Alzheimers

Marisa Obercon

Psycology

March 5th, 2005

Alzheimer's Disease; Memory

Dementia is a progressive brain dysfunction. The clinical definition of dementia is "a deterioration in intellectual performance that involves, but is not limited to, a loss in at least 2 of the following areas: language, judgment, memory, visual or depth perception, or judgment interfering with daily activities" (Institute,1996, p.4)

The most common form of dementia among older people is Alzheimer's disease. Some symptoms may include memory loss, inability to perform routine tasks, mood changes, personality changes, often difficulty in using the right words, and difficulty understanding what people say. This disease is named after a man named, Dr. Alzheimer. He noticed in 1906 changes in women's brain tissue after they passed away from an unusual mental illness. He had found tangled bundles of fiber and abnormal clumps, which today are now signs of Alzheimer's disease. (http://www.alz.co.uk/alzheimers/)

Alzheimer's is one of the most common and most feared diseases spread among the elderly community. it was once thought to be a natural part of aging, but in reality it is a severely debilitating form of mental dementia. Although some other forms of dementia are curable or effectively treatable, there is currently no cure for the Alzheimer's. It begins at first with symptoms and it starts slowly. One of the first symptoms may be some forgetfulness. Activities, names of people they have known, or names of things they are familiar with are often forgotten. Scientists have researched and now think that as many as 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's. http://www.alz.co.uk/alzheimers/) The initial symptoms of the disease are usually brushed off as a natural