Alzheimer's & Dementia Services of Northern Indiana: About Alzheimer's Disease

What is Alzheimer's Disease?

NOT a normal part of aging (senility, hardening of the arteries, or organic brain syndrome were terms used years ago to describe what we now call dementia)

The most common form of dementia

A progressive, degenerative neurological illness

Marked by gradual onset

Destroys brain cells, results in structural and chemical changes.
Brain cells are not replaced.

Characterized by plaques and tangles in the brain

Caused still undetermined

Course of disease can take 2-20 or more years; average 8-10 years

Alzheimer's Disease is NOT...

...a mental illness
...a normal part of aging
...senility
...contagious
...a result of using aluminum pans or foil
...a result of Lyme or any other disease
...preventable
...reversible
...a "funny" disease
...a race-oriented disease
...only for older adults

Alzheimer's Disease IS...

...a medical illness
...the most common type of dementia
...a progressive, degenerative and neurological illness
...characterized by chemical and structural changes in the brain
...affecting approximately 4.5 million Americans
...affecting about 10.3% of people, of all races, and gender, 65 years of age or older
...also affecting persons in their 30s and 40s
...the fourth leading cause of death among adults
...diagnosed 100% only through brain autopsy after death

Things a person with Alzheimer's Disease can do:

Perform simple tasks

Enjoy previous hobbies, if somewhat modified

Enjoy favorite foods, music and activities

Show love and affection

Experience emotions such as sadness, fear, loneliness and anger

Accuse others of false actions and behaviors

Act suspiciously toward other people

Lose or hide items

Curse, strike out, cry, spit or act inappropriately

Respond to voice tone and eye contact

Experience pain or discomfort from other conditions

Respond to supportive, predictable environment

Things a person with Alzheimer's Disease cannot do:

Communicate clearly

Understand fragmented or abstract thoughts

Understand sarcasm or humor

Understand open-ended questions

Express him/herself coherently

Cooperate consistently

Respond to reason

Learn new things

Make decisions

Drive, as the disease progresses

Recognize familiar objects or people

Understand what an object is

Complete a task without directions

Comprehend complex orders

Maintain past skills

Control all actions

Participate in conversations in the later stages

Warning signs of Alzheimer's Disease

Increasing incidences of short-term memory loss that effects everyday living of job

Difficulty doing familiar things such as using an appliance or tying a tie

Forgetting common words, using the wrong word, or having problems naming a common object, such as a pencil

Putting things in strange places or frequently losing or misplacing things

Getting lost or disoriented easily, even in familiar places; disorientation to time or place

Problems with complicated tasks, or with abstract thinking (e.g., balancing a checkbook)

Problems with judgment (doing things that don't seem to make sense)

Major change in personality (e.g., confused, afraid, suspicious) or sudden changes in mood or behavior

Losing interest in doing things (or losing interest quickly if not encouraged)

How Alzheimer's Disease Affects the Brain

Return to Alzheimer's Facts