Alzheimers disease

The term Alzheimer's disease refers to a condition discovered by a doctor called Alois Alzheimer. In 1907 he wrote in medical journals about a woman of 51 who had died of dementia, whose brain he had examined under the microscope.

Memory loss in Alzheimers disease

Memory loss occurs in all cases of Alzheimers, but in the early stages it can be difficult to detect as people manage to cover it up successfully. The most recent memories are the first to go, and it's only much later as the Alzheimers condition has become much more severe that the long term memory is affected.

Disorientation and Alzheimers Disease

Disorientation (or not knowing who or where you are or what day month etc it is), is very common in Alzheimers disease.  It's also noted as one of the defining early symptoms, and as it is very closely connected with a person's memory or the ability to remember, it's what you might expect.

Disorientation and Alzheimers disease in the home

Disorientation inside the home can eventually become a problem though not until much later in the disease.

Alzheimers Disease and Personality

One of the most distressing aspects of Alzheimers disease is the complete change of personality many people suffer. This is especially distressing for their relatives and friends. The personality and general behaviour of Alzheimer sufferers in the later stages often seems to be in complete contrast to the usual behaviour they have always exhibited in their previous life.

Alzheimers disease and Communication

Speech is frequently affected in Alzheimers disease. An understanding of simple speech remains intact during the early stages, but difficulties in finding and expressing the correct words can appear very early on in the disease.

01/19/2010
Drowsiness, Staring, And Other Mental Lapses May Signal Alzheimer's Disease
Older people who have "mental lapses," or times when their thinking seems disorganized or illogical or when they stare into space, may be more likely to have Alzheimer's disease than people who do not have these lapses, according to a study published in the January 19, 2010, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology...

Drowsiness, Staring, And Other Mental Lapses May Signal Alzheimer's Disease

02/02/2010
Alzheimer's Society Comment On Terry Pratchett's Richard Dimbleby Lecture, UK
Sir Terry Pratchett, who has a rare form of Alzheimer's, says he is ready to be a test case for assisted suicide 'tribunals' which could give people legal permission to end their lives. The author says he wants a tribunal set up to help those with incurable diseases end their lives with help from doctors...

Alzheimer's Society Comment On Terry Pratchett's Richard Dimbleby Lecture, UK

01/15/2010
Eye Test Could Aid Alzheimer's Detection
A simple and inexpensive eye test could aid detection and diagnosis of major neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's at an earlier stage than is currently possible, according to new research by UCL scientists...

Eye Test Could Aid Alzheimer's Detection

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