Alzheimer's disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Alzheimer's disease - Research Paper Example There are many challenges when dealing with the disease. Those who are affected, however, may find comfort in some outreach programs offered to both the patient and his or her family. This paper explores the causes, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease as well as its devastating effects on the individual who has it and on the people around him or her, usually members of the family, and recommendations on how it can be prevented or at the least, delay its adverse effects. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that progressively destroys memory and thinking, eventually leading to dementia and the inability to do the simplest of tasks. It occurs mostly among older people above the age of sixty years (Singh et al., 2011). It is the most common form of adult-onset dementia which affects over 5 million people in America alone. Thus far, there has been no known cure for this disease, although research on at least delaying the adverse effects of the disease has been very promising (Trends e-Magazine, 2012). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that currently 35.6 million people currently have Dementia and will increase to 65.7 million by the year 2030 and further increase to 115.4 million in the year 2050 (Wimo & Prince, 2010). Of the 5.4 million people in America living with Alzheimer’s disease, 5% are men and 6% are women over sixty years. Unless the prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease controlled, as many as 16 million Americans will be afflicted by it by the year 2050. As of 2012, the cost of caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias sum up to about $200 billion, which is expected to balloon to $1.1 trillion per year by mid-century (Alzheimer’s Association, 2012). In the state of California, the following estimates of people aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s Disease