According to the latest 2025 survey by the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is on the rise and now exceeds breast and prostate cancer with over 7 million Americans affected! Sadly, one in 3 older Americans dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
Alzheimer’s Patient
Do you wonder what the difference is between dementia and AD. Dementia is an overall term for a particular group of symptoms. Dementia symptoms include trouble with memory, language and problem-solving; difficulty concentrating; and struggling to understand and express thoughts. Other symptoms are confusion, poor judgment and acting impulsively, among others. Dementia symptoms are the result of changes in the brain.
While AD is the most common cause of dementia, it is not the only one. Other causes include cerebrovascular disease, degeneration of the front and temporal lobes of the brain, and accumulation of proteins called Lewy bodies. Often, individuals have the brain changes of more than one cause of dementia.
AD includes the excessive accumulation of the protein fragment beta-amyloid and of an abnormal form of the protein tau. Other brain changes include inflammation and decreased ability of the brain to use glucose, its main fuel. When imaging studies, cerebrospinal fluid analysis or other tests show that the brain changes are caused by AD. A new blood test approved by the FDA also detects amyloid plaque in the brain.
In Alzheimer’s, nerve cells in the brain (called neurons) are damaged and destroyed. The brain’s neurons are essential to all human activity, including thinking, talking, and walking. The neurons damaged first are those in parts of the brain responsible for memory, language and thinking, which is why the first symptoms of AD tend to be memory, language and thinking (cognitive) problems. In AD stages 3 & 4, Individuals begin to develop changes in mood, personality, or behavior, such as apathy, confusion and increased suspicion and fear.
The brain changes that cause dementia are thought to begin 20 years or more before symptoms start. During those years, the brain compensates for the changes by using alternate networks of neurons to enable individuals to continue to function normally.
AD is progressive, meaning the brain changes and symptoms worsen with time. How quickly it progresses from year to year and what abilities are affected vary from person to person. Like all people, individuals with Alzheimer’s have good days and bad days. On good
days, their cognitive skills may be markedly improved, and they may be better able to conduct everyday activities. On bad days, their cognitive skills may be worse, and they may have more difficulty conducting everyday activities.
Family members, friends and professional caregivers play critical roles in keeping individuals with Alzheimer’s safe, healthy, and engaged in the activities that are most meaningful to them. Increased help from caregivers is needed as the disease progresses.
Individuals in the mild functional impairment stage (stages 1 or 2) of Alzheimer’s may require little or no help with basic activities of daily living (ADLs), such as getting into and out of a bed or chair, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, eating, and grooming. Individuals in the moderate functional impairment stage (stage 3) do require help with ADLs. Caregiving demands further increase when neuronal damage and death extends to parts of the brain that enable basic physical function such as swallowing and walking (stage 4). Individuals in this severe functional impairment stage of Alzheimer’s require help with all ADLs.
There is hope with different treatments in slowing the progression of AD or other dementias. A neurologist can provide details on different treatments. Article courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Association.