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Treatment:
There is no exact cure for Alzheimer’s Disease but there are medications and some management strategies that can help with the symptoms. There are several types of treatments and different types of medications that are used to help patients and some of them are used to decrease some of the symptoms that the patients have. Some doctors will recommend that they do some physical exercises so it can help improve the patient’s cardiovascular health. There are many ways to cope with Alzheimer’s such as support groups or take recommended precautions. Specialists may be included if the patient and the family agree. Some of the specialist that may be involved are a neurologist and a psychiatrist and geriatrician and occupational therapist. Doing exercise anywhere from 20-30 minutes 5 days a week increases their health.
They may also be given cholinesterase inhibitors these kind of drugs work by boosting cell-to-cell communication by providing a neurotransmitter that is released by the brain that helps with symptoms such as agitation and depression. Patients with Alzheimer’s should do a little of ”exercise as well even though it is activities such as walking everyday. It can also help improve their mood, maintain healthy joints, and muscles as well.
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Medications Used:
Donepezil
A: Enhances the effects of a neurotransmitter by blocking an enzyme that is responsible for its breakdown. It also helps reduce the symptoms of dementia.
B: Mild- Moderate: 10 mg by mouth once a day
Moderate- Severe: 23 mg by mouth once a day
C: By mouth
D: Category C- Risk cannot be ruled out
Galantamine
A: Helps improve the function of the nerve cells in the brain and helps by preventing them from breaking down a neurotransmitter.
B: 4 mg twice a day preferably in the mornings and evenings
C: By mouth
D: Category C- Risk cannot be ruled out
Memantine
A: ”A receptor that blocks ”N-methyl-D-aspartate NMDA. The drug works on a cell-to-cell communication and it also slows the progress of symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
B: Immediate release: week 1: 5 mg by mouth once a day
Week 2: 10 mg by mouth ( 5 mg twice a day)
Week 3: 15 mg by mouth (5 mg and 10 mg must be done separately)
Week 4: 20 mg by mouth ( 10 mg twice a day)
C: By mouth
D: Category B- No risk proven in humans
Rivastigmine
A: Increasing a certain neurotransmitter in the brain
B: MILD TO MODERATE: 1.5 mg by mouth twice a day
C: By mouth
D: Category B- No risk proven in humans
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Signs and Symptoms
A: People are affected in many different ways. The signs are all different in many people but they do have some in common. It may vary from person to person. The most common symptom is remembering new information. As Alzheimer’s progresses and more severe it starts to affect the way they behave, speak, and they become disoriented. The person may not know that they have it so if they are showing symptoms it is best to take them to see a doctor and have them checked out. They will become more aggressive and will ask repetitive questions. Typically patients with Alzheimer’s tend to misplace their belonging or other things in general. As the severity of the disease progresses patients tend to forget the time and day. Everyone tends to forget what they had to say or what to do of course ever once in awhile. It’s normal to lose track of where you put your wallet or keys as well as forget someone’s name. The memory loss that comes with Alzheimer’s worsens, and affecting the ability to operate at work and home.
People with Alzheimer’s may forget conversations that they may have or have had with someone. They may also forget important appointments and not remember them at all. They may often misplace things, and usually putting them in irrational locations such as under their bed or in the refrigerator. Patients sometimes will seem to get lost in casual places. Eventually as it progresses they will eventually forget the names of their loved ones and friends including everyday objects. He or she may have trouble looking for the right word to describe something or someone and trying to express how they feel in a particular situation or carry on with a simple conversation. Their thinking and reasoning may decline much significantly and may have trouble concentrating and thinking especially remembering numbers. Multitasking will be very difficult and very challenging in trying to manage finances and the inability to recognize any of it within time.
Responding appropriately to the everyday problems such as cooking cleaning will become more difficult and they may clean only half and burn food because they simply forgot what they were doing. Little things like these make this challenging. Things such as planning activities and playing their favorite game can become a struggle when they want to play with their loved ones. Eventually they will forget how to shower and dress themselves so they will need assistance from a loved one to someone they trust. Their personality will change sometimes very quickly and sometimes slowly and a steady pace. Try not to take it to the heart because it is not their intention to hurt your feelings or anything it is just part of their symptoms. Some patients may experience depression, irritability and aggressive, and mood swings. The person you knew before is still there but they are just having difficulty remembering. They may change their way of sleeping and may or may not sleep less or more than usual.
With these types of patients you may need to be very careful with them because they tend to forget where they are and start to wonder around and where they are. If that ever happens approach them calmly and they may distrust you because they may not know you or the person. They may be delusional and think that they need to get home somewhere that may have existed years ago or they may think that something of theirs got stolen when in reality it hasn’t.
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Works Cited
“7 Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.” WebMD. WebMD. Web. 06 June 2017.
“Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia.” Alzheimer’s Association. Web. 08 June 2017.
“Alzheimer’s Disease.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 22 Dec. 2015. Web. 06 June 2017.
“Alzheimer’s Disease.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 22 Dec. 2015. Web. 09 June 2017.
“Caregivers’ Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms and Stages With Pictures.” WebMD. WebMD. Web. 06 June 2017.
“Donepezil: I
ndications, Side Effects, Warnings.” Drugs.co
m. Drugs.com. Web. 05 June 2017.
MacGill, Markus. “Alzheimer’s Disease: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments.” Medical News Today. MediLexicon International. Web. 08 June 2017.
Stevenson, Sarah. “Dementia Care Dos & Don’ts: Dealing with Dementia Behavior Problems.” Dementia Care Dos and Don’ts: Dealing with Dementia. 15 Jan. 2016. Web. 08 June 2017.
“Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease.” Understanding Alzheimers Disease. Web. 06 June 2017.
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