Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease: Just the Facts

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are claiming more and more lives every day, despite continuing research and treatment breakthroughs. In spite of the numbers, the general public has a low level of understanding when it comes to various types of dementia, causes, and available treatments.

For this reason, and a variety of others, many family members and friends who attempt to care for a loved one diagnosed with dementia fail to be effective caregivers and have to turn to senior care facilities or home health agencies to assume the responsibilities of care.

To be an effective caregiver for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, an in-depth understanding of the disease process, including a realistic look at the demands put on the caregiver, is necessary.

What is Dementia?

Dementia is a general term for the loss of memory and other cognitive abilities that are serious enough to interfere with daily life. There are many variations of dementia, along with different symptoms and treatments. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. It’s a progressive disease with a 100% fatality rate. Although forgetfulness can be a normal part of aging, Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of the aging process. People with Alzheimer’s disease live an average of eight years after their diagnosis, but survival can range from four to 20 years, depending on each person’s age and other health conditions.

Alzheimer’s Disease: The Stats:

• More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease

  • Most of those are65 or older

  • Approximately 200,000 are under 65 and have younger-onset Alzheimer

• By 2050, as many as 16 million Americans could be living with Alzheimer’s

• One in 10 people who are 65 or older has Alzheimer’s disease

• Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S.

Signs and Symptoms

The most common early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is difficulty remembering new information. Over time, dementia symptoms gradually worsen, going from mild memory loss in the early stages to the inability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment by the disease’s final stage. Here are some of the most common warning signs and symptoms:

• memory loss that disrupts daily life

• general confusion about time and place

• trouble following or joining a conversation

• bad judgment

• mood swings

• personality changes

• problems planning and solving problems

Is Treatment Available?

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease but drug and non-drug treatments may help the cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Although the available medications don’t cure Alzheimer’s disease or stop it from progressing, they can help lessen the symptoms for a limited time. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two types of medications, cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, to treat the cognitive symptoms.

Depending on each person’s preferences, there are also a variety of homeopathic treatments available. Herbal remedies, aromatherapy, dietary supplements and changes, and exercise are all non-medical ways to help ease the severity of symptoms.

Caring for Someone with Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease

If you care for someone living with Alzheimer’s disease, it’s important to understand that the disease will progress and the person’s ability to manage daily tasks will decline. It’s just as important to understand that caregiving can be stressful, frustrating, and overwhelming. Because of the progression of the disease, each day will bring new challenges and new stressors. Caregiver stress, the emotional and physical stress brought on by caregiving, is all too common and often left untreated and unmanaged.

Too much stress, especially over a period of time, can lead to a variety of health issues so caregivers need to recognize the signs of stress and consult a doctor if and when the stress becomes overwhelming.