Tender Rose Dementia Care Blog

Understand Alzheimer’s Disease in 3 Minutes

  

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Alzheimer’s disease is named for German physician Alois Alzheimer, the first doctor to describe the disease in 1906.

In his research, Dr. Alzheimer identified an 'unusual disease of the cerebral cortex' in one of his female patients. This disease caused memory loss, disorientation, hallucinations, and eventually her death at the age of 55. Using a new type of stain that only he had access to, Dr. Alzheimer observed various abnormalities of the brain and was able to identify nerve tangles which had never previously been described.

The disease is also called Alzheimer disease, senile dementia of the Alzheimer’s type, or just Alzheimer’s. Even though the disease was discovered over 100 years ago, scientists still do not know what causes Alzheimer's. 

We do know:

• Alzheimer's is a progressive and fatal brain disease—not a normal part of aging—that affects approximately 5.3 million Americans. This disease destroys brain cells and it gets worse over time.
• Alzheimer's is the most widespread type of dementia, accounting for 50% to 80% of all cases of dementia.
• There is no cure.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, the brain has 100 billion nerve cells (neurons), which communicate with each other to form networks. Some networks are involved in thinking, learning and remembering; other networks help us see, hear, smell, and move our muscles. With Alzheimer’s disease, as in other types of dementia, increasing numbers of brain cells deteriorate and die. 

The film below clearly explains Alzheimer’s disease in just 3 minutes. It was produced by AboutAlz.org. It shows a typical progression of the disease, how Alzheimer's destroys parts of the brain, and how that destruction affects the person living with the disease. This video is important for family caregivers because it helps you understand the different stages of the disease and why your loved one's behavior is changing over time. However, it is important to note that Alzheimer's does not take the same course in all patients (as implied by the video), and many patients will exhibit symptoms in a different order than described in the film.