Alzheimers Essays (1167 words) - Cognitive Disorders,

Alzheimers Disease Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking and behavior (Internet). It is a degenerative disease affecting nerve cells of the frontal and temporal lobes of the cerebrum of the brain. The disease is the major cause of presenile dementia (i.e., the loss of mental faculties not associated with advanced age) and is thought to be the largest single cause of senile dementia as well (Britannica, 306). It causes the connections between cells to become ineffective and the cells themselves to shutdown and eventually die (Davies, 1). Alzheimer's is a progressive, irreversible, fatal neurologic disorder that affects an estimated 4 million American adults. It is estimated by 2040,approximately 14 million Americans will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. Approximately 9% of the population older than 55 years and 20% of those older than 85 years have Alzheimer's Disease. The duration of AD averages 2 to 10 years but can be up to 20 years. By 1992, Alzheimer's Disease was the fourth leading cause of death among adults (more than 100,000 American deaths per year). It is projected that the number of people with Alzheimer's Disease will triple in the next 50 years. This epidemic of dementia is not confined to sex, race, social, or economic class. The public knows this disorder as "senility", although the term Alzheimer's is becoming more common (Rosdahl, 1356). According to a quote from Hasselbring " Alzheimer's disease." Medical Self-Care 53- 57,January-February, 1986, a 61-year-old woman in early stages of Alzheimer's disease stated, "My mind goes to an empty and horrible place. When I come back, I'm in a room full of strangers. I fell so lost and afraid." Many Alzheimer's patients echo these sentiments. The disease is frightening and disabling (1356). Alois Alzheimer, a German neuropathologist, originally described the disease in 1906. In the autopsy of a 55-year-old patient who had died with severe dementia, Alzheimer noted the presence in the brain of two abnormalities (Britannica, 306). Recent studies have shown that in the autopsies of the brain of people who have died from Alzheimer's, there is much higher concentration of aluminum than is normal (Weiner, 17). Accounting for about half of all dementia cases, Alzheimer's is more common in certain groups. Women are at higher risk, so are those who have a first-degree relation with the disease, or a history of head trauma (RN magazine, 26). Unfortunately, many people fail to recognize that these symptoms indicate something is wrong. They may mistakenly assume that such behavior is a normal part of the aging process; it isn't. Or, symptoms may develop gradually and go unnoticed for a long time. Sometimes people refuse to act even when they know something is wrong. It's important to see a physician when you recognize these symptoms. Only a physician can properly diagnose the person's condition, and sometimes are reversible. Even if the diagnosis is Alzheimer's disease, help is available to learn how to care for a person with dementia and where to find assistance. Ten warning signs to watch for are: (1) memory loss, (2) difficulty performing familiar tasks, (3) problems with language, (4) disorientation of time and place, (5) poor or decreased judgement, (6) problems with abstract thinking, (7) misplacing things, (8) changes in mood or behavior, (9) changes in personality, (10) loss of initiative (Internet). Typical problems that should alert us that a person needs some kind of help are repeated car accidents, getting lost, losing things and not recalling the previous day (Davidson, 13). Symptoms of the illness represent deficits in many areas of how a person remembers and thinks. For instance, problems with memory may be manifested as forgetting names, dates, places, whether a bill has been paid for, or something said over and over. Intellectual abilities are lost eventually. Reasoning with the affected person is no longer a successful way to understand and deal with his problems. Judgement about common everyday situations is drastically diminished. The individual's capacity to express himself verbally gradually shrinks. Neither is he able to comprehend what others say to him. As the disease progresses, he may gradually lose the ability to speak. Psychiatric symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations can occur. The person can become anxious, restless, agitated, and may even appear to be depressed. His personality will change. In fact, he may not seem to be the same person (Gruetzner, 9). Alzheimer's disease begins insidiously and progresses slowly but inexorably, until the sufferer cannot attend to the simplest details of self-care and may not even remember his or her name. Although the symptoms may

Disparate vs Desperate

Disparate vs Desperate Disparate vs Desperate Disparate vs Desperate By Ali Hale Two words that sometimes get confused are â€Å"disparate† and â€Å"desperate†. They have quite different meanings, but they can sound very similar in some accents, and if you’re using autocorrect, you might find that you get the wrong one. What Does â€Å"Disparate† Mean? Disparate is an adjective that refers to things that are separated in some way – and perhaps even incompatible with one another. Dictionary.com defines it as meaning â€Å"distinct  in  kind;  essentially  different;  dissimilar.† It comes from the Latin â€Å"disparatus†, meaning â€Å"separate.† Here are a couple of examples of â€Å"disparate† in use: Perhaps Labour’s most significant  proposal in its manifesto was for a national education service (NES), a scheme to join up the disparate elements of education, providing free lifelong learning from nurseries through schools to universities and adult education. (From The Guardian) To understand patriotisms uneasy place in Nigeria, you have to go back to 1914 when the Southern and Northern protectorates and Lagos Colony were brought together to form a single country. In the process about 250 disparate groups including the three major ones of Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba were welded together in a Tower of Babel of sorts. (From the BBC.) While â€Å"disparately† is also a valid word (it’s an adverb), it’s rare to come across it being used. What Does â€Å"Desperate† Mean? The word â€Å"desperate† is, like â€Å"disparate†, an adjective. â€Å"Desperate† has the same route as the word â€Å"despair†, and it is used for several different purposes: Wanting something very badly (e.g. â€Å"I’m desperate for a cup of tea.†) Indicating that something is very serious or bad (e.g. â€Å"Our situation is desperate. We are completely out of supplies.†) Being willing to do something risky or extreme (e.g. â€Å"The rescuers took desperate measures to reach the stranded children.†) As an adverb, â€Å"desperately† can be used to modify a verb (e.g. â€Å"She desperately needed to sleep.†) Here are three examples of â€Å"desperate† in use: In a study of 872  acquisitions  made by 401 firms, the authors found that managers who were desperate to show growth- as measured by their firm’s weak growth as compared to that of comparable companieswere more likely to overpay for an acquisition. (From Inc.com) If you approach your job search with the mindset I dont care what kind of job I get  -   I just need a job!, that desperate energy will radiate from you in waves and everyone around you will feel it. (From Forbes.com) Period poverty  is pushing women in  Zimbabwe  to desperate measures  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ and the  homeless are bearing the brunt of the crisis, according to campaigners. (From The Independent) If you’re struggling to know which you should use at any given time, remember: Disparate can usually be replaced in a sentence with the word â€Å"separate†. Desperate can usually be replaced in a sentence with the word â€Å"wanting† or the word â€Å"extreme†, depending on how it’s being used. In most situations, especially in informal writing such as social media posts, the word you want is likely to be â€Å"desperate†. Don’t trust your autocorrect if you end up with â€Å"disparate† instead. Desperate vs Disparate Quiz For each of the following sentences, select the word that makes the most sense: 1. When I finally finished the run, I was [desperate/disparate] for a drink of water. desperate disparate 2. This program of study combines several [desperate/disparate] elements. desperate disparate 3. In these terrible times, we must take [desperate/disparate] measures. disparate desperate 4. I am [disparately/desperately] keen to work in the tourism industry. desperately disparately Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should Know35 Genres and Other Varieties of FictionCareful with Words Used as Noun and Verb