With age, most body organs begin to deteriorate in their function. This happens to the brain also, thereby reducing the overall speed of functioning of most organs. While slowing of bodily movement is visible, the internal organs functioning also slows down, which is not that obvious. Memory loss or dementia is one of the main manifestations of this degeneration of the brain.

Alzheimer s is the most common form of dementia, and the associated symptoms includes reduced reasoning abilities and cognitive defects. Though it is seen only in the elderly, not all elderly people will have Alzheimer s. The overall quality of life of the affected person is reduced with difficulty remembering things that were recently learned. It is a progressive disease and as it gets more severe, a full-time caretaker may be required.

Causes: The brain cells are affected by protein masses known as plaques and tangles. These hamper the way communication between the brain cells happens as well as affect nutrition from reaching all parts of the brain. This leads to shrinking of the brain, eventually leading to memory loss and other problems. There is also a strong genetic linkage, as most people with Alzheimer s have the lipoprotein A gene.

Symptoms: Though memory loss is the most common symptom, there are other symptoms:

Being confused about places, people, and times
Inability to find the right words during conversations
Regular objects are misplaced
Becoming irritable, (in someone who was not so previously)
Mood swings
Personality changes
Inability to organise thoughts
Not able to make the right decisions
Repetitive talks and actions
Forgetfulness (not something the person always does)
Difficulty with numbers (again, not something calculations
Difficulty managing everyday tasks and minor problems
Suspicion of others (like immediate family members and friends)
Risk factors: While age is definitely a risk factor, the fact that not all aged people develop Alzheimer s is to be borne in mind. Other risk factors include the history of stroke, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, and poor lifestyle choices.

Diagnosis: While there is no definitive way to diagnose Alzheimer s, symptoms along with brain scans and neuropsychological function testing are useful ways to confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment: This is aimed at two things reducing the rate of disease progression and treat (or reverse) symptoms if possible.

Cholinesterase inhibitors improve cellular communication in the brain and also manage depression and agitation. Memantine is used to slow the pace of disease progression.
In people with the disease, small changes are useful to help them with the symptoms. These include keeping essential things like keys and wallet in the same place, keep a daily diary to help them remember things, keep pictures of friends and family within visible distance.

Alzheimer's - An Overview!

Firstly, what you need to realise is that Alzheimer s is not dementia and the main point you need to remember about the difference between the two is that the former is a disease while the latter is a syndrome. Alzheimer s is a neurodegenerative disease, it breaks down the cognitive functions of the brain and reduces a person s ability to function properly. It s one of the foremost reasons for untimely senility in middle-aged to old-aged persons.

It can be a scary time for the patient themselves as well as for friends and family alike but fear not, there are ways to reduce the chances of suffering from this painful predicament. Here are a few easy hacks to keep in mind to stave off the risk of Alzheimer s:

Fix your diet: Cut down on saturated fats and construct a diet combining lots of healthy vitamin and mineral rich foods, fruits and vegetables. Vitamin E is essential as well as vitamin B12 which can also be taken in the form of supplements. Vitamin E can be found in foods like spinach and even nuts. Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago has, after a lot of research, developed the MIND and DASH diets. The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet collates portions of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet to create the perfect combination that has been shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer s by 53 percent.
Exercise mental and physical: A sedentary lifestyle is one of the major causes of Alzheimer s because it leads to slower brain activity and an overall unhealthy lifestyle. To break out of this you need to regularly exercise and not just physical exercises but also mental exercises such as solving mental maths and crosswords and reading books and newspapers. There are a lot of apps concerning games that help boost brain activity on the market that can help as well. Physical exercise can include swimming, brisk walking, joking and even gardening.
Reduce stress: Stress proves to be a huge issue for the brain contributing to its damage by putting a lot of pressure on it. Try to relax more by improving your sleep cycle, resting as and when required, and not overworking yourself.
Aromatherapy: Essential oils have been shown to work wonders, by reducing stress and relaxing the mind. Lavender, rosemary, lemon and even orange are some great options you can try out. These oils can help rejuvenate damaged brain and nerve cells.
Meditation: Studies have shown that regular meditation helps boost grey matter in the brain, and along with yoga, keeps the minds and bodies of middle-aged people active and better focused contributing to the overall health of the brain.

Life Hacks! How To Beat Alzheimer's

Alzheimer s disease is a neurological, irreversible, progressive brain disorder. It is a chronic neurodegenerative dementia that causes the death of brain cells, causing memory loss and cognitive decline. It affects a person s thinking and behavior. The symptoms develop slowly and get worse as time passes.

Causes:
As it is a kind of dementia, Alzheimer s is caused by the death of brain cells. Over a course of time, brain cells die progressively and at the end, the tissue is left with fewer nerve cells and connections. As a result, the total brain size shrinks. Tiny inclusions called plaques and tangles can be seen in the postmortem. These cannot be seen or tested in a living Alzheimer s affected brain. These plaques are given the name  amyloid plaques  because they are found among the dying cells of the brain when a protein called beta-amyloid builds. The tangles stay in the neurons; they are formed from a protein called tau.

There are several reasons behind all this, some of which are listed below-

Anti-anxiety medications
Hitting on the head too many times
Regularly sleep-deprived
Loneliness
Diabetes in the brain
Old age
Genetic line
Down s syndrome
Cardiovascular diseases
Symptoms:
Alzheimer s disease damages the brain, so the clinical signs and symptoms begin to show very early. The symptoms are-

Memory loss
Agitation and mood swings
Poor judgment
The trouble with money calculations
Difficulty doing familiar tasks
Trouble in planning or solving a problem
Confusion with time and place
Difficulty in communicating
Loss of motivation
Inappropriate behavior
Aggressive personality
Childlike behavior
Preventing Alzheimer s disease:
Alzheimer s disease ultimately results in death. Even if there are treatments, they cannot fully cure it. So it s better to try to prevent it before it happens. Ways to prevent Alzheimer s disease are-

Eating more fruits and vegetables.
Eating berries every day.
Increasing omega-3 fatty acids.
Taking folic acid supplements.
Drinking grape juice or red wine with evening meal.
Doing the Mediterranean style diet.
Controlling the blood pressure.
Having strong social support.
Treatment of Alzheimer s disease:

Treatment of Alzheimer s disease is a long time process.
First of all, doctors perform a physical exam to check the overall neurological health. By this, they check muscle strength, reflexes, walking ability, sense of sight and hearing, coordination and balance.
Then comes the blood test to find the cause of confusion and memory loss by checking the thyroid disorder and vitamin deficiency.
Then they perform the neuropsychological test and check the mental status.
Then there are other tests, like MRI, CT, and PET.
After all this, drugs are given and a safe and supportive environment is created with proper exercise and nutrition.
Alzheimer s disease is undoubtedly the worst kind of disease. Hence, it is highly recommended to contact a doctor as soon as any symptom is noticed.

All About Alzheimer's Disease!

Dementia is a general classification of a brain disease that causes a long haul and frequently steady abatement in the capacity to think and recall that is sufficiently incredible to influence a man's everyday  functioning. Other normal manifestations incorporate passionate issues, issues with dialect, and a lessening in motivation. An individual's awareness is not influenced. The most common example of dementia is the Alzheimer's disease.

Physiotherapy for Dementia:
A patient with dementia can benefit from physiotherapy regardless of the possibility that the patient can't perceive their own family. Physiotherapy, notwithstanding, can be of good advantage to the individual who has dementia and also their family and parental figures at different stages. The principle explanation behind this is that recovery administrations can help the dementia patient to be as utilitarian as would be prudent for whatever length of time that is conceivable. Here are 5 ways physiotherapy benefits an Alzheimer's patient:

Physiotherapy can keep up the Alzheimer's patient's freedom and mobility as much as one could expect reasonably. A physiotherapist can outline a home activity program and work intimately with relatives to administer to the Alzheimer's patient.
Physiotherapists, as independent experts, embrace much detailed, separately custom-made appraisals of the disorders, action confinements and restrictions imposed upon individuals with dementia.
The caretakers of individuals with dementia regularly show weakness when contrasted with their same aged companions. Physiotherapy helps with diminishing the weight of consideration by instructing caregivers to provide encouragement and upliftment to individuals with dementia.
Patients with dementia are always at a risk of falling down and hurting themselves. Poor balance accounts for the danger of falls. This can be worked upon and improved by physiotherapy driven exercises. Exercise can have a huge and positive effect on behavioral and mental indications of dementia, enhancing psychological capacity and mindset, which can decrease the doses of strong medicines. Special exercise routines are assigned to the patients which help improve their body balance while walking.    
Physiotherapy has crucial influence in advancing and keeping up portability of individuals with dementia. It assumes a basic part in the end of life consideration by overseeing situations, seating and complicated muscle contracture. Individuals with dementia regularly experience issues in communicating pain. Pain influences cognizance, inspiration and reaction to any intervention. Physiotherapists are specialists in recognizing and treating pain in dementia patients and give training to care home staff and caregivers of the patients.
Physiotherapy is very important for dementia patients. Regular physiotherapy sessions are beneficial for patients for improvement in condition.

5 Ways Physiotherapy Helps in Dementia

Diagnosing dementia can be more difficult than you can imagine. Medically, the patient needs to have at least two areas of mental functionality impaired to an extent where it interferes with their everyday life. However, diagnosis is just the beginning as treating dementia can be even more challenging. Here is a look at some of the treatment options available for dementia patients.

 Treatment for Dementia
There is often no cure for most forms of dementia. Treatment relies on the management of the condition, to ensure that the progression can be impeded. With proper treatment, patients can live a relatively normal life for a number of years.

Cholinesterase inhibitors- These medications are used for the treatment of Alzheimer s disease. They are chemical agents that boost the memory and judgment of the patient. The same is also an effective medication for those suffering from Parkinson s disease and Lewy body dementia.
Therapy- Making small changes to some aspects of life of the patient can often yield good results. For instance, clearing the clutter and noise in the house can be an effective way of helping dementia patients deal with their condition. Similarly, creating a safe environment at home with little chance of severe accidents, will ensure the safety of the patient.
Stress in caregivers of dementia patients
Dementia patients need to be cared for, ideally by a close family member such as a spouse. However, these caregivers undergo a lot of stress while providing support to the patient. For instance, Alzheimer s patients often do not recognize their caregiver who may also be their spouse. Here are some burdens that caregivers have to deal with.

Anger- The sense of fury towards the patient can be strong after years of providing care. They may also be frustrated with the fact that the affected person is unable to perform simple everyday jobs, such as brushing their teeth or tying their shoelaces.
Anxiety- A sense of hopelessness regarding the future is common. It is also the fear of what new challenges the next day might bring.
Depression- Seeing their loved one s mental state deteriorating with each passing day can be difficult to handle and pushes some caregivers into depression.
With such continuous emotional and physical stress, caregivers often fall sick themselves. This is why it is necessary to maintain a bright outlook and remember that a dementia patient can only get well if they have the full support of the caregiver. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Treating Dementia - Things You Should Know!

Aging comes with many health problems including mild hearing loss. Usually, this mild hearing loss does not come alone. According to medical studies, adults, particularly males with hearing loss, mild or severe, are at a higher risk of developing Dementia and Alzheimer s disease. The risk increases as the hearing loss worsen. People with mild hearing loss are at twice the risk of developing dementia compared to people with normal hearing.

Dementia is a group of symptoms and diseases that affects the thinking, memory and social abilities that interfere with the daily functioning of an individual. However, memory loss alone does not mean that one has Dementia. Out of the many causes, Alzheimer s disease is usually the cause of Dementia. Alzheimer s disease is a progressive disease that affects the brain cells to degenerate and dies, destroying memory and other mental functions. 

How Hearing Loss Causes Alzheimer s?

According to medical studies, hearing loss causes several brain changes which increase the risk of developing Dementia. Hearing loss can lead to brain shrinkage, the process in which the section of the brain responsible for hearing becomes inactive. This condition leads to loss of tissues and alterations in the brain structure, developing as the first connection between hearing loss and Alzheimer s. Studies show that the brain of people shrinks more quickly who have hearing loss as compared to the brain of an individual with normal hearing. 

The second link created with an overwhelmed or overloaded brain. In hearing loss, the brain works overtime in understanding what others are saying. When the brain strains too much only for hearing every time and every day, it exhausts an individual s mental energy and snatches the brainpower required for other important mental functions, such as thinking, remembering and acting. This can further lead to Dementia, Alzheimer s and other mental disorders. 

Hearing Aids to prevent Dementia and Alzheimer s

According to various studies, hearing aids are not only helpful in improving one s hearing but they can also preserve an individual s mental and emotional health. Early diagnosis and treatment of a possible hearing loss help reduce risks later in life.

At times, the symptoms of undiagnosed hearing loss are mistaken with the symptoms of Alzheimer s. Hearing impairment makes it challenging for an individual to listen and respond to verbal signs. It increases the feeling of confusion, paranoia, and isolation. 

Hearing aids can relieve the symptoms of Alzheimer s. According to a study hearing aids slow down the rate of memory loss and improve an individual s quality of life.

Takeaway

Adults, especially males with hearing loss have a greater tendency of developing Dementia and Alzheimer s. Hearing loss causes brain to overwork leading to the loss of important mental functions. Hearing impairment can worsen the symptoms of Dementia and Alzheimer s. 

Hearing aids do help in improving the condition and symptoms of Alzheimer s and improve one s quality of life. A timely diagnosis can make a big difference.

Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease In Elderly - Could Hearing Loss A Reason?

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