What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a common type of dementia, and it is estimated affect a total of 850,000 people in the UK alone. It has also been found that 62% of those with dementia have the disease in the form of Alzheimer’s disease. Both dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are progressive neurological diseases, which affect multiple brain functions and capabilities over a substantial period of time. 

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

One of the first symptoms of the Alzheimer’s disease tends to be minor issues with memory. In some cases, this could be forgetting the names of people, places and items or being unable to remember recent events or conversations with friends, family & loved ones. Because Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurological disease, different functions of the brain will be affected at different times. As the Alzheimer’s disease progresses, the loss of memory becomes more severe and you may start to notice other symptoms will become more prominent for you or your loved one. Here are some of the symptoms which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease:

• Issues moving around by yourself, without assistance
• Problems performing self care tasks
• Difference in personality, such as aggressive behaviour, hallucinations, being demanding and paranoia of others
• Low mood or anxiety
• Disorientation and confusion
• Getting lost in familiar locations
• Issues planning and making simple decisions
• Difficulty with speech and language

What causes Alzheimer’s disease?

It remains unclear of what the exact cause of Alzheimer’s disease is, but there are various aspects which can increase risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later on in life. For example:

• Getting older
• A previous family history of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
• A history of severe head injuries
• Previous/Current Conditions, which affect blood vessels
• Conditions which affect the heart
• Findings from comprehensive research has shown that it can be extremely common to have both of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia together, which is known as mixed dementia.

Who can be affected by Alzheimer’s?

Studies have shown that Alzheimer’s disease affects more women than men. In fact, it is known to affect around on average 1 in 14 people over the age of 65, and 1 in 6 people over the age of 80. Whilst Alzheimer’s disease is most prominent in those over the age of 65, around 1 in every 20 cases of Alzheimer’s disease affects those aged 40 to 65. According to the ONS, 11.6% of registered deaths in the UK were attributed to Alzheimer’s disease. Due to the nature of Alzheimer’s disease, it is a fatal disease where people will pass away due to the symptoms. Not only can Alzheimer’s disease affect the people who have the disease, but it can have an enormous impact on the families and caregivers. It can be extremely difficult for families to cope with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, but here at Independent People Homecare, we can help families and loved ones with our live in care services.

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Live In Care

If your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, you may find that your relationship may change. You will become the main caregiver as your loved one may no longer be able to continue with certain daily tasks such as showering, household chores and financial matters. Making all these decisions and being the main carer can feel very overwhelming – especially as you are watching the person you love change right in front of your eyes. Here at IP Homecare, we can help you.

We provide a number of Alzheimer’s and dementia care options, all of which will help to improve you or your loved ones quality of life in the comfort of your own home. Whilst there are care homes who can look after yourself or a loved one, they are nowhere near as flexible and as accommodating as live in care and home care services. Live in care for those who need Alzheimer’s and dementia care will enable you or a loved one to remain in the comfort of their own home, both in the early and late stages of the condition – even when they may require palliative care, which can also help and ease the pain and make those with Alzheimer’s much more comfortable before they pass away.

IP Homecare are on hand to support you or a loved one who may have Alzheimer’s disease. So, whether you’re looking for live in care services or palliative care – we’re here to help you.

To find out more call: 0808 274 8827