By : Lamiaa Moustafa Elbosaty
Alzheimer's Disease : Is the most common cause of dementia in older adults, representing 60% to 80% of dementias. Subtypes of Alzheimer's disease are defined by age of onset; early onset Alzheimer's disease is used to define onset in age 65 or under, late onset Alzheimer's disease for onset after age 65. The late onset Alzheimer's disease is much more common than early onset Alzheimer's disease, but the early onset Alzheimer's disease has a more rapid progression" (NIH, 2004). The female to male ratio is approximately 2 to 1. It will become a greater public health problem as the society continues to grow (Sadock and Sadock, 2005).
Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative, progressive neuropsychiatric disorder that results in cognitive impairment, emotional and behavioral changes, physical and functional decline, and ultimately death. This disease robs its victims of every thing learning in life, so that they are unable to fall back on preserved intelligence (Boyd, 2005).
A simple way to describe the difference between normal forget- fullness of aging and Alzheimer's disease is seen in the behavior described below: With advancing age or with increased stress, an individual may say "where are my keys? Where I did place them? I can't find them anywhere?" After several stressful moments, the keys are usually found and events are over. However, if a person with Alzheimer's disease is handed a set of keys, he or she looks at them blankly, handles them awkwardly, and has no idea about what they are for or what to do with them (Allender, 2001).
Onset is gradual, and verbal memory is often affected first. Alzheimer's disease loses judgment and reasoning and safety becomes an issue early in the disease process. Victims of Alzheimer's disease may wander away from home and can't tell anyone exactly where they live, or they may forget that a stove can get hot and burn themselves while trying to cook. They neglect their health and are even unaware of whether they are experiencing major health problems (Mace & Rabins, 2001).
The client demonstrates depression, agitation, sleeplessness, and anxiety which upset the family normal routine. The motor activity increases in the evening (sundowning), aggression is common, both verbal and physical often takes the form of resistance to help with personal care. Serious physical violence to others is rare. Mood changes are common, and more than half suffers of depressive symptoms. Hallucinations occasionally occur in late stage of Alzheimer's disease .Client may under or over eat, with associated changes in weight and nutritional state. Changes in sexual behavior occur, usually with reduction in drive (Ritchie & Lovestone, 2002).
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