It gets a bit confusing when we talk about Alzheimer's to differentiate it from dementia; well, Alzheimer's and dementia are related, but there is a fundamental difference between the two conditions. On the one hand, dementia is not a specific disease but rather a general term for impairment in your ability to remember or make decisions that interfere with daily activities. Alzheimer's, on the other hand, is a condition commonly causing dementia, among many other things. Alzheimer's also causes loss of memory and other cognitive disabilities. It is severe enough to interfere with your daily life. Alzheimer’s accounts for up to 60-80% of diagnosed dementia cases, according to the CDC.
Now that we have distinguished between dementia and Alzheimer's let's look at some facts in the following paragraphs.
Alzheimer's disease
It is crucial to know Alzheimer's is not curable; instead, you can slow down the disease's progression through drug treatment and support. Here are more elements to consider in a person with Alzheimer's. The person with Alzheimer's brain changes affects his/her moods and behaviors. Issues like depression, apathy, social withdrawal, mood swings, distrust in others, irritability, and aggression, may appear in a person. Even though you cannot treat a person who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, you can, however, make him/her lead a good and safe life. Considerations for the environment are given in a way that he is not harmed and pauses risk to others. As you can see, if the person presents with some of the above symptoms, someone with the condition will likely wonder and put himself or herself at a higher risk of falls and injuries. Proper fitting shoes, level walking surfaces, and keeping hazardous materials away from the person are important safety measures.
Age: As the person ages, the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease increases. However, it is important to know that Alzheimer's is not a part of the normal aging process. It just means older people are at a higher risk of developing it. Therefore, screening for Alzheimer's disease is very important as we age. For example, one study conducted by myoclonic suggests there are four Alzheimer's cases per 1,000 people aged above 65. This number increase to 76 as we get to live 85 and older.
Family history and genetics: The risk of getting Alzheimer's is higher if there is a family history of the disease. However, the mechanism of how age came into the factor is unknown. although less than one percent of us are affected by these genes, scientists have identified three types of genes that guarantee to development of the disease.
Down syndrome: People living with a condition known as Down syndrome can develop Alzheimer's disease. As we can see, peoples living with Down syndrome have the genes responsible for Alzheimer’s disease and are more likely to get the disease early in life than most people do.
A person with trauma to the head has an increased chance of developing Alzheimer's disease. If you are older than 50 and have set trauma to the head (TBI), the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease increases. The risk increases even more if a person has repeated injuries to the head.
Excessive alcohol consumption: large amounts of alcohol can make brain changes leading to Dementia. Most clinicians agree alcohol use disorders are the cause of early-onset dementia. It means anyone can develop the disease before age 65 after excessive alcohol consumption. What we should do: We should pause here for a minute and see some of the factors that lead to developing the disease in the first place. If you modify your diet, exercise, and decrease alcohol consumption, you have done a good job of decreasing the chance of the disease occurring early. Quieting excessive alcohol consumption can reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and disorders that lead to dementia.
Diet: Eating fresh produce, healthy oils, and foods low in saturated fat is appropriate. A person who is diagnosed with Dementia should be following physicians' orders to manage other conditions that are common with people living with dementia, such as high blood pressure. If you quit smoking and participate in social events, reading, dancing, playing board games, creating art, playing an instrument, and other activities that require mental and social engagement.