Managing the disease includes: Psychiatric symptoms may occur with Alzheimer's

Creating an environment in disease. Your doctor may prescribe medication to treat:

which you can receive the Depression
care you need Anxiety
Keeping your quality of Confusion, paranoia, and hallucinations
life as high as possible
Keeping yourself safe Caregiver Support
Helping yourself learn
to deal with the frustration Caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease is difficult
of your uncontrollable and exhausting. The primary caregiver needs emotional
behavior support, rest, and regular breaks. The Alzheimer's
Providing a calm, quiet, Association is an excellent resource for families and
predictable environment caregivers
Providing appropriate eyewear
and hearing aids, and easy-to-read Prevention
clocks and calendars
There are no guidelines for preventing Alzheimer's
Playing quiet music
disease because the exact cause is unknown. However,
Doing light, appropriate exercise to reduce agita-
the following factors may help you reduce your risk of
tion and relieve depression
Alzheimer's disease:
Encouraging family and close friends to visit fre-
Eat a healthful diet that includes fish.
quently

Dementia vs. Alzheimer's

Drink alcohol, but in moderation.

drink per day for a woman.

This means no
more than two drinks per day for a man, and one Alzheimer's
Dementia Alzheimer's Disease Exercise regularly.
Engage in mentally stimulating activities .
DISEASE
General A brain related disorder
A type of dementia.
Definition caused by diseases and
But the most common type.
other conditions.
Source: EBSCO Publishing
Many, including
- Alzheimer's disease,
stroke, thyroid issues,
Unknown, but the "amyloid
cascade hypothesis" is the
Cause most widely discussed and
vitamin deficiencies,
researched hypothesis
reactions to medicines,
today.
and brain tumors.

Permanent damage
Duration Average of 8 to 20 years.
that comes in stages.
r
Typical Age 65 years but can occur
of Onset
65 years and older.
as early as 30. ~ Health Education Division
Ministry of Health
Issues with memory,
Difficulty remembering P. O. Box N-3729
newly learned information.
focus and attention, Telephone: [242] 3 22-1025
With advancement,
Symptoms visual perception,
disorientation, mood and
Fax: [242] 328-007 9
reasoning, judgment, ~ healtheducationdivision@ bahamas.gov.bs
behavior changes may
and comprehension. www.bahamas.gov.bslhea Ith
occur.
\..
 S mgtoms include:
Alzheimer's disease is a condition that destroys brain Increasing trouble remembering things, such as:
cells. People with this disease slowly lose the ability o How to get to familiar locations
to learn, function, and remember. It is the most o What the names of family and friends are
common cause of dementia. Dementia is a loss in o Where common objects are usually kept
mental abilities that is great enough to interfere with o How to do simple math
daily life. o How to do usual tasks, such as cooking, dressing,
and bathing
Areas of the Brain affected - ..... Risk Factors Having difficulty concentrating on tasks
People over 65 years of age have an increased risk of Having difficulty completing sentences due to lost or
Language
(parietal lobe )
Alzheimer's disease. Other factors that may increase forgotten words-may progress to complete inability
your chance of Alzheimer's disease include: to speak
Previous serious, traumatic brain injury Forgetting the date, time of day, or season
Intelligence, Lower educational achievement Getting lost in familiar surroundings
judgment,
Obesity in middle-age Having mood swings
and behavior
(frontal lobe) Down syndrome Being withdrawn, losing interest in usual activities
Down syndrome in a first-degree relative Having personality changes
Women under age 35 who gave birth to a child Walking in a slow, shuffling way
with Down's syndrome Having poor coordination
Causes Smoking Losing purposeful movement

The cause of Alzheimer's is not yet known. Two Family history of Alzheimer's disease
Presence of a certain type of protein (APOE-e4) Diagnosis
factors that may playa role in the development of
Alzheimer's disease are: Depression There are no tests to confirm Alzheimer's. You may be
Elevated levels of homocysteine asked about your symptoms and medical history. A
Plaques-Abnormal deposits of a substance
called beta amyloid in different areas of the brain. Coronary artery disease physical exam as well as Neurological, psychological,
Neurofibrillary tangles-Twisted fibers (called Atherosclerosis and mental status exams may be done.
tau fibers) within the nerve cells.

Alzheimer's symptoms are divided into 3 stages: Treatment

Earl~ - lloss of Intermediate - There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease. There are no
memory, rea- Increased mental certain ways to slow its progression. Medication is
soning' nder- loss, persenatttv available to treat some of the symptoms. The goal is to
standing, or changes and in- find a medication that can manage the symptoms or
learning, but creased depen- slow the condition's course.
does not inter- dence on others
Medications that have been approved to reduce the
fer:e witH inde- for basic needs
symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can be prescribed by
peAEieAEe your doctor.