s is a rare form of the disease that affects only a small portion of all patients. It is entirely genetically related and patients usually experience symptoms at a much earlier age, some as young as forty. Patients with this form of the disease have a family history of Alzheimer’s. Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, certain medications may slow the process down and make life more manageable for patients and their families. Some drugs have proven effective in reducing symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and irritability. If you or a member of your family has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, you are not alone. Millions of people each year are diagnosed with the disease and its occurrence is expected to increase as the Baby Boomer generation grows older. There are many support groups that can help patients and their families learn how to cope with the disease on a daily basis. Persons who think they may suffer from Alzheimer’s should seek medical treatment as soon as possible. It is beneficial for patients to be diagnosed with the disease in its early stages, so that they can plan for the future and discuss treatments options with their doctor.

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