What Is Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder which means that it destroys brain cells. Alzheimer’s disease always gets worse over time, but how quickly this happens varies from person to person. It causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior, which can be severe enough to affect work, hobbies or social life.

As the disease gets worse, the person may:

• Have trouble making decisions
• Be confused about what time and day it is
• Get lost in places he or she knows well
• Have trouble remembering recently learned information and forgetting where they put something
• Have difficulty performing normal tasks like cooking a meal
• Have changes in mood, behavior and personality

Diagnosis and Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

To diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, doctors ask questions about the person’s health and medical history and do a physical exam. They test the person’s memory and other mental skills and may also check how well the person can do daily activities. If a caregiver is present, they may ask this person about changes in the patient’s personality and behavior.

The doctor may also perform blood tests and tests such as a CT or MRI scan which look at the person’s brain.

There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease but there are medicines that may slow it down for a while and attempt to maintain quality of life for people diagnosed with the disease.

Since Alzheimer’s disease cannot be cured and gets progressively worse, care of the patient becomes very important. The role of the primary caregiver is often taken on by the spouse or a close relative and their love and support is necessary to meet the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease. It is very important that the primary caregiver is involved in decisions regarding the care and treatment of the patient.