Preview

How Does Alzheimer's Disease Affect Society

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
533 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does Alzheimer's Disease Affect Society
Alzheimer’s disease affects more people than we think in the society. In fact, the statistics do not lie. Since the population of Canada is composed with a lot of baby boomers, the numbers of people who reach 60 years old are dramatically high. That brings the Alzheimer’s disease as the second most feared disease by Canadians as they age. Half a million of Canadians are affected by this disease and 71 000 of them are below the age of 65 years old. This year, more than 103 000 Canadians will be diagnose with this disease. By 2038, this number can raise to 257 000 Canadians per year . Restricting them in their social life and in their daily activities, Alzheimer’s disease affects also the life of the circle of friends of those sick people. That is why, as a society, we need to understand what this disease is and what the treatments to cure it are. …show more content…

Alzheimer’s disease causes lesions in the brain. The symptoms of this degenerative disease are the change of behaviour, the difficulty to accomplish the things we use to do, and of course, the loss of the ability to think clearly, the memory loss . As soon as one of those symptoms appear, it is important to go see a professional. It is also important to understand that Alzheimer’s disease is not a part of the normal aging process, it is really a disease. This disease was discovered in 1906 by the neurologist Alois Alzheimer . He found out that there was gradual deterioration in the brain of the nerve cells caused by the Alzheimer’s disease. At this time, researchers have discovered that Alzheimer’s disease is not caused by stress or by hardening of the arteries, it affects men and women, and most important it is not a part of the normal aging

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    In the times in which we live, there are many hundreds of institutions that are working on the Alzheimer’s issue. Researchers are hoping to break the mysteries of this disease and wipe it from the face of the earth forever. It is estimated that there are now more than 5.2 million people in the United States living with AD and as the population ages; this number is expected to triple by the year 2050. Among baby boomers aged 55 and over, one in eight will develop AD and one in six will develop a dementia. Half of all persons 85 years and older will develop the disease. Although the illness usually develops in people age 65 or older, it is estimated that over 500,000 people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s have Alzheimer 's disease or a related dementia. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the country. According to the California Department of Public Health,…

    • 3191 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Alzheimer’s disease has been referred to as the “family disease”. Care for an individual with Alzheimer’s can be very difficult to cope with. It has a greater impact on the family members involved with the individual suffering from this disease, than other chronic diseases. There are support groups that can help family members adjust to this life changing disease. Alzhiemer’s disease also has an effect on businesses. Businesses are effected when they have employees who are also caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s disease. These cost to the business owners, includes paying out for: absenteeism; productivity losses; worker replacement cost; continuing insurance for workers on leave and temporary worker replacement fees; and Employee Assistance…

    • 117 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alzheimer’s disease is the most common of dementia which affects both memory and cognitive processes, such as our way of thinking , calculation, language and of planning process. As the shrinking of the brain is so obvious in…

    • 616 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and social/behavioral skills. The direct cause of it is not yet fully understood, but based on studies, the disease seems to be a result of the combination of genetic material, lifestyle, and environmental factors that affect the brain. While Alzheimer’s is most commonly found among people above the age of 65, it is not what would considered a normal part of aging. However, it is the most common risk factor for this disease. As the age of a person reaches 65, the risk of getting this disease doubles every five years.…

    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cardae Character Analysis

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Cardae- he did an excellent job with writing the names of the animals. He filled in every line in the correct place. His animal he chose was a lemming. He spelled it “laming” this was with him sounding it out. He got 5/7 letters correct in the spelling. His picture matched the poster we use for behavior. I thought it was cute how he made the connection. He followed the format of the story we read to write his own part. He did very well on this assignment. I would only ask that he sounds out the words more to get the correct spelling.…

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Alzheimer's disease, first described by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer, is a physical disease affecting the brain. During the course of the disease, protein 'plaques' and 'tangles' develop in the structure of the brain, leading to the death of brain cells. People with Alzheimer's also have a shortage of some important chemicals in their brain. These chemicals are involved with the transmission of messages within the brain. Alzheimers is a progressive disease which means that over time more parts of the brain are damaged. As this happens the sypstoms become more severe…

    • 3984 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “ Alzheimer’s disease first described by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer is a physical disease affecting the brain. During the course of the disease protein plaques and tangles develop in the structure of the brain, leading to the death of brain cells.…

    • 3686 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer was the first one to recognize the abnormality of a brain affected with Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. With Alzheimer’s the connections between the brain cells deteriorate and die, which causes the memory loss. There are many myths surrounding Alzheimer’s disease. “It is a normal part of aging” is one of the biggest. While some memory loss is expected with aging, Alzheimer’s is concerned with a severe amount of memory loss. The severity can limit a person’s ability to perform daily tasks. “Older people are the only ones who get it” is one that seems to go hand-in-hand with Alzheimer’s being a normal part of aging. While the majority of those who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are between the ages of 65-80, there are cases where early onset can be detected as early as ones 40s or 50s. Past treatments included treating some of the symptoms because there was no known cure. Medication to treat depression and memory loss were able to help some of the symptoms, but some had seen cognitive effects because of this.…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Alzheimer's - Essay 2

    • 1347 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Learning about Alzheimer’s disease and realizing that it is much more that just a loss of memory can benefit the families of those with the disorder as well as society. The purpose of this paper is to look at the disorder, as well as to discuss the history, symptoms, diagnosis and hopes of a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.…

    • 1347 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Has Alzheimer’s effected your family? If so, you’re not alone. I never knew much about it until a year ago when my grandmother Doris Addair got effected by the horrifying disease. Alzheimer’s is a progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. It effects 5.3 million Americans today and has no treatment. This makes the disease the 6th most leading cause of death in the elderly, two thirds of them being women. Alzheimer’s doesn’t only effect the memory, but the physical and mental functions of one’s life as well. Brain changes that occur in Alzheimer's disease can affect the way you act and how you feel. People with Alzheimer's may experience Depression, Apathy, Social…

    • 734 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Alzheimer's is a strange and mysterious illness. There are many frequently asked questions that must be answered.…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alzheimer’s affects more than 5.1 million Americans and nearly as 44 million people worldwide. “Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain's nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavioral changes,” (Alzheimer). Alzheimer’s is an illness that develops in individuals as they are aging and the number of cases of individuals developing Alzheimer’s have doubled in recent time. Alzheimer’s attacks the brain in ways the effects how a person lives their daily lives. It prevents people from being independent since it attacks the brain functions and causes them to become forgetful and confuse most of the time. During the early stages of Alzheimer’s individuals forget small things like where they placed something, and in later stages they…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alzheimer’s disease is characterized as a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. It is irreversible and it slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to perform simple tasks. Unfortunately, Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and over five million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s. There are many symptoms within each category of Alzheimer’s. In mild Alzheimer’s disease, where Alzheimer’s is usually diagnosed, the person presents with memory loss and other problems such as behavior changes, losing things, repeating questions, getting lost, and taking longer to complete activities of daily living. In the next category, moderate Alzheimer’s…

    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Approximately 5.4 million Americans now have Alzheimer's disease and by the year 2050, more than 15 million Americans could possibly be living with the disease, unless scientists or medical professionals develop new ideas to prevent, slow or cure it. (AHAF) Alzheimer’s is usually associated with old age but it can also be diagnosed in younger individuals. “Alzheimer's disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.” (ALZ) This is considered to be one of the most heartbreaking diseases for a loved one to go through, because you’re basically watching them mentally fall apart often to the point when they don’t even remember who you…

    • 1597 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alzheimer's Disease

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages

    percent of the neurons in this region were lost. But a ten percent loss is…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays