What is alzheimer's disease?

Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia that damages the brain. It causes a steady loss of memory and of how well you can speak, think, and do your daily activities.

The disease gets worse over time, but how quickly this happens varies. Some people lose the ability to do daily activities in the first few years. Others may do fairly well until much later in the disease.

Mild memory loss is common in people older than 60. It may not mean that you have Alzheimer's disease. But if your memory is getting worse, see your doctor. If it is Alzheimer's, treatment may help.

For most people, the first symptom of Alzheimer's disease is memory loss. Often the person who has a memory problem doesn't notice it, but family and friends do. But the person with the disease may also know that something is wrong.

The symptoms of Alzheimer's get worse slowly over time. You may:

• Have trouble making decisions.
• Be confused about what time and day it is.
• Get lost in places you know well.
• Have trouble learning and remembering new information.
• Have trouble finding the right words to say what you want to say.
• Have more trouble doing daily tasks like cooking a meal or paying bills.

A person who gets these symptoms over a few hours or days or whose symptoms suddenly get worse needs to see a doctor right away. That may be a sign of another problem.

Your doctor will do a number of tests to make sure your symptoms are caused by Alzheimer's disease and not another condition.

Your doctor will ask about your past health and do a physical exam. The doctor may ask you to do some simple things that test your memory and other mental skills. Your doctor may also check how well you can do daily tasks.

The exam usually includes blood tests to look for another cause of your problems. You may have tests such as CT scans and MRI scans, which look at your brain. By themselves, these tests can't show for sure whether you have Alzheimer's.

It usually is helpful to bring a family member or someone else you trust to the appointment. A family member may be able to provide the best information about how your day-to-day functioning, memory, and personality have changed.

There isn't a cure yet for Alzheimer's disease. But there are things that can be done to maintain quality of life.

The doctor, family, and the loved one can work together to make a care plan. Care plans may include any of the following:

• Medicines. These may slow down symptoms for a while and make the disease easier to live with. These medicines may not work for everyone or have a big effect. But most experts think they're worth a try.
• Regular doctor visits to check the person's response to medicine, look for new problems, see how symptoms are changing, and provide continuing education to the family.
• Treating other health conditions, such as depression or hearing and vision loss.
• Planning how the person can be as independent as possible and manage his or her own life for as long as possible.

You'll work with a team of health professionals to create a safe and comfortable environment and to make tasks of daily living as easy as possible. Some people with early or mild Alzheimer's disease can care for themselves.

How to help

Work with the team of health professionals to:

• Make sure the home is safe.
• Keep the person eating well.
• Manage sleep problems.
• Manage bladder and bowel control problems.

The team can also help you learn how to manage behavior problems. For example, you can learn ways to help the person avoid confusion, manage agitation, and communicate clearly.

Decisions to make

You have decisions to make about both medical care and legal issues. They include:

• Whether your loved one should continue to drive.
• When it's time for a nursing home or assisted living.
• When it's time for palliative care.
• What kind of end-of-life care and surroundings your loved one wants.