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More Alzheimers Disease Info..... |
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ALZHEIMERS |Alzheimers Medication | Alzheimers Stage | Alzhemiers | Alzhiemer | Alzhiemers |
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Alzheimer's disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a
German doctor. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain
tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. He found
abnormal clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of
fibers (now called neurofibrillary tangles). Today, these plaques and
tangles in the brain are considered signs of AD. |
Scientists also have found other brain changes in people with AD. Nerve cells die in areas of the brain that are vital to memory and other mental abilities, and connections between nerve cells are disrupted. There also are lower levels of some of the chemicals in the brain that carry messages back and forth between nerve cells. AD may impair thinking and memory by disrupting these messages.
Alzheimer's disease is a major public health challenge since the
median age of the industrialized world's population is increasing
gradually. Indeed, much of the concern about the solvency of
governmental social safety nets is founded on estimates of the costs of
caring for baby boomers, assuming that they develop Alzheimer's in the
same proportions as earlier generations. For this reason, money spent
informing the public of available effective prevention methods may yield
disproportionate benefits. |
The role of family caregivers has also become more prominent, as care in the familiar surroundings of home may delay onset of some symptoms and delay or eliminate the need for more professional and costly levels of care. However, home-based care may entail tremendous economic, emotional, and even psychological costs as well. Family caregivers often give up time from work and foregoing pay to spend 47 hours per week on average with an affected loved one who frequently cannot be left alone. From a survey of patients with long term care insurance, direct and indirect costs of caring for an Alzheimer's patient average $77,500 per year.
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ALZHEIMERS |Alzheimers Medication | Alzheimers Stage | Alzhemiers | Alzhiemer | Alzhiemers
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