Alzheimer’s disease

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What is it about ?

The dementia is a condition marked by impaired brain functions (cognitive functions). It is characterized by decreased memory, with at least one other disorder (e.g. problems speaking (speech problems), loss of orientation in time and space, problems understanding meaning language, etc…).

The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells (neurons), which receive or send messages (stimuli) through nerve pathways. Some of these cells and pathways can be damaged and no longer function. Depending on the location of this damage in the brain, some functions will begin to decline.

There are two main types of dementias:

  • The vascular dementia is caused by a problem in the veins or arteries of the brain. Bleeding or a blood clot causes the death of a small area of ​​the brain (cerebral infarction). This is called a stroke or stroke.
  • Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the accumulation of certain proteins in the brain. These deposits form “plaques”. To this day, it is still unclear why these plaques appear in some and not in others. However, it seems that a number of risk factors favor the onset of Alzheimer’s dementia (see below). These factors are mainly related to lifestyle.
Risk factors

How to recognize it?

Alzheimer’s disease, or Alzheimer’s dementia, is a disease that almost always begins with memory impairment. It evolves slowly, from a mild form to a severe form. In addition to memory problems, there can be other problems.

Light shape

With a mild form of Alzheimer’s dementia, the person:

  • retains new information with difficulty, but keeps old memories in mind;
  • especially forgets difficult words and no longer understands abstract ideas;
  • loses track of time;
  • has difficulty carrying out certain tasks, initially the most complicated ones;
  • does not have big problems in familiar surroundings, but gets lost easily in foreign surroundings;
  • may change their behavior and be less active, more withdrawn, or even depressed. She can sometimes become aggressive in the face of a stressful event.
Moderate form

In the moderate form of Alzheimer’s disease, it becomes more and more obvious that something is wrong:

  • the person increasingly needs help with daily activities, such as dressing or grooming;
  • she also gets lost in places she knows;
  • if the family or other informal caregivers are not paying attention, she eats less well and lean, sometimes to the point of undernutrition.
  • she may, exceptionally, have hallucinations.
Severe form

In severe forms of Alzheimer’s dementia:

How is the diagnosis made?

Doctor will diagnose based on the symptoms and will be able to achieve:

The doctor will also take care to exclude other disorders of the nervous system which closely resemble Alzheimer’s disease, for example vascular dementia.

What can you do ?

Better to inform what to cure … It is likely that a healthy lifestyle decreases the risk of developing dementia.

Watch your weight, eat healthy, get enough exercise, do not smoke and moderate your alcohol consumption.

If the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is made, it is important that the family and / or informal caregivers are also informed.

What can those around a person with Alzheimer’s disease do?

The management of Alzheimer’s dementia is a team effort. a care plan is established to ensure the best possible coordination.

  • All the people involved in the care gather around the person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease: the general practitioner, the home nurse, the physiotherapist, the employees of the social action center responsible for cleaning, meals at home , etc.
  • Together, they fix the terms of the care and write them down in a care file. Each service provider also notes his observations and remarks.
  • Along with the home nurse, the physiotherapist can also ensure a sufficient level of physical activity.
  • People with Alzheimer’s dementia must be encouraged to stay active, both physically and mentally, by walking, following the news, reading the newspaper, maintaining sufficient social contacts, etc. very important role to play in this context.
  • The situation should be assessed periodically, in order to check whether the person is still able to stay at home. There are all kinds of intermediate solutions between home care and staying in a care establishment, such as the day center and the night nurse at home. Temporary admission to a rehabilitation center is also one of the possibilities.

What can your doctor do?

Medications

In addition to providing the appropriate supervision, the doctor can also prescribe drugs that sometimes help to slightly improve the functional capacities of the person with Alzheimer’s dementia. Other symptoms such as aggression or confusion will also be treated, if necessary, with medication. However, the effect of the drugs wanes over time. In addition, their effectiveness is not the same in all people.

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    Source

    Foreign clinical practice guide ‘Alzheimer’s disease’ (2000), updated on 01.09.2017 and adapted to the Belgian context on 04.04.2019 – ebpracticenet