- What is dementia?
- What is Alzheimer's disease?
- What are the warning signs of Alzheimer's?
- Is Alzheimer's disease a natural part of aging?
- Who gets Alzheimer's disease?
- What should I do if I notice warning signs in a family member or friend?
- Why should a person be concerned about getting a proper diagnosis?
- What treatments are available for Alzheimer's disease?
- Does family history increase the risk of getting Alzheimer's?
- What resources are available for caregivers?
- How should I approach the subject of Alzheimer's disease with a teenager or young child?
- What should I do if a memory-impaired person does not understand an explanation or reasoning?
Dementia is a term used to describe the loss of intellectual functioning, such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning, severe enough to interfere with a person's daily functioning. Dementia can be caused by many different illnesses including treatable ones like urinary tract infections and vitamin deficiencies. There are also irreversible forms of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease. Other forms of irreversible dementia include Lewy Body dementia, vascular dementia, Pick's disease, and Huntington's disease. While irreversible forms of dementia are treatable in the sense that cholinesterase inhibitors may slow the decline, there is currently no cure.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative brain disorder. Characteristics of Alzheimer's disease include memory loss, impaired language skills, impaired spatial ability and orientation, impaired judgment, decline in motor skills and physical abilities, behavior changes, and lack of initiation.
Click here for more information on Alzheimer's disease.
Warning Signs of Alzheimer's
- Recent memory loss
- Difficulty performing familiar or routine tasks
- Problems with language
- Disorientation of time and place
- Poor or decreased judgment
- Problems with abstract thinking
- Misplacing things
- Changes in mood or behavior
- Changes in personality
- Loss of initiative
More Information on Warning Signs
Alzheimer's...natural part of aging
NO! Although advancing age increases the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease, it is not a normal part of aging.
Who gets...
Alzheimer's disease mostly affects people over the age of 65. Approximately 10% of the population are affected. Advancing age is a risk factor of this illness. Of the population over the age of 85, approximately 50% are affected. Early onset Alzheimer's disease affects individuals under the age of 65.
What should I do if I notice warning signs
Because there are many causes of dementia, including reversible or treatable ones, it is very important that a comprehensive evaluation be completed to determine the cause. A memory disorders clinic team or neurologist and neuropsychologist specializing in dementing illnesses can complete the evaluation.
Why should a person be concerned about...
Getting a proper diagnosis is important because every effort should be made to reverse the symptoms if the cause is a reversible form of dementia, such as urinary tract infections, vitamin deficiencies, and thyroid problems.
Secondly, if the diagnosis is one of the irreversible forms of dementia like Alzheimer's disease, it is important to begin treatment with a cholinesterase inhibitor as soon as possible. Studies show that the earlier a person begins this treatment, the more the medication helps the condition.
Finally, the earlier a person is diagnosed, the more he/she will be able to plan for care and help his/her spouse and family tend to legal and financial planning.
What treatments are available...
Currently, there are four FDA approved medications, called cholinesterase inhibitors, which are prescribed to treat Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia such as Lewy Body dementia. The four medications are tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine. The latter three are the newest of the four and have been found to be beneficial to a large number of individuals with dementia like Alzheimer's disease. (Tacrine, the oldest of the four medications, is rarely prescribed due to side effects. The newer drugs are better tolerated with fewer side effects.) These medications are used to slow the decline. This, in turn, helps the person with memory impairment remain less dependent for care and supervision for a longer period of time. These medications, however, do not cure Alzheimer's or other irreversible forms of dementia.
Memantine has been approved by the FDA to treat Alzheimer's disease in more moderate stages. Memantine is a NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor blocker which may be prescribed along with one of the cholinesterase inhibitors.
For more information about these medications, talk to your neurologist. You can also e-mail DUBINCTR@aol.com or call (239-437-3007) the Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center.
Does family history increase the risk of getting Alzheimer's?
Family history is a risk factor. However, just because you have a family member with Alzheimer's disease does not mean you will definitely have Alzheimer's disease. Approximately 5% or less of all cases are the result of a genetic factor passed on from one generation to another.
What resources are available for caregivers support and information are both very important for families and caregivers. Caregivers benefit greatly from support group meetings and other activities where they can meet others who have a family member with dementia. Support groups are one of the many resources offered by the Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center.
Click here for information about a group near you
Other resources offered by the Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center include a bi-monthly newsletter, a Safety Program for caregivers and memory-impaired persons, individual assistance to caregivers, information and referral to access community resources, educational programs, and a lending library.
Click here for more information about these services.
How should I approach the subject of Alzheimer's disease with a teenager or young child?
Every member of the family, including teens and younger children, should be included in learning about the disease and how memory impairment affects the person and the family. The Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center has books and videos in their lending library geared at answering questions for teens and children as well as resources for middle school and high school students. The Dubin Alzheimer's Resource Center offers a scholarship program for high school seniors. For information, contact the center at (239) 437-3007 or email DUBINCTR@aol.com
Click here to download the scholarship application
What should I do if a person with memory impairment does not understand an explanation or reasoning?
Individuals with Alzheimer's disease or similar memory impairments lose the ability to understand reason or logical thinking. It is very important for the caregiver to change the way he/she interacts and communicates with a person with memory impairment. Avoid confrontation and do not argue. No one ever wins an argument with a person with memory impairment. Instead, validate his/her feelings and try to divert his/her attention to something else.
