Alzheimers Essay Example for Free

Alzheimers Essay Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear after age 60. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among older people. Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—and behavioral abilities, to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for basic activities of daily living. What are the stages of Alzheimer’s? There are five stages associated with Alzheimers disease: preclinical Alzheimers disease, mild cognitive impairment, mild dementia due to Alzheimers, moderate dementia due to Alzheimers and severe dementia due to Alzheimers. 1.Preclinical Alzheimers disease Alzheimers disease begins long before any symptoms become apparent. This stage is called preclinical Alzheimers disease. You wont notice symptoms during this stage, nor will those around you. This stage of Alzheimers can last for years, possibly even decades. Although you wont notice any changes, new imaging technologies can now identify deposits of a substance called amyloid beta that have been associated with Alzheimers disease. The ability to identify these early deposits may be especially important as new treatments are developed for Alzheimers disease. 2.Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimers disease People with mild cognitive impairment have mild changes in their memory and thinking ability. These changes arent significant enough to affect work or relationships yet. People with MCI may have memory lapses when it comes to information that is usually easily remembered, such as conversations, recent events or appointments. People with MCI may also have trouble judging t he amount of time needed for a task, or they may have difficulty correctly judging the number or sequence of steps needed to complete a task. The ability to make  sound decisions can become harder for people with MCI. Not everyone with mild cognitive impairment has Alzheimers disease. In some cases, MCI is due to depression or a temporary medical complication. The same procedures used to identify preclinical Alzheimers disease can help determine whether MCI is due to Alzheimers disease or something else. 3.Mild dementia due to Alzheimers disease Alzheimers disease is often diagnosed in the mild dementia stage, when it becomes clear to family and doctors that a person is having significant trouble with memory and thinking. In the mild Alzheimers stage, people may experience: Memory loss for recent events. Individuals may have an especially hard time remembering newly learned information and repeatedly ask the same question. Difficulty with problem-solving, complex tasks and sound judgments. Planning a family event or balancing a checkbook may become overwhelming. Many people experience lapses in judgment, such as when making financial decisions. Changes in personality. People may become subdued or withdrawn — especially in socially challenging situations — or show uncharacteristic irritability or anger. Decreased attention span and reduced motivation to complete tasks also are common. Difficulty organizing and expressing thoughts. Finding the right words to describe objects or clearly express ideas becomes increasingly challenging. Getting lost or misplacing belongings. Individuals have increasing trouble finding their way around, even in familiar places. Its also common to lose or misplace things, including valuable items. 4.Moderate dementia due to Alzheimers disease During the moderate stage of Alzheimers, people grow more confused and forgetful and begin to need help with daily activities and self-care. People with moderate Alzheimers disease may: Show increasingly poor judgment and deepening confusion. Individuals lose track of where they are, the day of the week or the season. They often lose the ability to recognize their own belongings and may inadvertently take things that dont belong to them. They may confuse family members or close friends with one another, or mistake strangers for family. They often  wander, possibly in search of surroundings that feel more familiar and right. These difficulties make it unsafe to leave those in the moderate Alzheimers stage on their own. Experience even greater memory loss. People may forget details of their personal history, such as their address or phone number, or where they attended school. They repeat favorite stories or make up stories to fill gaps in memory. Need help with some daily activities. Assistance may be required with choosing proper clothing for the occasion or the weather and with bathing, grooming, using the bathroom and other self-care. Some individuals occasional ly lose control of their urine or bowel movements. Undergo significant changes in personality and behavior. Its not unusual for people with moderate Alzheimers to develop unfounded suspicions — for example, to become convinced that friends, family or professional caregivers are stealing from them or that a spouse is having an affair. Others may see or hear things that arent really there. Individuals often grow restless or agitated, especially late in the day. People may have outbursts of aggressive physical behavior. 5.Severe dementia due to Alzheimers disease In the severe (late) stage of Alzheimers, mental function continues to decline and the disease has a growing impact on movement and physical capabilities. In severe Alzheimers, people generally: Lose the ability to communicate coherently. An individual can no longer converse or speak coherently, although he or she may occasionally say words or phrases. Require daily assistance with personal care. This includes total assistance with eating, dressing, using the bathroom and all other daily self-care tasks. Experience a decline in physical abilities. A person may become unable to walk without assistance, then unable to sit or hold up his or her head without support. Muscles may become rigid and reflexes abnormal. Eventually, a person loses the ability to swallow and to control bladder and bowel functions. Treatment: Alzheimer’s disease is complex, and it is unlikely that any one intervention will be found to delay, prevent, or cure it. That’s why current approaches in treatment and research focus on several different aspects, including  helping people maintain mental function, managing behavioral symptoms, and slowing or delaying the symptoms of disease. Maintaining mental function Four medications are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Alzheimer’s. They may help maintain thinking, memory, and speaking skills, and help with certain behavioral problems. However, these drugs don’t change the underlying disease process, are effective for some but not all people, and may help only for a limited time. Managing Behavioral Symptoms Common behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer’s include sleeplessness, agitation, wandering, anxiety, anger, and depression. Scientists are learning why these symptoms occur and are studying new treatments—drug and non-drug—to manage them. Treating behavioral symptoms often makes people with Alzheimer’s more comfortable and makes their care easier for caregivers. Slowing, Delaying, or Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease research has developed to a point where scientists can look beyond treating symptoms to think about addressing underlying disease processes. In ongoing clinical trials, scientists are looking at many possible interventions, such as immunization therapy, cognitive training, physical activity, antioxidants, and the effects of cardiovascular and diabetes treatments. Alzheimer’s References http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/in-depth/alzheimers-stages/art-20048448?pg=1 https://www.alz.org/what-is-dementia.asp http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/alzheimers-disease

To Sleep or not to Sleep Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing

To Sleep or not to Sleep ‘Pull up a leather couch and cram for the midterms’ reads the headline for a article written by Sarah Heim for ‘The Stanford Daily’ on October 5, 1999. The article describes the Bender Room, one of the study rooms that is frequented by Stanford students. Heim quotes students who describe the room as: â€Å" More like a livingroom than a library.† One students said, â€Å" You can always take a break and look outside at the view, and I like the leather couches.† Hmm, is this a study area or a lounge? I found this article a little confusing at first. Couches? View? I wonder if students like such rooms because they are good for study or distraction? Aren’t we supposed to avoid the temptations that are hazardous to our studies? I begin each day by taking a seat in a wooden chair near the doors of the room at St. Paul’s Newman Center called â€Å"the lounge.† I have spent a fair amount of time studying at the Newman Center and I have seen numerous others students studying and lounging in this room, but before this year it was seldom a spot that seemed conducive for studying. In the center of the west wall there is a clock. The clock makes a buzzing sound that seems to fill the whole room. Just below the clock a picture of the Madonna holding the Infant Jesus with his arms outstretched seems to call the wayward children who have wandered to the Western half of the room, furnished with tan chairs and couches. They are small and covered with coarse material, but soft. They form a semi-circle around a television and VCR on a double shelved metal cart occupying the northeast corner. When I entered the room on October second at 11:00 a.m., Michael had succumbed to the temptation. He was lying, eyes closed, on his b... ...rad, on the other hand, avoided the couches and with that the â€Å"doze factor†-or so I thought. When I walked into the room October 12 at a quarter past three, Brad had his chair pushed back and his head resting on the table. Books were scattered all over the table top and one was propped up as though he had been trying to read it with his head resting on his arms. Next to his right arm there was a can of Mountain Dew. I spoke in a loud, jesting tone: â€Å"Uh-Oh, Busted!† He lifted his head and I said: â€Å"Ah, sleeping and you won’t even go to the couches!† He smiled and replied: â€Å"This way I don’t sleep too long.† We both laughed and as I left, he returned his head to the table. This isn’t Stanford and these aren’t leather couches, but we offer all the temptations of home. Pull up a couch and cram for class-or sleep if you like! If it’s good enough for Stanford...

Electronic Gadgets Essay

Every time you turn around, your children are requesting the newest version of a technological gadget. While one child madly texts friends in the back seat of the car, the other is scanning Facebook, admiring his 378 friends. You may simmer with frustration that their grades aren’t up to par, considering whether or not you should take their phones and/or computers away for a while. But then you remember the money you’ve spent on eBooks and learning games and you wonder, â€Å"Are electronic gadgets the problem or the solution?† The answer is, â€Å"Yes† and â€Å"Yes†. Therein lies the conundrum. As with most things in life, the true answer lies somewhere in the middle. see more:modern gadgets essay The Pros Research shows that eReaders, such as Amazon Kindle products, not only increase children’s interest in reading, but also promote their reading comprehension. In a survey of 1200 eReader owners, Amazon reported that the owners’ purchases of non-eBooks increased by 3.3 times. It appears that reading begets more reading – and with kids, that is a wonderful thing. Current education trends recognize that not everyone can read text and immediately comprehend the meaning. eReaders offer multi-media applications such as instant dictionaries, pictures, or graphics that help to illustrate examples. There are eGames that help reinforce what a student has just read. Math and vocabulary games have been proven to increase students’ interest in the classroom, as well as raising their test scores. But as Newton’s Laws of Motion illustrate; for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The Cons In the electronic gadget arena, the negatives can be an individual’s own lack of discipline. As you sit at your computer working on a project, how often do you notice you have a new email and instantly check it? You might even type out a quick response and then get back to work. Or perhaps you think about the event you are attending at the end of the month and quickly search a few online stores to see if you can find a gift for the host. Now picture that same scenario, but imagine you are your child. He or she is working on a homework assignment that requires analytic thought, but every fifteen seconds there’s another ding or beep indicating a text has come in, Facebook has been updated, and so on. It is impossible for a child’s mind to remain engaged on the task at hand if he/she is continuously interrupted by outside distractions. Even the most disciplined of children feel the strong pull of peer pressure, and saying, â€Å"I don’t respond to texts while doing homework,† is an unlikely response to friends’ queries. You Are The Solution Electronic gadgets can be tremendous learning tools. They’re able to reach a myriad of learning styles and create a forum where children can connect with the learning style that engages them in the learning process. They make people want to read more. But, they can also be the reason that your child didn’t spend adequate time studying for tomorrow’s math quiz. You can become a part of the solution by setting an example that work time is gadget free time. Unless your child is using his/her new Kindle Fire to read a book, or play a learning game under your supervision, homework time can be gadget free time. That goes for you too. Perhaps evenings at home can be gadget free while homework is completed and dinner is shared. With a little honest conversation with your children, and some reasonable boundary setting, your children’s gadgets can be both the perfect tool and the perfect toy. What are your thoughts? If you think (like we do) that gadgets and education can co-exist in perfect harmony, then let us know in the comments section. And to find out how we are using technology in our tutoring sessions, give us a call!

The Case Against Euthanasia - 913 Words

A recent survey by the Canadian Medical Association discovered that â€Å" . . . 44 per cent of doctors would refuse a request for physician-assisted dying . . . † (Kirkey 2). Euthanasia is defined as assisting a terminally ill patient with dying early. In many countries the legalization of this practice is being debated in many countries. All doctors against assisted suicide, including the 44 percent in Canada, are on the right side of the argument. Euthanasia should not be legalized because it is unnatural, it violates the Hippocratic Oath, and laws are to extensive. Protecting life is the ethical view of society today, and legalizing euthanasia offsets that. Religious figures have recently welcomed the idea of getting God back into this†¦show more content†¦Lynn Pasquerella, president of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, who has a PhD in philosophy states, â€Å" . . . health care providers are likely to experience ever-increasing moral distress over how to abide by the Hippocratic Oath’s enjoinder to first do no harm in a society in which death continues to be viewed as patently un-American† (Wood 3). Doctors who agree with the Hippocratic Oath cannot have any association with euthanasia procedures without going against the oath. In the words of Andy Ho, senior writer of The Straits Times, when doctors assist suicide, they not only violate the Hippocratic Oath to â€Å"not to give a lethal drug to anyone if . . . asked, nor will (he) advise such a plan,† but also make killers of themselves (Ho 3 ). In other words, doctors do not go to medical school to take the lives of treatable patients, but to care for them. Euthanasia goes completely against the significance of all doctors. A complication with existing euthanasia laws is that they are too extensive with not enough restrictions. In many countries euthanasia laws are being extended to include patients who do not meet the criteria. â€Å"Belgium’s euthanasia law is being stretched to include patients who are not terminally ill and whose suffering is primarily physiological† (Hamilton 1). Because euthanasia is legalized in some states, it is only a matter of time before conditions are loosened to include children suffering from aShow MoreRelatedOpinions on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide1347 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Opinions of euthanasia and assisted suicide vary by country to country, and only a few nations permit euthanasia in the case of terminally ill patients (van der Heide et. al., 2007, p. 1957). Th e public discourse surrounding the ethical, and subsequently legal status of euthanasia is frequently heated and somewhat polarized, because the debate cuts to the very heart of notions of human rights and ethics. Unfortunately, this only tends to further obscure the issue at hand, which is in reality a fairlyRead MoreEssay on Is Euthanaisa Ethical?1203 Words   |  5 PagesIs Euthanasia Ethical? Euthanasia is a major ethical topic all around the world. Euthanasia is the deliberate killing of a person for the benefit of that person. In most cases euthanasia is carried out because the person who dies asks for it, but there are cases in euthanasia where people are unconscious, in a coma or unstable and can’t make that decision. Some people focus on how people should die without pain and if someone wants to be injected they should be allowed. Other people believeRead MoreEuthanasia Essay1221 Words   |  5 PagesEuthanasia PART A: SUMMARY I would like to begin by defining the issue of the article by Patrick Nowell-Smith. The issue of his article is legalizing euthanasia and giving people a right to decide when and how to die. What is euthanasia and why is it such a complex matter that raises all different kinds of opinions? According to the American Dictionary, euthanasia is defined as the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurableRead MoreEuthanasi The Issue Of Euthanasia1427 Words   |  6 Pages Euthanasia: The main purpose of this essay is to focus on the controversy surrounding the issue of euthanasia and analyse the pros and cons arguments regarding euthanasia. This essay will aim to analyse in further details the complexity of the matter regarding euthanasia and will argue the pros and cons of euthanasia and will also debate the major impact that legalising euthanasia might have on the society, on the medical industry andRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide And Euthanasia Essay1039 Words   |  5 Pagesthat if society accepts euthanasia as a rightful death for the terminally ill, they will potentially accept it for other ailments as well. There are multiple types of physician assisted suicide. Collectively, they fall under the categories: active or passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is when someone steps in and deliberately ends a life. An example of this would be a physician administering a lethal dose of muscle relaxants to end the life of a patient. Passive euthanasia is best described as whenRead MoreThe Dilemma Of Euthanasi Whose Life Is It?1165 Words   |  5 PagesThe Dilemma of Euthanasia The Dilemma of Euthanasia: Whose Life Is It? Andrea R Burroughs Ethics for the Health Care Professionals Dr. Ferhat Zengul November 8, 2014 Abstract The practice of euthanasia is one of the most debatable topics in many countries today. It’s been a pertinent issue in human rights because it affects both legal and ethical issues. This paper will include an overview and clarification of the euthanasia issue. It will also include legal and ethical debates thatRead MoreEuthanasi A Way Out Of Suffering1742 Words   |  7 Pages Euthanasia; A Way Out Of Suffering Chelsey L. Isner Weir High School Mrs. Lengthorn Mrs. Pellegrino  Abstract Human euthanization is not something new, but it is widely believed to be unethical. In reality, human euthanization is a painless solution to a terminal illness. The topic of this paper is how euthanization for humans is not a bad thing. During the writing process questions were asked about how religion views euthanasia, if it would be used for suicidal purposes, If Belgium’s lawRead MoreEuthanasi Death And Dignity Act1674 Words   |  7 PagesThe group decided to do a case study on Death and Dignity Act. Through our presentation, the group discussed if Euthanasia was morally and ethically right through the eyes of Thresa Christensen. Thresa Christensen was a character from the case study in which her father decided act upon voluntary active euthanasia. As group, we thought it would be best if is Theresa Christensen spoke on from the behalf of herself as a person who supports voluntary active euthanasia. The case study project has taughtRead MorePersuasive Essay On Euthanasi a1498 Words   |  6 PagesEuthanasia is a dilemma which many people have the misfortune of addresing. Whether it be putting down a beloved family pet many years of friendship or administering a lethal dose of morphine to an elderly patient, euthanasia is no easy topic to discuss or decide upon. Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending someones life to relieve their pain and suffering. Though euthanasia holds the purpose of killing to relieve pain, any people are uncomfortable with killing of any sorts, and hold theRead MoreEuthanasia Is Not Morally Wrong1528 Words   |  7 Pagesmost, if not all cases, of nonvoluntary active euthanasia the doctor who performs the euthanasia is charged with murder. This is because almost every country in the world has made nonvoluntary active euthanasia, where a patient wishes not to die but is euthanized anyway, illegal. Despite that, there could be cases in Warren’s view that would make it so the act of nonvoluntary active euthanasia is not morally wrong, and the results of her view could be very controversial. One case is where a patient