Uploaded May 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Ayo this was a class assignment for my Human Development course... carry on.

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Developing in a new person every 4 seconds, Alzheimer's is one of the most dangerous diseases in human history... and it has no cure.

Alzheimer's disease was first discovered by a Doctor Alois Alzheimer when he noticed that one of his patients acted quite strangely.

After her death, he dissected her brain and saw the symptoms of Alzheimer’s: A shrunken brain, missing much of its mass, with narrow folds and wider gaps.

It's been a hundred years since, and we're still no closer to a cure or even to understanding why it happens in the first place.

What we do know are the symptoms: an accumulated buildup of plaque and tangles, hampering the brain's ability to function properly, and a series of debilitating attacks on the brain, beginning with the hippocampus, which holds our short-term memory. This is why Alzheimer’s is often associated with memory loss.

When in truth that’s only the first stage, Alzheimer’s then goes on to eliminate the ability to think logically, destroys the ability to manage emotions, causes hallucinations, and finally erases all your memories. After that, it kills you by disabling subconscious processes such as breathing and heart rate.

Those who have Alzheimer’s end up as husks of their former selves, and while it primarily affects people over the age of 65, it's still possible to develop Alzheimer’s at any point in life. The reason its so much more prevalent in older people is due to the likelihood that their brain has accumulated a lot of plaque and tangles. plaque results from certain enzymes snipping excess protein in the brain. These remnant protein strands have a tendency to clump together, mucking up the brain and causing premature cell death. Tangles occur when the protein that connects cells with their food supply decides to suddenly fold in on itself, hampering the food network and causing even more cell death.

Those who have Alzheimer’s end up as husks of their former selves, wandering aimlessly and accomplishing very little. When dealing with a patient who has Alzheimer’s, it's recommended that the caregiver keep an attentive eye on them at all times and assist them with any task they may be trying to complete. Patients with Alzheimer’s also tend to forget basic functions like whether or not they've used the washroom or if they've had breakfast yet, caregivers must remember to be patient with them at all times whilst respecting their privacy as well, never be forceful.

That concludes this video guide on understanding Alzheimer’s.

Bibliography (Sources) --------------------------------------------------

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US Department of Health and Human Services. (2010, June 15). National Institute on Aging. https://www.nia.nih.gov. Retrieved May 17, 2017, from nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/announcements/2010/06/more-research-needed-ways-prevent-alzheimers-panel-finds

Mendez, M. (2012, November 21). Early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved May 17, 2017, from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3532551

Alzheimer’s Association (2008, October 22). Alzheimer’s Association Brochure. http://www.alz.org. Retrieved May 17, 2017, from alz.org/national/documents/brochure_basicsofalz_low.pdf

Spies, P. (2012, June 1). Frontiers in Bioscience. https://www.bioscience.org. Retrieved May 17, 2017, from bioscience.org/2012/v17/af/4035/fulltext.php?bframe=figures.htm

Elsevier INC (2015, May 16). Summary of the Evidence on Modifiable Risk Factors for Cognitive Decline. https://www.researchgate.net. Retrieved May 17, 2017, from researchgate.net/publication/277778973_Summary_of_the_evidence_on_modifiable_risk_factors_for_cognitive_decline_and_dementia_A_population-based_perspective

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. (2016, October 7). GBD Comparison. https://vizhub.healthdata.org. Retrieved May 17, 2017, from vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/patterns

Volleybrad (2015, July 5). My Father’s Behavior in the Moderate Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. https://www.youtube.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017, from youtube.com/watch?v=VdzKXhyv_tg

Zilka, N & Novak, M. (2006, September 2). The Tangled Story of Alois Alzheimer. http://bmj.fmed.uniba.sk. Retrieved May 17, 2017, from http://bmj.fmed.uniba.sk/2006/107910-02.pdf

Chattha, S. (2017, May 17). Interview about Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. Certified Personal Support Worker, Spectrum Healthcare & Links2Care. spectrumhealthcare.com and links2care.ca