When people say, Alzheimer’s disease you may think of an old person being forgetful, but I think of devastation. Alzheimers is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain's nerve cells, resulting in loss of memory and behavioral changes. Understanding the process and progression of it all, is very complicated and frustrating for everyone who has a friend or loved one living with it.

From this research I have made many connections that my grandmother is going through. My grandmother has now had Alzheimers for about two years and is getting worse each and everyday. It is hard to watch anyone dealing with this unfortunate disease, but my family and I have dealt with it, and have taken responsibility. Through gathering information and reading other peoples perspectives, I have gained more knowledge on this subject. I have made relations and assumptions during the Alzheimer's process that my grandmother is experiencing with the help from many resources.

Alzheimers disease leads to nerve cell death and tissue loss, which causes the brain to decrease dramatically. Sadly, it makes it very hard for the person to mentally function and remember things normally. Dementia is also very similar to Alzheimers. A disease that enables you have a strong memory and other thinking skills. This disease is severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities. The two combined, can be easily mixed up because of how similar they are. Either way they effect the person and its loved ones deeply. Alzheimers disease is being over looked and not getting as much research as it deserves. During the last four decades, Alzheimer's disease has projected and increased in numbers dramatically. It is believed that in year 2050, more than 100 million people will have this disease or some sort of dementia. A lot more people then we would have liked to see.

There are three stages of Alzheimers. Stage one is the mild and earlier of the three. It is recent memory loss which consists of recent conversations and events that have happened not long ago. Next is the middle stage, where they can no longer cover up problems, and get out of tough situations. This stage is very stressful because you realize that there is no way to help them remember and act normally. In a lot of cases, patients with Alzheimers can lose control of how they act in certain situations, and it can be very uncomfortable for other people. Lastly, stage three, which is the most severe and very sad to watch. This stage is when the person is very confused about their past. They cannot remember places, peoples names and their own loved ones. Luckily my grandmother has not reached this stage yet, but when she does I will know exactly how to approach it.

When an elder person suffering with this disease reaches their last few years in stage three, it can be very difficult to deal with a patient because they can be unpredictable and misjudging. Sometimes, Alzheimer’s patients can lash out randomly for no reason. They may get upset, throw out curse words they wouldn't usually say or insult bystanders. It is your job as their care keeper, to apologize to whoever it may be in a gentle manner, and proceed to change the subject. Peoples with Alzheimers can find this very rude and offensive if you interrupt them so try to do it as nicely as possible. I have learned these lessons just by bring my grandmother out to dinner and in loud places, and more than 90% of the time people understand what is wrong with her. It is very important for everyone to be familiar with the Alzheimer's symptoms, because you never know what situation you may be in when you dont know what to do.

Because Alzheimer's is a “Un-diagnosable” disease, they chose to ignore the treatments that could be used. As ADI chairwoman Daisy Acosta said "Failure to diagnose Alzheimer's in a timely manner represents a tragic missed opportunity to improve the quality of life for millions of people”. Instead they begin to give them Antipsychotics in hopes that it will ease their behavior, hallucinations and memory loss. Antipsychotics can also be the worst thing for people with Alzheimers, these drugs can effect a persons health and cause they to have frequent headaches, vision problems and anxiety attacks. Why would a person already suffering from memory loss want to deal with anything else?

There are many risk factors involving elder people, that you can influence. By maintaining a healthy heart and avoiding heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, you can decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s. By watching your weight, avoiding alcohol/drugs and exercise both your body and mind can help the process further increase. For most people, detecting the first few signs of Alzheimers and memory confusion in themselves or a loved one brings a quick and immediate fear to whoever. Most people over 65 and even younger have experience some sort of forgetfulness. It is normal for the brain to have shrinkage due to changes in processing speed, attention, and short term memory loss.

People with Alzheimers including my grandmother, deserve a chance to remember again. They deserve to live the rest of their lives knowing the great things the got to achieve. They deserve a cure.