A Bright New Focus
A Bright New Focus and an Important Review
This month’s article comes to you from BrightFocus.org, which funds exceptional scientific research worldwide to defeat Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, and provides expert information on these heartbreaking diseases.
While the Alzheimer’s Association offers comprehensive information on the latest developments, BrightFocus is another wonderful resource with its own cadre of brilliant researchers, offering even more for us to explore and learn from. What follows is an excellent review of the signs, symptoms, and stages of Alzheimer’s Disease taken directly from the BrightFocus website.
Alzheimer’s Disease usually progresses gradually, lasting 2 – 20 years, with an average of 7 years in the U.S. … The stages of clinical diagnosis and their symptoms include:
Mild (Stage 1): Early in their illness, people with Alzheimer’s disease may:
- Be slow in their speech and understanding
- Experience minor memory loss and mood swings
- Have difficulty learning new things
- Lose energy and spontaneity, although others may not notice
- Lose their train of thought mid-sentence
- Still perform basic activities but need assistance with more complicated tasks
Moderate (Stage 2): At this stage, a person with Alzheimer’s begins to be disabled by the disease.
- Although individuals with Alzheimer’s can recall the distant past, recent events are difficult for them to remember.
- They may have difficulty comprehending day, time, and location.
- They may invent new words as they lose old ones.
- They may not recognize formerly familiar faces.
Severe (Stage 3): In this final stage, Alzheimer’s patients:
- Are unable to chew and swallow
- Become bedridden and vulnerable to pneumonia and other illnesses
- Become more and more unresponsive
- Lose bodily control and need constant care
- Recognize no one
The importance of a Physician Evaluation
If you suspect that you or a loved one has a memory problem, you want to seek advice and a thorough evaluation by a physician with extensive knowledge, experience, and interest in dementia and memory problems. It’s important to get early medical attention for two reasons:
- The physician can rule out other possible causes of memory loss that warrant their own treatment, such as Parkinson’s Disease, drug interactions, head injury, infections, or nutritional or metabolic disorders
- A doctor may prescribe certain medications to help slow the progression or alleviate some of the symptoms of the disease. Treatments are most effective in the earlier stages, so early screening and diagnosis are important!
Please visit brightfocus.org for more breakthrough information and compassionate advice. # # #
