Psychology

Thesis Statement Alzheimers disease is not just simple loss of memory, rather it is a disease which afflicts the brain and deteriorates an individuals actions, behavior, cognition, understanding, bodily abilities and memory.

I. Introduction
A. Significance of the Study
B. Purpose of the Study

II. Body
Background of Alzheimers disease
Indicators of the Alzheimers disease
Alzheimers disease progression
Hereditary Factors
Familial
Late-Onset
Alzheimers disease is more than deterioration due to aging
A Degenerative Medical Condition
Is it just memory loss

III. Conclusion
IV. References

Abstract
Alzheimers disease is not just simple loss of memory. There entire Alzheimers disease process entails 3 stages in which a patient and caregivers witness different cognitive and non cognitive changes including memory loss. Being one of the leading reasons for deaths in America, this disease is still incurable and poses great threats to the life and the lifestyle of the person it afflicts. However, caregivers and doctors should ensure that the last stages are spent happily with the patient as changes in lifestyle have shown signs of improvement in Alzheimers patients. This paper aims to throw light on the premise that Alzheimers disease is not just a loss of memory instead it entails a range of malfunctions in the human body along with the human brain.

Alzheimers disease Not Just Memory Loss
Alzheimers disease is not just simple loss of memory, rather it is a disease which afflicts the brain and deteriorates an individuals actions, behavior, cognition, understanding, bodily abilities and memory.

Introduction
Significance of the Study
It is one of the most evident causes of death in America the most universal cause of dementia. It currently affects badly about four to five million Americans. Furthermore, Alzheimers disease is the principal reason of psychological mutilation in aged citizens and has turned out be one of the main grounds of admissions in old age homes and other assisted livings (Alzheimer, 1977). Psychological symptoms, such as hallucination and phantasm, have been diagnosed in a great number of people afflicted by Alzheimers disease. Factually speaking, it is these psychological conditions which can lead to institutionalization at a very primary stage.

Purpose of the Study
In this paper we discuss Alzheimers disease and come to a conclusion that this disease is not just associated with memory loss but if other symptoms are learnt at an early stage, it can benefit a lot of people suffering from this disease and on the whole the society as well.

Background of Alzheimers disease
Despite remarkable advances in the consideration of Alzheimers, scientists have yet to identify a true reason of the disorder. The most important hypothesis is that Alzheimers disease is caused by a buildup of unsolvable remains of beta-amyloid. Because these remains are not suspended, researchers believe that this structure of beta-amyloid keeps building up and forms plaques. Senile and presenile are two distinct forms of dementia presented by Emil Kraepin, a German psychiatrist. When we discuss Alzheimers disease the pre-senile form is looked upon. Alois Alzheimer described this to be an ongoing corrosion of intelligence, reminiscence and direction. Alois Alzheimer was a neuropathologist who initially researched a woman who was fifty one years of age. When he autopsy was carried out after her death, he discovered that she was suffering from mental weakening (cerebral atrophy), excessive deposit of proteins and unusual fragments in the nerves of the brain. These turned out to be the most common of the occurrences in patients with Alzheimers disease (Lyketsos, Jones, Fitzpatrick, Breitner,  Dekosky, 2002).

Indicators of the Alzheimers disease
The succession of Alzheimers disease is categorized into 3 stages
Forgetfulness,
Confusional
Dementia.

The first stage forgetfulness is signified by the disturbance in the short-term memory. At this stage, patients will frequently have difficulty recalling names of renowned people and will mislay objects on a usual basis (Hesdorffer  Mayeux, 1990). This stage may result in behavioral changes. In addition, a failure of impulsiveness and societal removal often occurs as the personality begins to develop a consciousness that there is a hereditary problem. Stammering and difficulty in understanding of certain matters may also come into view. Cleary, it is from time to time hard to differentiate an Alzheimers patient from ordinary people or those with other disorders (Frisoni, et al., 1999).

In the second stage, that is the Confusional stage, the mental weakening is more obvious and memory loss is much more prominent. Patients in this stage will frequently have difficulty identifying places they are in and sometimes even the dates and days are confused. Poor conclusions for other people are also among some of the obvious attributes at this situation and the patients behavior will likely alter to some level also.

Dementia being the third and final stages has its own significance. In dementia there is intense memory loss and deterioration of cognitive skills. Patients will often not identify their family members and lose their ability to comprehend as well. Ultimately, patients will be confined to bed as the functions of the brain collapse (Lyketsos et al, 2002).

Alzheimers disease progression
Stage 1
In the early stage of the illness, patients suffering from Alzheimers are likely to have reduced level of energy and impulsiveness, though frequently no one notices anything strange. They display minor memory loss and changing moods are slow in learning and reacting to things. After some time they are prone to shyness from anything fresh and have a preference for the recognizable (Frisoni, et al., 1999). At this point, the Alzheimers fatality can still carry out tasks autonomously, but may need help with more complex activities. Speech and thoughtfulness turn out to be slower, and patients are often defeated from their own thought in the middle of this stage. They may also go missing while itinerant or not remember to pay their utility bills. As soon as the Alzheimers victims turn out to be conscious of this loss of power, they may become unhappy, bad-tempered, and fidgety (Hesdorffer  Mayeux, 1990).

Stage 2
The individual is undoubtedly turning out to be immobilized. They tend to forget the current happenings and tend to remember the distant past, while fresh events turn out to be difficult to memorize. With the advancement of the second stage of Alzheimers the affected areas include ability to grasp his location, the date, and the time. Caregivers must give obvious instructions repeating them often. As the Alzheimers patients mind continues to lose its balance, the patient may formulate words and not be familiar with faces which were familiar earlier.

Stage 3
The patient turns out to be more and more insensitive. Memory becomes short and no one is identifiable. Patients lose control of their bowels and bladder and ultimately need steady care. With the advancement of the third stage the patient tends to lose the aptitude to chew and ingest. They are confined to bed and susceptible to pneumonia, viruses, and other sicknesses. Respiratory problems get worse, mainly when the patient is confined to bed. At this stage the patient ultimately goes into coma or simply dies (Frisoni, et al., 1999).

Doctors have not yet found any competent way to stop the development of Alzheimers disease or overturn its harm to the patients brain cells. Caregivers can only struggle to provide meaning and pleasantness to the patient in their last month or years. The most advanced and beneficial approach entails cure for only some of the very common symptoms of the dementia in Alzheimers patients such as wandering, sleep apnea or sleep walking and delusions. A number of medicines are obtainable to help with these troubles. Patients can be more at ease and the family or caregivers can better look after the patient at home.

When we come to analyzing patients with Alzheimers, it is very important that we learn the different types of dementia afflicting patients on frequent basis. There are no recognized grounds identified that can be actually related to Alzheimers disease. Researchers have identified a great amount and types of diseases that have signs which are similar to the dementia coupled with Alzheimers (Alzheimer,  1977).
Discoveries have identified that primary undifferentiated dementia is found to directly affect the brain directly. This is seen in patients diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. On the other hand, the primary differentiated dementia results in loss of control in muscles and therefore the patients with this type of dementia can be distinguished easily. Lastly the secondary dementia diseases are different from the rest as they can easily be cured as they do not cause a long term loss of control. But in this case early diagnosis is necessary as this can worsen if not cured in time (Lawlor, 1996).

Diseases which are identical to Alzheimers disease include Picks disease, Huntingtons disease, Parkinsons disease and Wilsons disease. Picks disease is the closest match and sometimes it is almost impossible to distinguish between the patients of Alzheimers and Picks disease. However, there are disorders such as eating too much, hyper activity of sexual cognition and ecstatic temperament (Lawlor, 1996).  Huntingtons disease is termed to be incurable to date and has symptoms such as instinctive embarrassing and twisted. Finally, Parkinsons and Wilsons disease are also associated with primary dementia alike that seen in Alzheimers patients (Lawlor, 1996).

Most researchers now concur that women are at elevated danger for sustaining Alzheimers disease than men are, even when their longer life spans are taken into consideration. It is not clear precisely why women are more susceptible to the illness. Researchers are learning whether reducing levels of estrogen after menopause are accountable.

Hereditary Factors

Familial
Familial Alzheimers disease is an uncommon form of Alzheimers disease, distressing a very small percentage of patients with Alzheimers (Lawlor, 1996). This is hereditary and starts very early at the age of 65 approximately. This form of the disease is a result of gene mutations on three chromosomes. Although just one of this might have been inherited from the parent, the bearer is always likely to have Alzheimers disease.

Late-Onset
Our study entails the symptoms which are likely to occur in the majority of Alzheimers disease cases as a result of late-onset (Lawlor, 1996). This covers ages 65 and onwards and a patient with this form of Alzheimers has no known reason and has no inheritance prototype. Even though an explicit gene has not been recognized as the grounds for the late- onset type, hereditary factors do come into view to participate a role in its growth.

Alzheimers disease is more than deterioration due to aging
Alzheimers is an ailment and must not be perplexed with old age. Some of the early symptoms of the disease, such as lack of memory, do match up with old age. The memory loss sourced by Alzheimers, however, is far sterner and ever growing. Ultimately, Alzheimers disease obliterates not just the reminiscence of details, but all recollection of the happening itself.

A Degenerative Medical Condition
Though psychiatric signs are an important component of the sickness, Alzheimers is a degenerative therapeutic state and not a cerebral disorder. It is an outcome from deterioration of the brain. It leads to a thrashing of brain abilities and behavior changes that are harsh enough to hinder with communal and work-related performance.

Is it just memory loss Coming back to our thesis statement Alzheimers disease is an alteration of individuals actions, behavior, cognition, understanding, bodily abilities and memory. Some examples are as follows

Memory loss Forgetting information or data learnt recently is among the many common signs of dementia. Memory loss results in a person forgetting often and not being able to remember the information afterwards.

Difficulty performing familiar tasks People afflicted with dementia frequently find it tough to plan or complete daily errands. These people may forget the different steps that are required to prepare a meal, making a phone call or even strategies to play a game.

Problems with language People with Alzheimers usually cannot recall easy words or replace atypical words, making their verbal communication or writing hard to comprehend. They may be incapable of finding toothbrush, for instance

Perplexity to time and place People with Alzheimers can turn out to be mislaid in their own neighborhood, not remember where they are and how did they manage to get there, and not know how to get back to their homes.

Reduced or declining judgment Those with Alzheimers may wear inappropriate clothes, tiring several layers on a tepid day or little clothes in the wintry. They may show deprived ruling, like giving away big sums of cash to telemarketers.

Problems with conceptual idea Someone with Alzheimers may have strange complexity in undergoing multifaceted psychological tasks, such as not remembering what figures are for and how they ought to be utilized.

Misplacing things An individual with Alzheimers may put things in strange places.
Changes in temper or actions Patients with Alzheimers may show rapid mood swings that are switching of mood from tranquil to crying to fury. Alarming is that they do not have any reason for it.
Changes in behavior The personalities can alter radically. They may become tremendously puzzled, doubtful, afraid, or reliant on a family member.

Loss of ability to take initiative A person with Alzheimers may become very inert, seated in from of the television for long hours, sleeping for long hours, or not wanting to do common tasks (Lawlor, 1996).
The most frequently accounted non-cognitive indications are anxiety, bad temper, tiredness, fatigue, boredom, psychomotor features, apprehension and unhappiness. This does not fall into the domain of memory loss (Frisoni, et al., 1999). Some of the indications of Alzheimers which can be accomplished from the above discussion held so far include fret, nervousness, anxiety, bad temper, neuro-vegetative indication, eating problems, sleep problems, isolation, dysphoric mood, weeping, variable frame of mind, anhedonia, blameworthy, death thoughts, biased slowing, anergia, constraint performing activities, pragmatic slowing, grief, fearful ideas and deformation of awareness.

Conclusion
Owing to the surfacing of non-cognitive symptoms at any phase of the sickness and resisting a prototype of systematic weakening over time, the relationships flanked by non-cognitive symptoms and patient uniqueness may clarify the curved pattern of demonstration and the possible definition between the neuropsychiatric and neuro behavioral symptom incidence during the disease process. Non-cognitive symptoms that do not associate with cognitive condition, for example, may be likely to take place at any phase of the disease, and may be idiosyncratic and difficult for caregivers, in contrast to symptoms that associate with cognitive status and cruelty of the illness.

Non-cognitive turbulence come into view all over the disease course, impact considerably on the burden of care and usually impulsive to the caregivers choice to institutionalize the Alzheimers disease patient. Whether these indicative incidents are merely a purpose of the disease course, social-psychological phenomenon in reaction to the disease or a mixture of both are presently the foundation of many hypotheses and need much broader investigation (Alzheimer, 1977).

All Alzheimers patients are individuals and their situation should be evaluated logically by the caregiver and relatives. Taking care of these patients at home typically helps them alter to the loss of cerebral and corporal abilities. At present, nearly seventy percent of these patients are cared for at home (Hesdorffer  Mayeux, 1990). It is essentially significant in any case for care providers to publicize themselves with Alzheimers disease and appreciate what they will meet psychologically and monetarily. As the illness progresses, patients ultimately need constant and continuous care. Community resources can help get extensive information regarding the day cares and welfare centers that can provide good care in time. They will provide assistance in providing care at present and also arrange for long term prospects. They can help in dealing with the present and assist in planning for the future. Due to monetary constraints, not all families can provide care at their home. Most of the patients are sent to outside care providers as the final phase is about to begin. Nursing homes are a better choice for such however can be quite costly. If the family chooses a nursing home, the capability should be visited to decide its quality of care and its ability to meet the individual needs of the patients suffering from Alzheimers disease.