ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Treatment for people with Alzheimer's disease

Treatment for people with Alzheimer's disease

Introduction

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative disease that causes a progressive decline in cognition and memory. Gradually, a destruction of nerve cells occurs in brain regions related to memory and language. Over time, the affected person has more difficulty in remembering events, to recognize objects and faces, to remember the meaning of words and to exercise judgment. Generally, symptoms appear after age 65 and the prevalence of the disease increases sharply with age. However, contrary to popular belief, Alzheimer's disease is not a normal consequence of aging. Alzheimer's disease is the form of dementia the most common in older people and represents about 65% of dementia cases (CURRAN & WATTIS, 2004).

Involvement of the brain

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the appearance of lesions very specific, which gradually invade the brain and destroy its cells, neurons. Neurons in the hippocampus, the area that controls memory, are affected first. Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German neurologist, gave its name to the disease in 1906. It is the first to describe these brain lesions at autopsy of a dead woman with dementia. It was observed in the brain of this abnormal plaques and tangles of nerve cells now considered the main physiological signs of Alzheimer's disease. Here are two types of damage that occur in the brains of people. (1) Excessive production and accumulation of beta amyloid protein in certain brain regions. These proteins form plaques, called amyloid plaques or senile plaques, which are associated with neuronal death. (2) Distortion of certain structural proteins (called protein Tau). How neurons are entangled is then modified. This form of lesion is called neurofibrillary tangles. In these lesions adds an inflammation that contributes to alter the neurons. There is no treatment that can halt or reverse these disease processes (CURRAN & WATTIS, 2004).

Nursing and Alzheimer's

As with most medical professions, people skills are important for patients to accept treatment which would affect their privacy and they express confidence in the difficulties they may experience during the implementation of a care or treatment. In the case of Alzheimer's disease, also requires that the nurse or patient because of the risk of forgetting the sick role and identity of the person who comes to providing care: it is sometimes necessary, often in some cases, to re-explain (Altman, 2001).

At home, the nurses will occur gradually, depending on the patient's condition. This may be in nursing to give them their medication at the right dose and at a suitable time when the patient risk of confusion and to forget or, conversely, to take his medication several times (non-compliance treatment and risk of intoxication). This may also be personal care (bathing, dressing, etc). In these cases, care will be provided by caregivers participating nursing home. In institutions (nursing homes in particular), the nurse(s) will often be responsible for assisting patients to perform acts of daily life that they cannot do alone such as going to toilet, dressing, meals , travel, etc (Small, ...