Alzheimer’s is a chronic disease in which the brain cells gradually wear out and finally die. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) generally ends up into dementia. Dementia is a disease of the brain in which a person’s ability to think and remember decreases gradually. In extreme cases of dementia or Alzheimer’s, a person fails to perform even the day-to-day tasks independently.

The first and basic sign of Alzheimer’s is forgetfulness or being unable to remember recent incidents and conversations. As the disease advances, the person suffering from Alzheimer’s may also experience problems with language, mood swings, behavioral issues, and loss of body function. With time, a person’s condition worsens ultimately leading to death. The speed of progression of the disease varies from person to person.

Treating Alzheimer’s disease fully has not been possible by far. However, medication may slow down the progression of the disease. Treatment may enable a person to carry out day-to-day activities for a certain time. However, with the advancement of disease, a severe loss of brain function results in death.

The most basic and common symptoms of Alzheimer’s is forgetting recent incidents and happenings. However, this symptom is mostly associated with aging and goes unnoticed. With time, the symptoms get more prominent and may result in problems with speech and language. Mood swings, behavioral issues, and disorientation may also occur in later stages. Gradually, the person suffering from Alzheimer’s starts isolating from family and friends. With the advancement in the disease, the functioning of the body is highly hampered. The person is unable to perform even basic day-to-day activities. Basic activities like bathing and dressing also need assistance. The disease most commonly ends into death.

Although, the symptoms and behavior of all the people suffering from Alzheimer’s are similar; the pace of growth of the disease vary from person to person. For some, the advanced stages may appear very soon and for some, it takes a while.  Typically, a person suffering from Alzheimer’s may live for a minimum of around 3 years and a maximum of around 9-10 years.

The causes of the disease are not very well known. However, genetics is considered to be the most common reason for the disease. Around 70% of patients inherit the disease from either of the parents. Other possible causes include severe head injuries or a history of hypertension or depression. Age is also an important factor in calculating the risk of the disease. This disease most commonly occurs after the age of 65 years. However, early onset may also be observed in around 4-5% of people.

A successful treatment for the disease is by far unknown. No medication or medical procedure can stop or reverse the disease. However, medicines to slow down the rate of growth and give relief from symptoms are available. Although these medicines give only temporary relief, they may prove to be a great help for the caregivers.

Medication or treatment of Alzheimer’s is considered to be one of the most expensive treatments. Nursing homes for Alzheimer’s patient have specially trained caregivers to help patients with their everyday tasks. Special nursing care plans for Alzheimer’s disease are fabricated to reduce the pace of growth of the disease. As each patient needs special attention, Alzheimer’s unit in nursing homes are the most hectic and expensive units.

Stages of the disease

The disease has no clear stages or levels of progression. The severity of symptoms and degree of the disease may vary from person to person. However, stages of the disease are categorized in order to help the caregivers go about with the nursing care plan for Alzheimer’s accordingly. The disease is roughly categorized into 7 different stages.

Stage 1

Preclinical stage: This stage is named so as in this stage the disease is very difficult to detect. The neurological changes in the brain start at this stage but there is no specific symptom. A PET scan in rare cases may reveal if the person is suffering from the disease.

Stage 2

Very mild changes: At this stage, mild symptoms can be noticed. However, the symptoms are so mild that even a doctor may outlook them. The most basic symptom is forgetfulness and may also be associated with aging and thus, left unnoticed.

Stage 3

Mild decline: At this stage, noticeable changes in thinking and reasoning appear. The patient may start forgetting recent events or conversations, and names of people. The patient may experience difficulty in planning and organizing things. Mild mood swings can also be felt at this stage.

Stage 4

Moderate decline: A steep change in behavior and reasoning may be felt at this stage. The patient may experience a loss in memory. Remembering dates and seasons may seem to be difficult. Patients may even fail to remember details from their past.

Stage 5

Moderately severe decline: At this stage, patients tend to forget their personal details like phone number and address. They may find it difficult to perform many day-to-day activities like laying out appropriate clothes for an event or the season.

Stage 6

Severe decline: With the progress in the disease the patient may find it difficult to perform the basic self-care tasks like dressing, bathing and even eating. The patient tends to forget his/her past life. Patients may experience difficulty in recognizing most of the people.

Stage 7

Very severe decline: At this stage, there is a severe loss in speech and the patient may be unable to talk. Special nursing care for Alzheimer’s patients is required at this stage. The patient may need assistance in all the daily tasks and is almost nearing to death.

Nursing care for Alzheimer’s patients is very important as the stages of the disease progresses. Alzheimer’s nursing home focus on providing the patients with an independent and better lifestyle. The main aim of nursing care plan for Alzheimer’s dementia is to provide the patient independence of self-care, helping the patient to socialize and improve communication. Nurses from nursing home Alzheimer’s care unit help the family caregivers of the patient by educating them about the disease and the type of care required by the patients. Nursing care plan for Alzheimer’s also includes a strict check on patients nutrition so as to keep in control patient’s anxiety.

The most commonly asked question is whether exercise help in preventing Alzheimer’s? The answer to this is, yes. Regular physical activities and exercises help in keeping the brain healthy. Thinking and reasoning are greatly improved by exercise. Exercise is also known to sharpen memory. For people who have Alzheimer’s in their genes may be benefitted to a large extent through exercise. For such people, Alzheimer’s start and progress can be delayed through specific exercises. However, more research is to be done in this field to know the exact pros of exercising for Alzheimer’s patient.

Care24 provide you nurses and therapists who have specialized in caring for the people suffering from Alzheimer’s. Our caregivers fabricate nursing plans for each Alzheimer’s patient individually. This is a due to the fact that we realize each patient suffering from Alzheimer’s has a different pace of growth and experiences different symptoms. Our nurses and caregivers also render their services in educating the family caregiver so as to provide an overall outcome. Care24 treat patients not only as patients but as individuals who have the right to lead a healthy and comfortable lifestyle.