BLOG POST 17: The ALZHEIMER'S

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ALZHEIMER'S ailment is a progressive disorder that causes brain cells to deteriorate, slowly making it inactive. ALZHEIMER'S ailment is the most common cause of DEMENSIA. This causes a steady decline in human thinking, behaviour and social skills. At the same time it impedes the patient's ability to function independently.

In 1906, Dr.  Alois Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. Since then, the ailment is named after the doctor's name.

Symptoms:
Initial symptoms of ALZHEIMER'S ailment can be forgetting events or interactions. As the ailment progresses, patients begin to suffer memory loss and lose the ability to perform everyday tasks.They may have difficulty in organising their thoughts. A family member or a close friend are more likely to notice all these symptoms in the patient. ALZHEIMER'S ailment may cause increased discomfort due to changes in brain function:

Rememberance:
Everyone has an occasional memory lapse. It is common that you may forget your house keys or car keys, or forget the name of an acquaintance while talking. But after a while, one remembers all the things that have been forgotten. But memory loss in ALZHEIMER'S ailment, continues as if something has been completelyerased from the brain memory leaving the person totally blank. And this condition starts to deteriorate slowly, which affects the ability to work at home or office.


Some symptoms regarding changing behaviours in ALZHEIMER'S ailment patients :
• Repeating statements and questions.
• Forget communications, appointments, events and cannot recollect them later.
• Regular misuse of assets, often placing them in irrational places.
• Forget a familiar place such as home or office address.
• Eventually the names of family members and everyday objects are forgotten.
• Have trouble finding the right words to identify objects, express ideas or participate in conversations.

Some thoughts and arguments associated with ALZHEIMER'S ailment:
ALZHEIMER'S ailment causes difficulty concentrating and thinking, especially regarding abstract resolutions such as numbers. Multi-tasking is particularly difficult, and can be a challenge for finance management or timely bill payments.

Impact on decision making:
Appropriate judgment and decision-making ability in everyday situations start declining. For example, a person may make a bad or unnatural choice in social interaction or wear clothing that is unsuitable for the weather.

Effect on regular tasks:
In the event of increasing disease, the struggle begins for necessary and regular activities like planning daily cooking or playing favourite sports. Finally, patients with advanced ALZHEIMER'S 
ailment can start forgetting basic tasks such as getting ready, everyday household chores like having a bath, having lunch or dinner or forgetting after having it.

Changes in personality and behavior:
Brain changes in ALZHEIMER'S ailment can affect mood and behaviour. In such cases the following elements can be noticed:
• Depression.
• Apathy.
• Start keeping distance from society, friends, family.
• Change in mood.
• Irritability and Aggression.
• Changes in sleeping habits.
• Meaningless Wandering.
• Hesitate to speak the mind.
• Confusion, Faithlessness, feeling of having stolen something.

When can it be necessary to see a doctor?
If patients are concerned about their memory getting affected or other thinking skills, noticing any symptoms of memory loss or DEMENTIA, they need to talk to a Psychiatrist for a diagnosis. If anyone notices the thinking skills of a family member or friend are getting affected frequently, then they need to talk about their concerns and ask that family member or the friend about seeing a doctor and even make yourself available for them for an appointment together.

Reasons:
Scientists believe that for most people, ALZHEIMER'S ailment is caused by a combination of heredity, lifestyle, and environmental factors, which can affect brain function over time.

ALZHEIMER'S ailment is less than 1% due to specific genetic changes. Usually this disease can start in middle age.

The definitive causes of ALZHEIMER's ailment are not fully understood, but at its core are brain protein problems that fail to function normally, disrupt the function of neurons, and toxic events. A series of Neurons get damaged, loose connection with each other and eventually die.


Damage most oftenly begins in the area of ​​the brain that controls memory, but the process begins years before the first symptoms.The loss of neurons spreads to other areas of the brain in a somewhat predictable pattern. By the late stages of the ailment, the brain shrunks to a great extent.

Some risky issues related to ALZHEIMER'S ailment:

01) Age:
Ageing is the greatest risk of ALZHEIMER'S ailment. Though ALZHEIMER'S is not a part of ageing, but as ageing proceeds, the likelihood of ALZHEIMER'S ailment increases.  According to research, in every1000 people, 02 patients of ALZHEIMER'S are found between the ages of 65 to 74, 11 new patients, between 75 and 84, and approximately 37 new patients between the age of 85 and above.

02) Family History:
The risk of developing ALZHEIMER'S ailment is somewhat higher if an extremely close relative such as a parent or sibling has had ALZHEIMER'S ailment. Although there is not much difference in the risk of having ALZHEIMER'S ailment in both men and women, research says women are more likely to develop ALZHEIMER'S ailment because they have a longer life span than men.


03) Mild Cognitive Impairment:
Mild Cognitive Impairment brings deterioration in memory or other thinking skills but it does not hinder the work related to the life of the deceased. It tends to be more symptomatic of DEMENSIA.

04) ALZHEIMER'S ailment is at greater risk if there has been a some deep injury to the head in the past.

05) Sleep disturbance:
According to research, sleep disorders, such as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, are associated with an increased risk of ALZHEIMER'S ailment disease.

06) Lifestyle and heart health:
Research has shown that heart disease disorders can also increase the risk of ALZHEIMER'S ailment.  For instance:

• Lack of exercise.
• Obesity.
• Exposure to smoke or second hand smoke.
• High Blood Pressure.
• High Cholesterol.
• Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes.

Some observations associated with ALZHEIMER:

Loss of memory and language, deteriorating decision-making and other changes caused by ALZHEIMER'S ailment can result in complex treatment for any other health conditions. A person suffering from ALZHEIMER'S ailment may also have the following problems:

01) It can be difficult to express any kind of suffering.
02) It can be difficult to tell about the symptoms of any other disease.
03) It may be difficult to follow a prescribed treatment plan.
04) Pay attention to the side effects of the medicine or it can be difficult to describe it.
05) Trouble swallowing food, maintaining balance or control of bowel and bladder begin to decrease.
06) Pneumonia and other infections.
07) Fractures.
08) Bed sores.
09) Malnutrition.

Some measures to take care of the patient suffering from ALZHEIMER'S ailment:

01) Do not leave the patient alone at home or allow them to go out on their own.
02) Do not treat them disrespectfully.
03) Do not make fun of their newly developed forgetting habit.
04) Help them to remind the forgotten things, by making small paper chits and writing about the details and keeping it around them.
05) Always leave the name, mobile number and home address of the nearest family member or friend in their purse or wallet. If the patient forget their the name or address, someone can help them safely reach their house.

Measures of Prevention from ALZHEIMER'S ailment:

There is no definitive cure for ALZHEIMER'S ailment or it is not a preventable condition either.  However, due to some changes in lifestyle can certainly help to overcome the risk of ALZHEIMER'S ailment. If changes in diet, habits and regular exercise can help reduce the risk of heart disease, then these changes can reduce the development of ALZHEIMER'S ailment and other disorders that cause memory loss. Some synonymous remedies appropriate for taking care of heart health with a healthy lifestyle can also reduce the risk of ALZHEIMER'S ailment. They can be as follows:

01) Regular Exercise.
02) Some brain and mind related work needs to be included in routine. So that the state of mind also remains healthy.
03) Eat less saturated fat food, opt for fresh and healthy oil suitable foods
04) Maintain balance of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol ailments through proper diet 
05) If you have a habit of smoking, seek the help of a doctor to quit it.

Research has shown that to avoid ALZHEIMER'S ailment in old age, it is necessary to have efficient thinking, participating in social events, reading habit, interest in dancing, playing board games, doing any art related work and keeping the mind busy in some way. As per the saying- Empty mind is the Devil's workshop, it will not be wrong to say that Empty Mind can also be ALZHEIMER'S ailment workshop.

For blog related suggestions and comments, please select one of the three options:
 

01) Email at koonalblogs@gmail.com

 

02) In the comment box located on the blog, comment as option, just enter your name in the Name / URL.

 

03) In the comment box on the blog, comment as option, select the Anonymous option.

 

Keep reading and sharing the forthcoming blogs to gain information and awareness about different mental ailments. Till then stay safe and healthy, MENTALLY & PHYSICALLY.


- (KD Blogs)

✍© Kunal Deshpande.

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