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Information on Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's is a disease of the brain that causes a steady decline in memory. This results in dementia ? loss of intellectual functions (thinking, remembering, and reasoning) severe
enough to interfere with everyday life.
When German physician Alois Alzheimer first described the disease in 1907, it was considered rare. Today, Alzheimer's disease it the most common cause of dementia,
affecting 10 percent of people 65 years old, and nearly 50 percent of those age 85 or older. An estimated 4 million Americans have Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's disease usually begins gradually, causing a person to forget recent events and to have difficulty performing familiar tasks. How rapidly the disease advances varies from
person to person, causing confusion, personality and behavior changes, and impaired judgment. Communication becomes difficult as the person with Alzheimer's struggles to find
words, finish thoughts, or follow directions. Eventually, persons with Alzheimer's become totally unable to care for themselves.  |
