What You Can Do For Your Loved One With Alzheimer’s

04 Jun What You Can Do For Your Loved One With Alzheimer’s

One of the top leading causes of death in the elderly population in the United States is Alzheimer’s.  There are over 5 million people in the United States who are living with Alzheimer’s.  About 10% of people 65 years of age or older are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and 66% of those people with Alzheimer’s are women.  If you or a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it can be a scary point in life.  You may be wondering what this means for your future and if there is anything you can do to slow the progression of the disease.

             Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurological disease that leads to problems with memory, thinking, and behavior.  Symptoms can progress to the point where they interfere with a person’s ability to live their normal life.  While Alzheimer’s is not fully understood, scientists do believe it is caused in part by amyloid plaques and tangled bundles of fibers.  Unfortunately, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s.  However, there are a variety of treatments that exist to help stop or slow the progression of the disease.

            Alzheimer’s disease can be difficult to diagnose initially because it starts slowly.  Memory problems are typically the first sign of Alzheimer’s.  While mild cognitive impairment is often present early on in most Alzheimer’s patients, not all people who have mild cognitive impairment will develop Alzheimer’s.  People who have Alzheimer’s may have problems driving a car, cooking, paying bills, and performing day-to-day functions.  As a result, the goal is to begin treatment as soon as possible so the progression of the disease can be slowed early on.  People who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s may live anywhere from 3 to 10 years after their diagnosis.

            Currently, the most common treatments for Alzheimer’s are aimed at stunting symptoms.  This may include medication to help memory, behavioral therapy, and treatments for sleep changes.  While these treatments are helpful, they cannot fully heal the patient.  For this reason, stem cell therapy has become a much more intensely researched therapy for Alzheimer’s patients.  There is hope that stem cells’ ability to harness the body’s own healing power may be able to not just stop the progression, but reverse the damage Alzheimer’s disease does to a patient.  While there is still a lot of research that needs to be done on stem cell therapy for Alzheimer’s patients, it has shown a lot of promise for the future.

            As people live longer now than ever before in the United States, neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, are becoming more common in later life.  Most people know someone who is suffering from Alzheimer’s.  As a result, there has been a huge push to find a cure for the disease.  While we cannot currently say that stem cell therapy cures Alzheimer’s we can say that stem cells have greatly helped those suffering from Alzheimer’s.  Stem cells from stem cell treatment Scottsdale AZ offer hope for Alzheimer’s sufferers and their loved ones that one day, Alzheimer’s damage will not just be stopped, but will be reversed.