Alzheimer’s Disease The Importance of Public Awareness...

Imagine greeting your grandmother and being met with a blank stare. Think about how it would feel to watch as your father forgets how to drive or dress himself. Picture your own mother crying out for her long dead parents and siblings. Try to envision the look on a loved one’s face as you tell them that they can no longer live at home alone. Now put yourself in their place-- slowly losing your freedom, your memory, and your very identity. Welcome to the world of Alzheimer’s disease. This is the reality that nearly fifteen million caregivers and over five million patients must face every day. Public awareness must be raised about Alzheimer’s disease and the people it affects. Alzheimer’s disease was discovered in 1906 by German†¦show more content†¦Plaque deposits are clumps of protein and dead cells in the grey matter as well as along blood vessels within the brain. Intracellular flaws have been found in nerve cells of Alzheimer’s patients , such as mutations in the cell structures that make them unable to change genetic information into proteins, a step that is necessary for memories to be stored. A major factor appears to be chemical imbalances caused by lack of enzymes needed to make chemicals for transmitting information from one cell to another. It is unknown how these defects are interrelated, and more study needs to be done to determine the connections and causes. If Alzheimer’s disease was given more attention in the public eye, that would stimulate more medical research to determine how the disease works and maybe even point to prevention or a cure. As these abnormalities begin to occur in the brain, the first outward symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is mild memory loss. This occurs gradually over a period of time, and often remains ignored until it begins to interfere with the person’s work or social life. It is often difficult for patients and family to acknowledge a slowly worsening mem ory. Forgetting small things like names and appointments is attributed to the aging process, as are mental declines such as the loss of quick mental calculation. Elderly people who are suspected to have Alzheimer’s disease are more likely toShow MoreRelatedThe Awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease and the Effect it has on Alzheimer Research1718 Words   |  7 Pages Alzheimer Disease is a disease in which the brain degenerates. Many people throughout the whole entire world are affected by this disease. The brain degenerates, and people begin to have trouble remembering things. The brain degeneration progresses over the duration of the disease until the diagnosed individual cannot function without help. Alzheimer is the most common form of dementia, and about 60 to 80 percent of all Dementia cases are Alzheimer’s disease. 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