Understanding Symptoms, Care Strategies for Person with Alzheimer’s Disease
Brief History of Alzheimer’s Disease
In the year 1901, a German psychiatrist named Alois Alzheimer discovered the symptoms related to Alzheimer’s disease. He followed one case of a woman up to age fifty until 1906 when she died. After her death, Alois autopsied her brain and found the presence of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles that have been proven to be the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s Disease. His colleague Emil Kraepelin described it first as a unique disease. After minimizing the original report’s clinical and pathological attributes. He termed it as presenile dementia in his eighth edition of the Textbook of Psychiatry on 15th July 1910.
In the later 1960s and 1970s, Alzheimer’s was regarded as a form of Dementia whose etiology was unknown, therefore, many research was done, and the techniques for diagnosis were highly developed. The 1980s had key discoveries concerning abnormal protein accumulation causing neuronal damage and loss in cognitive functions. The nineties introduced new imaging techniques that would enable early detection of the disease to open doors for proper treatment. The research is currently being done.
Today, several clinical trials use intervention methods that include targeting plagues and inflammation. Researchers are also examining how lifestyle interventions can interrupt or slow further cognitive decline.
What are the Early Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease?
The first symptom of Alzheimer’s varies in people; however, in most cases, it begins by loss of memory. Some suffer from mild cognitive impairment, a condition of recurrent problems regarding memory than usual.
Some of the symptoms include failure to perform tasks with which they were accustomed earlier, inability to comprehend visual images and relationships, losing track of things or the ability to retrace steps, confusion about time and place, and losing tract about dates. The victims of Alzheimer’s disease have difficulty in following or participating in a conversation due to language disorders. Language disorders are mostly marked by reduced vocabulary and slow word fluency.
What are the neuroscientific tests used in diagnosing Alzheimer’s?
Detailed images of the brain are generated using strong magnetic waves and radio waves in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and other neurological tests. Those images indicate shrinkage of certain areas of the brain that are linked to Alzheimer’s Disease. A type of PET scanning called Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET scanning is useful to establish whether the condition is Alzheimer’s Disease or one of the other forms of dementia. If there is any history of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in the family, then the person should seek Genetic testing.
Can a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease be Cured once Detected Early?
Presently, even if Alzheimer’s Disease is detected at the early stage of its development, there is no cure for it. But finding it at an earlier stage brings you into different clinical trials that may give medical benefits. Managing the symptoms properly with suitable drugs slows down the progression of the disease and can get people to settle comfortably for a longer time.
One of reasons leading to the development of Alzheimer’s is Stress
Several researches have indicated that stress is one of the most significant factors which contributes to Alzheimer’s Disease. The patient who leads a life with a lot of stress undergoes the destruction in his brain due to Alzheimer’s, resulting in severe dementia. The stress the patient takes on the treatments he needs to undergo, which causes the damaging effect to the seriousness of the patient’s potential to heal, cope with the treatment, and ultimately maintain a good quality of life.
Very few studies ended with the assumption that over-stressing worsens the disease. It has been well proven to activate the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis and elevate levels of circulating corticosteroids. This results in a set of symptoms which occur because of stress.
The connection between Alzheimer’s disease and stress is very complex. High levels of stress can severely deteriorate the state of affairs. An active social life, on the other hand, can easily nullify the effects of stress and be added up to the sum of general feelings of well-being.
Contribution of Lifestyle Change in Alzheimer’s Disease
Lifestyle modifications can turn out to be quite effective in the treatment of a patient diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Regular Exercise will improve the mood of a patient. It will keep the patient’s joints as well as heart healthy. An Alzheimer’s patient who cannot walk can do stretching or chair exercises. Dietary modification may go a long way in proving useful for an Alzheimer’s patient suffering from Type-2 diabetes. The risk of Alzheimer’s disease increases due to uncontrolled diabetes.
This enhances the quality of sleep, which can help clear beta-amyloid plaque in the brain and is one of the major hallmarks of the disease. Other lifestyle changes that may be helpful include listening to soothing music, getting a pet, and keeping a treasure trove of meaningful things and pictures in one’s house.
Impact on Patient’s Psychiatric Status in Alzheimer’s Disease
A person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s would experience dramatic changes mentally. If your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, then some interventions should be put in place to ensure their comfort in their environment. Familiarization of the environment should be pursued without noticeable alteration due to individuals with Alzheimer’s sensitivity to any environmental change.
Let them remember the happy times spent with dear people. In the event that they are under stress, then divert their mind by letting them feel the good memories made with loved people or while performing his or her favorite activity.
Most drugs that can be prescribed have annoying or even potentially hazardous side effects; for example, dizziness can cause falls. For these reasons, drugs are typically prescribed only for short periods when behavioral problems are extreme. Otherwise your close relative has explored safer non-drug therapies earlier.
Conclusion
Caregiving for Alzheimer’s Disease: It has been a challenge for a long time as it requires understanding, patience, and a comprehensive approach to improve their physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Although there is no cure of the disease, early detection would allow better management of symptoms through medications, lifestyle changes, and clinical trials. Stress reduction, providing a familiar safe environment, and encouraging social interactions are of immense importance to them to ensure a good quality of life.
Other than this care by the caregivers, lifestyle and diet modifications may also work to slow down the course of the disease. Such changes may even make the victims of Alzheimer’s Disease comfortable valued and loved throughout their journey.
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