Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and irreversible brain disease that slowly destroys memory, thinking skills, and the ability to perform daily tasks. The clinical definition for Alzheimer’s, 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 (AFA, 2013). Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia that is commonly found among older individuals. Most people with Alzheimer’s begin to experience symptoms after the age of 60 (NIH, 2012). Some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s are, disorientation, changes in behavior, impaired memory, thinking, and judgment. The symptoms develop slowly and worsen over time. This disease can cause severe damage to the brain that eventually causes cognitive loss and can even result in death. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States(Department of Health, 2012). The average life span for individuals with this disease are 8 years, once the symptoms are noticeable. However survival can range from 4 to 20 years but this may vary based on the person’s health and other conditions.
There are two forms of Alzheimer’s which are, early- onset that occurs as early as 30-60 years of age and late-onset Alzheimer’s, which develops after the age of 60. There are four main stages of this disease, the early stage which is when individuals begin to experience early symptoms. Mild Alzheimer’s is the second stage; disease progresses, memory lose worsens, and changes in other cognitive abilities are apparent. The third stage is moderate Alzheimer’s and the final stage is Severe Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s is a very interesting disease that can really damage an individual as well as those surrounding this person. The reason I decided to build a website around Alzheimer's disease is I have known someone who suffered from the disease for several years before passing away. My grandmother began to experience symptoms around the age of 70. The first noticeable symptom that she suffered with was memory loss. She often forget where she would place her belongings, and certain environments were unfamiliar to her. Eventually, the disease begin to progress and she lost her memory completely. In her final stage of Alzheimer’s (severe) she lost her ability to walk, talk, use the bathroom, eat etc. She lost her ability to take care for herself completely.
When studying illness it is imperative to consider non-medical factors because there are several factors that can effect one’s health. Aspects of the environment an individual lives in, can have direct affect on humans health. Culture, economic, genetic and social factors can play a major role in one’s health. Every illness starts somewhere, and the causes of these health disparities should not be limited to biological factors. If clinicians continue to focus on the biological aspects of an illness they will not be able to correctly diagnose or treat individuals because they are not sure what may have caused the illness. Anthropologist do not limit the causes of an illness to biological factors. They consider every factor possible such as economic, biological, social, political, culture, and genetic. Anthropologist also uses ethnographic approaches as well as observational studies. Anthropologists exhausts every method possible even if it requires field work, living with families of different cultures in order to understand their traditions and views about certain illnesses.
References:
"Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias." Department of Health: New York State. March 2012.
http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/conditions/dementia/.
"Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet." National Institute on Aging. July 22, 2013.
http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet.
“About Alzheimer’s.” Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. 2013.
http://www.alzfdn.org/index.htm.
There are two forms of Alzheimer’s which are, early- onset that occurs as early as 30-60 years of age and late-onset Alzheimer’s, which develops after the age of 60. There are four main stages of this disease, the early stage which is when individuals begin to experience early symptoms. Mild Alzheimer’s is the second stage; disease progresses, memory lose worsens, and changes in other cognitive abilities are apparent. The third stage is moderate Alzheimer’s and the final stage is Severe Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s is a very interesting disease that can really damage an individual as well as those surrounding this person. The reason I decided to build a website around Alzheimer's disease is I have known someone who suffered from the disease for several years before passing away. My grandmother began to experience symptoms around the age of 70. The first noticeable symptom that she suffered with was memory loss. She often forget where she would place her belongings, and certain environments were unfamiliar to her. Eventually, the disease begin to progress and she lost her memory completely. In her final stage of Alzheimer’s (severe) she lost her ability to walk, talk, use the bathroom, eat etc. She lost her ability to take care for herself completely.
When studying illness it is imperative to consider non-medical factors because there are several factors that can effect one’s health. Aspects of the environment an individual lives in, can have direct affect on humans health. Culture, economic, genetic and social factors can play a major role in one’s health. Every illness starts somewhere, and the causes of these health disparities should not be limited to biological factors. If clinicians continue to focus on the biological aspects of an illness they will not be able to correctly diagnose or treat individuals because they are not sure what may have caused the illness. Anthropologist do not limit the causes of an illness to biological factors. They consider every factor possible such as economic, biological, social, political, culture, and genetic. Anthropologist also uses ethnographic approaches as well as observational studies. Anthropologists exhausts every method possible even if it requires field work, living with families of different cultures in order to understand their traditions and views about certain illnesses.
References:
"Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias." Department of Health: New York State. March 2012.
http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/conditions/dementia/.
"Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet." National Institute on Aging. July 22, 2013.
http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet.
“About Alzheimer’s.” Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. 2013.
http://www.alzfdn.org/index.htm.
