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Did Your Mother Have Alzheimer’s Disease?

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Alzheimer’s disease is something that tends to run in families. The older a person is, the bigger the person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Your risk increases if you have a parent or first degree relative who has this disease. A new study finds that another factor that increases your risk is if the parent who had Alzheimer’s was your mother, instead of your father. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia. The symptoms can be difficult to recognize at first, and can resemble a typical forgetful moment that everyone can experience from time to time. Early symptoms include short-term … Continue reading →

Final Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

The final stages of Alzheimer’s disease can be the most challenging for friends and family of a person with the disease. If you need to, take a look back at the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Stage 6 is known as “moderately severe” or “mid-stage” Alzheimer’s disease. In this stage, cognitive decline is severe. A person at this stage may experience: Significant personality changes, including hallucinations, delusions, suspiciousness, paranoia, and/or compulsive, repetitive behaviors. Awareness of recent experiences, events, and surroundings is lost. Personal history is recalled imperfectly. May forget names of family and … Continue reading →

Alzheimer’s Disease: Hallucinations

As Alzheimer’s disease advances, a person may begin to experience hallucinations. These sensory experiences seem completely real to the person with Alzheimer’s disease. The most common hallucinations involve sight (seeing something that isn’t really there) and sound (hearing something that isn’t really there). That doesn’t mean the other senses can’t be involved too. Hallucinations can also involve taste, smell, and touch. What should a caretaker or family member do if a loved one is having hallucinations? Your response can vary depending on several things: What is the hallucination? Is it upsetting the person? Frightening them? When a hallucination is upsetting … Continue reading →

The Imaginary Visitor

I did a little research on people with Alzheimer’s disease experiencing hallucinations because of my grandmother. She is progressing from mild into moderate Alzheimer’s disease and has been experiencing hallucinations from time to time. I remember her calling through the house, looking for her mother (who passed away in 1998). She told stories of a little white dog she saw running through our backyard (that no one else ever saw). Lately, the hallucinations have been becoming more frequent. Last week, she told my mother a story about a stranger coming to the door. According to my grandmother, the doorbell rang … Continue reading →

Alzheimer’s Medication: Aricept

One of the more popular medications used for Alzheimer’s disease is called Aricept (generic name: donepezil). The drug has been in use in the United States since 1996 for the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease; it was also approved in 2006 for use in patients with severe dementia. In people who respond well to the drug, the progression of Alzheimer’s disease is delayed by six months to a year. Aricept is a cholinesterase inhibitor. This type of drug delays the breakdown of a neurotransmitter known as acetylcholine, which aids in the communication between nerve cells. This neurotransmitter is very important … Continue reading →