The Essentials

Alzheimer’s Reading Room provides an article on the essentials of Alzheimer’s disease. This includes the immediate and gradual effects, symptoms and a thorough explanation of what having Alzheimer’s often means.

Alzheimer's disease is a an irreversible brain disorder with no known cure. The cause of Alzheimer's disease is not yet known. Alzheimer's disease is always fatal. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, accounting for as much as 70% of all cases of dementia. Age is one of the most important risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. The percentage of persons suffering from Alzheimer's disease doubles every 5 years beyond the age of 65. Women are more likely to develop the disease than men are – in part, because women live longer.

People who have a brother, sister, or parent suffering from Alzheimer's disease have a slightly higher chance of developing the disease. Right now about 3 percent have a proven hereditary link (genetics). Heredity plays a much larger role in early-onset (before age 65) Alzheimer's. About 500,000 Americans suffer from early onset Alzheimer's. The number is growing.

One early sign of Alzheimer's is the inability to balance a checkbook or properly manage  finances. Eventually this worsens until a person has trouble recognizing and dealing with numbers. Disorientation is another early sign of Alzheimer's. The inability to drive to and locate familiar places. The inability to find the bathroom in the home of a close friend or relative. Persons suffering from Alzheimer's disease often lose their sense of time, days, dates, and years. They can find themselves lost in familiar surroundings.

Hoarding can be an early sign of Alzheimer's. Continually buying items like toilet paper, tooth paste, shampoo, or salad dressing can be a sign of mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's or dementia. Personality changes can be an early sign of Alzheimer's. Constant worries about money. Accusing others of stealing or people talking about them behind their back are examples.

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AlzCare provides quality care and treatment for Alzheimer’s patients in Texas. Our main office is in New Braunfels, close to San Antonio. We also have offices in San Marcos, Victoria, Temple, and Waco.