FREE ESSAY ON ALZHEIMER'S

ALZHEIMER'S

Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that is growing in numbers every single year. People
over the age of 65 are the ones that need to worry most about getting it, yet some people
that are younger can still get it. This disease is a terrible disease and can be scary
and frustrating. Doctors have a very difficult time diagnosing it because there are so
many things that are similar to this disease. This disease not only destroys the lives of
the victims, but also can ruin the lives of the people that take care of them. At this
time there is not a cure, but many scientists are working very hard to find a cure for
this terrible disease.
Today there are almost 4 million Americans that suffer from Alzheimer's disease. It is
estimated that this disease will claim 14 million victims by the year 2050. Experts
believe this because of greater life expectancy (Beck 36).
Meanwhile, almost 4 percent of Americans beween the ages of 65 to 74 will get this
disease. For the people between the ages of 75 through 84 it is expected to strike ten
percent, and people over the age of 85 have a 17 percent chance of contracting this
horrifying disease (Larson 517). It can also strike the lives of people in their forties
or fifties, although this is not that common (Fish 19).
Undeniably, Alzheimer's is an extremely terrible disease to get because one loses memory,
self-pride, and independence to care for one's self. Because so little information is
known about this disease by the public and even medical experts, it is described as a
silent disease (Frank 13).
In 1906 a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist by the name of Dr. Alois Alzheimer
discovered and named this disease. He had a female patient that was experiencing memory
loss, confusion, depression, and hallucinations. She died in a nursing home at the age of
55. Dr. Alzheimer wanted to conduct an autopsy to see if he could figure out exactly what
had caused her mysterious death. He discovered two startling abnormalities, inside and
outside the brain cells. 
Tissue lying inside the cell bodies or nuclei of neurons exhibited an abnormally high
number of fine nerve fibers or filaments, twisted around each other. He called these
twisted fibers neurofibrillary tangles. He also saw unusually high numbers of fibrous
plaques located between brain cells, composed of degenerating terminal dendrites or
burned out nerve endings that surrounded fibrous amyloid protein. These abnormalties were
known as senile or neuritic plaques. (Fish 63)
Today there are many different theories of what causes Alzheimer's. Some experts believe
that the intake of too much aluminum may play an important role in what causes
Alzheimer's, although there is no evidence yet (Gallo 64). Others believe that there are
three genes that are somehow part of the problem (62). Yet other scientists suspect that
it could be some sort of viral defect (Mace 383). Some scientists even believe that head
trauma may be the cause of this horrifying disease. Some studies showed that people who
have had head injuries in the past get this disease more than people who have not had any
head injuries (384). It may also be possible that Alzheimer's disease is hereditary and
passed on through the genes (Frank 55). Some scientists believe that the amount of
mitochondria in the cells may play an important role in what causes Alzheimer's disease.
They have found that 8.3 percent of Alzheimer's patients had a mitochondrial DNA
mutation. This can possibly leave the brain cells starved of energy, and in turn cause
them to die (Travis 84).
Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that leaves its victims confused, disoriented, and
dependent on others. It is hard for the victims to even realize that they have the
disease in the early stages. Relatives or close friends of the victim may not even
realize what is happening because it is so gradual. They may think that the victim is
acting the way they are due to old age. 
The first stage of Alzheimer's can last anywhere from two to four years. The first thing
that starts to happen is usually memory loss; victims may forget events or names. They
may also have a hard time concentrating on something or learning new things (Fish 66).
Then they may become confused and disoriented. Victims might get lost and forget the day,
month, and year easily. The person may have a difficult time completing sentences when
talking. He or she may be unable to follow directions. Victims can also have a difficult
time completing familiar tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and performing their job. The
victim's mood changes and this leads to depression (67). Last of all they may neglect
their personal hygiene, such as brushing their teeth or taking a bath (68).
In the early stages of Alzheimer's there is a gradual loss of mental and physical
abilities (Frank 15). The victims seem to suffer physical damage to some parts of their
brain (21). This damage to the brain is in the form of lesions, abnormal changes in the
brain cells themselves. Lesions can only be observed clearly during an autopsy of the
brain (22). These lesions are usually found in the limbic system or other parts of the
brain that help in the controlling of memory and learning. The presence of lesions
somehow disturb brain cells, and in turn cause one to lose one's memory (23).
As previously stated, Alzheimer's is an extremely difficult disease to recognize or
diagnose in the early stages. Other illnesses are similar in the way that they affect the
brain and some mental disorders are also similar. Mental confusion, irrational behavior,
and loss of memory is classified under dementia (31).
For a doctor to find out if a patient has Alzheimer's he must find a way to rule out
possibilities of the patient having some other dementing illness. The doctor asks various
questions about the person's general health and present condition to help in ruling out
other dementing illnesses (32).
The second stage of Alzheimer's leaves the victims basically helpless. Their behavior can
become extremely unpredictable in some people. This stage can last from two to ten years.
The victims have continued and progressive memory loss which can make it impossible for
them to remember past and even current events (Fish 68). The victims may become severely
disoriented and confused. He or she may lose the ability to recognize loved ones and even
their own reflection. The victims might wander away and get lost. The victims become
unable to express themselves and to complete sentences. They go through mood swings and
personality changes which are usually short lived. The victim may wander around at night
or repeat movements over and over. They suffer from behavior problems and can have
hallucinations. Sometimes they hide things and then wreck things when they are trying to
find the thing they hid in the first place. Their motor activity becomes impaired and
they may have a tough time buttoning their shirt or tying their shoelace. They may
experience muscle twitching (69). They may also tend to lose their sense of balance
(70).
Scientists have tried a variety of drugs to cure Alzheimer's disease, but they have not
been successful yet. There have been hundreds of drugs tested on Alzheimer's patients,
but none have been totally successful. Most of them were found either ineffective or
caused some serious side effects (Mace 381). Lecithin was one type of drug that was tried
but it was found to be ineffective. However, a drug by the name of tacrine has shown to
help a few people with Alzheimer's disease, but then more in-depth studies showed that
these benefits could not be confirmed (382).
Various medications may be prescribed to help with any behavior problems that the patient
might have. Medications such as antidepressands or antipsychotic are sometimes given in
small doses to patients in order to control their behavior problems (Larson 518). 
It is rather disappointing that scientists have not found a cure for this disease yet,
but they believe that there is still hope that one day they will find a cure.
This disease can be extremely hard to live with if one does not have any close friends or
relatives. Here is a story of a man named Andrew who had to go through this disease with
no one to help him.
Andrew's wife died when he was 65. He retired from his job and moved to a trailer park
(Frank 68). He did not have any children, and he didn't have any relatives that lived
close by. He also had no friends.
No one knew him that well, so when he started to show some early signs of Alzheimer's
disease no one even noticed.
Some of his cousins were surprised that they didn't hear from him over the holidays, but
soon forgot about it because they were so busy with their own lives. His neighbors
started to notice that he didn't dress neatly anymore, and that he didn't take care of
his yard anymore. His neighbors all thought that someone else should check on Andrew to
see if he needed any help.
After about two years he started to wander around outside. One morning he was found
sleeping under a tree a few blocks from his house. He was very confused and could not
tell anyone where he lived.
The family that found him called the police, realizing that Andrew was ill. They took him
to the emergency room at the nearby hospital. Finally a nurse got him to tell her his
name. No relatives or close friends could be found, so he was admitted to the hospital
(69).
He was diagnosed with having Alzheimer's disease, but the hospital could not find anyone
to take care of him. A social worker also tried, but had no luck.
He was sent to the state mental hospital because he had some financial problems and could
not afford to stay at a nursing home. He had no choice in deciding this. 
Andrew soon realized where he was and wanted to get out. He could not afford it, so he
had to stay where he was (70). Soon a guardian was found for him, and took care of him
until he died five years later (71).
It is extremely difficult to have Alzheimer's. It can be even more devastating if the
victim is not financially secure. This can make it hard to find a place to stay. In
Andrew's case, he also had no friends or relatives to help him through it.
The victims of this disease are often felt sorry for, but people usually don't think of
the people that take care of the Alzheimer's victim. It can be very rough on the
caretaker in many different ways.
There is a chance that the person taking care of the victim may feel angry or frustrated.
He may be angry that he has to deal with this problem, angry that other family members
fail to do their share. He might be angry at the Alzheimer's victim for his unusual
behavior (Mace and Rabins 259). 
The caregiver may feel embarrassed about the way that the Alzheimer's victim acts around
others that do not understand exactly what is wrong with the victim (263). The caretaker
may feel guilty about the way that he is acting around the victim or for using harsh
words at the victim when he loses his temper (264).
The caregiver might be hopeful that there will be some cure for Alzheimer's sometime soon
in the future, but yet discouraged that there is not a cure right now and the possibility
that there may not be a cure for a long time (272).
Taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer's can be extremely tiring and even frustrating.
It can totally change the way that a person lives his life. A group called the
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association(ADRDA), made up of mostly families
of Alzheimer's victims, helps people to get through the difficulties of being a guardian
or caretaker. This group has meetings at which members can express their personal
feelings and experiences with Alzheimer's victims. They can also share what they do to
deal with the problems that they have encountered (Frank 72). It also does research to
help find the causes of Alzheimer's and a cure for this disease (Fish 52). This group has
recently changed its name to Alzheimer's Association (51).
Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that destroys the lives of many people and will
probably destroy many more as life expectancy increases. The victims know that the
disease will slowly eat away at the life that they have left inside of them. They also
know that there is no known cure at this time to help them overcome this terrible
disease, so they can live their life like a normal person. 
offer from Alzheimer's disease.
Bibliography
Works Cited
Beck, Melinda. Alzheimer's Terrible Toll. Newsweek 2 October 1995: 36.
Fish, Sharon. Alzheimer's. Illinois: Lion Publishing Company, 1990.
Frank, Julia. Alzheimer's Disease The Silent Epidemic. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications 
Company, 1985.
Gallo, Nick. The Agony of Alzheimer's. Better Homes and Gardens July 1995: 60-66.
Larson, David E., MD, ed. Mayo Clinic Family Health Book. New York: William 
Morrow and Company, Inc., 1990.
Mace, Nancy L., and Peter V. Rabins. The 36-Hour Day. New York: The Johns Hopkins 
University Press, 1991. 
Travis, J. Do Brain Cells Run Out of Gas? Science News 5 August 1995: 84.