About Alzheimer Disease

What is Alzheimer Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, which causes thinking and memory to become seriously impaired. It is the most common form of dementia.

Alzheimer's is characterized by "plaques"- numerous tiny deposits scattered throughout the brain which become toxic to brain cells at excessive levels and "tangles" which interfere with vital processes eventually choking off the living cells. As well, when brain cells degenerate and die, the brain markedly shrinks in some regions. As Alzheimers progresses and affects different areas of the brain, various abilities become impaired. The result is changes in abilities and/or behaviour. At present, once an ability is lost, it is not known to return. However, research is now suggesting that some relearning may be possible.

In general the following will gradually be affected by the disease:

• •  Mental Abilities - A person's ability to understand, think, remember, and communicate will be affected. The ability to make decisions will be reduced. Simple tasks that have been performed for years will become more difficult or be forgotten. Confusion and memory loss, initially for recent events and eventually for long-term events, will occur. The ability to find the right words and follow a conversation will be affected.
• •  Emotions and moods - A person may appear uninterested and apathetic, and may quickly lose interest in the hobbies they previously enjoyed. The ability to control mood and emotion may be lost. Some individuals are less expressive and are more withdrawn. However, it is now becoming clear that a person even in the later stages of the disease may continue to feel joy, anger, fear, love and sadness.
• •  Behaviour - Changes will develop in the way the person reacts to his or her environment. These actions may seem out of character for the person. Some common reactions include repeating the same action or words, hiding possessions, physical outbursts and restlessness.
• •  Physical abilities - The disease can affect a person's physical coordination and mobility, leading to a gradual physical decline. This will affect the person's ability to perform day-to-day tasks such as eating, bathing, and getting dressed.

For more information about Alzheimer Disease, contact the society at 519-271-1910.

10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer Disease

1. Memory loss that affects day-to-day function

It's normal to occasionally forget appointments, colleagues' names or a friend's phone number and remember them later. A person with Alzheimer's disease may forget things more often and not remember them later, especially things that have happened more recently.

2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks

Busy people can be so distracted from time to time that they may leave the carrots on the stove and only remember to serve them at the end of the meal. A person with Alzheimer's disease may have trouble with tasks that have been familiar to them all their lives, such as preparing a meal.

3. Problems with language

Everyone has trouble finding the right word sometimes, but a person with Alzheimer's disease may forget simple words or substitute words, making sentences difficult to understand.

4. Disorientation of time and place

It's normal to forget the day of the week or your destination - for a moment. But a person with Alzheimer's disease can become lost on their own street, not knowing how they got there or how to get home.

5. Poor or decreased judgment

People may sometimes put off going to a doctor if they have an infection, but eventually seek medical attention. A person with Alzheimer's disease may have decreased judgement, for example not recognizing a medical problem that needs attention or wearing heavy clothing on a hot day.

6. Problems with abstract thinking

From time to time, people may have difficulty with tasks that require abstract thinking, such as balancing a cheque-book. Someone with Alzheimer's disease may have significant difficulties with such tasks, for example not understanding what the numbers in the cheque book mean.

7. Misplacing things

Anyone can temporarily misplace a wallet or keys. A person with Alzheimer's disease may put things in inappropriate places: an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.

8. Changes in mood or behaviour

Everyone becomes sad or moody from time to time. Someone with Alzheimer's disease can exhibit varied mood swings - from calm to tears to anger - for no apparent reason.

9. Changes in personality

People's personalities can change somewhat with age. But a person with Alzheimer's disease can become confused, suspicious or withdrawn. Changes may also include apathy, fearfulness or acting out of character.

10. Loss of initiative

It's normal to tire of housework, business activities or social obligations, but most people regain their initiative. A person with Alzheimer's disease may become very passive, and require cues and prompting to become involved.

Alzheimer Canada

Related Dementias

Dementia is a syndrome consisting of a number of symptoms that include loss of memory, judgment and reasoning, and changes in mood, behaviour and communication abilities.

Some related dementias include:

Vascular dementia

Vascular Dementia(VaD) usually has a sudden onset immediately following a stroke. Strokes may alter the person's ability to walk, cause weakness in an arm or leg, slurred speech or emotional outbursts. VaD may follow a stepwise progression, where function can deteriorate, stabilize for a time and then deteriorate again. The cognitive symptoms may vary, affecting some areas of the brain more or less than others (e.g., language, vision or memory).

Frontotemporal Lobe dementia

The term frontotemporal dementia is used for a range of conditions including Pick's disease, frontal lobe degeneration and the dementia associated with motor neuron disease. In some cases, brain cells in these areas can shrink or die. In other cases, the brain cells in these areas get larger, containing round, silver "Pick’s bodies." In both situations, the changes affect the person’s functioning. In the early stage of Pick’s Disease, behaviour changes or problems with language can appear separately, while the person often remains oriented to time and has preserved memory. As the disease progresses, general symptoms of dementia arise, such as confusion and forgetfulness.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease(CJD) is a form of progressive dementia characterized by loss of nerve cells and degeneration of nerve cell membranes leading to the production of small holes in the brain. CJD usually has rapid onset and decline. Early symptoms include lapses in memory, mood swings similar to depression, lack of interest and social withdrawal. The person may become unsteady on his/her feet. Later symptoms may include blurred vision, sudden jerking movements and rigidity in the limbs. Eventually, movement and speech are lost. The person may experience slurred speech and have difficulty swallowing.

There are four main types of CJD: Sporadic CJD, Familial CJD, Transmissible CJD and Variant CJD. Variant CJD is believed to be caused by exposure to contaminated meat from cattle suffering from Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or "Mad Cow" disease.

Lewy Body dementia

Lewy body Dementia is a form of progressive dementia identified by abnormal structures in brain cells called "Lewy bodies" distributed in various areas of the brain. Lewy body Dementia can occur by itself, or together with Alzheimer or Parkinson’s Disease. Symptoms include a progressive loss of memory, language, reasoning and other higher mental functions (such as calculation), difficulty with short-term memory, finding the right word and sustaining a train of thought, depression and anxiety. The progression of the disease is usually rapid, with marked fluctuations in confusion varying from hour to hour or week-to-week, hallucinations are common and can be worse during times of increased confusion.

For more information on dementia, please contact the society office at 519-271-1910

10 Warning Signs of Caregiver Stress

1. Denial... about the disease and it's effect on the person with Alzheimer Disease.

2. Anger... at the person with Alzheimer Disease and others.

3. Withdrawing socially... you no longer want to stay in touch with friends or participate in activities you enjoyed.

4. Anxiety... about facing another day and what the future holds.

5. Depression... you feel sad and hopeless much of the time.

6. Exhaustion... you barely have the energy to complete your daily tasks

7. Sleeplessness... you wake up in the middle of the night or have nightmares and stressful dreams.

8. Emotional reactions... you cry at minor upsets; you are often irritable.

9. Lack of concentration... you have trouble focusing and you find it difficult to complete complex tasks.

10. Health problems... you may lose or gain weight, get sick more often (cold, flu), you may develop chronic health problems (backaches, headaches, high blood pressure).