Alzheimer’s Disease is a condition that affects older people from all walks of life.
Studies in South Africa are in the initial stages, and many may still require education about Alzheimer’s.
If one does not understand the disease, it may look as though an elderly relative with Alzheimer’s has been bewitched by some sort of spell or muthi.
It is not a part of the aging process. However, one in five people over the age of 80 are affected by the disease. Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking, and behaviour. This is serious enough to affect one’s work, daily activities or social life.
Alzheimer’s gets worse over time, and it is fatal.
Today, it is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
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Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, a general term for the loss of memory and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. The disease progresses in stages. In the beginning, an individual may experience memory lapses, especially in forgetting common words, names, the location of keys, eyeglasses, or other everyday objects.
These problems are not evident during a medical examination or obvious to friends, family, or co-workers.
As the disease moves on to the next stage, friends, family or co-workers begin to notice changes. Common problems include word or name finding problems or a decreased ability to remember names when introduced to new people. They also experience performance issues in social or work settings. There may be difficulty reading a passage and retaining little material. People may start losing or misplacing a valuable object. Furthermore, there is a deterioration in the ability to plan or organise.
Daily activities
When they reach the severe or mid-stage of the disease, sufferers may need help with their daily activities.
They lose their awareness of recent experiences and their surroundings. In addition, they may give an incorrect account of their personal history, need help getting dressed, experience marked personality changes, and may become suspicious and delusional.
They may also have a tendency to wander away from home and get lost.
In the final stage of Alzheimer’s, individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment, the ability to speak, and, ultimately, the ability to control movement.
A single cause for Alzheimer’s disease has not yet been identified, but certain risk factors have been recognised. The greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s is increasing age.
Most individuals with the disease are 65 or older. The likelihood of developing it doubles about every five years after age 65.
Other risk factors include family history and genetics.
Research has shown that those who have a parent, brother, or sister with Alzheimer’s are more likely to develop the disease.
