Terry Lallky is the Vice President of Clinical Services for Anthem Memory Care. Ms. Lallky has served over thirty years in senior care, initially as a registered nurse focused on geriatric and dementia care. She was recently selected as one of the inaugural members of the 2024 Memory Care Innovation Awards in the Senior Housing & Senior Living category!
While most people have heard of Alzheimer’s disease, few know more than that it impacts memory. Yet, the disease impacts more than 3 million people each year. Below are answers to ten frequently asked questions about Alzheimer’s disease.
1. Are Alzheimer’s and dementia the same thing?
No, dementia is a term used to categorize a group of symptoms that impact a person’s ability to think and interact with others. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. The National Institute on Aging lists four major classifications of dementia, each of which impacts the brain and body in different ways:
- Alzheimer’s: Characterized by protein deposits that form amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain, resulting in the degeneration of brain cells. This leads to increased cognitive and behavioral issues.
- Frontotemperal dementia: TDP-43 proteins and tau accumulate in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It can involve shaky hands and difficulty with language.
- Lewy body dementia: Abnormal deposits of a protein called Lewy bodies impact neural chemical messengers. It can involve muscle rigidity and sleep disorders.
- Vascular dementia: Blood clots disrupt blood flow to the brain.
2. Is Alzheimer’s genetic?
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, only about 1% of Alzheimer’s cases are considered “familial early onset” forms of the disease. Research, however, has also found that 40-65% of those who develop Alzheimer’s are carrying the APOE-e4 risk gene, although that does not necessarily mean an individual will develop Alzheimer’s.
3. Can Alzheimer’s be cured?
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s. Research, however, has led to improved medications, which are designed to treat underlying causes and to help slow the progression of the disease.
4. What are early signs of Alzheimer’s?
The Alzheimer’s Association has identified several signs of Alzheimer’s disease, including:
- Memory loss that impacts daily life
- Challenges with planning and problem solving
- Difficulty completing familiar tasks
- Confusion with time and place
- Trouble understanding visual images or spatial relationships
- New problems with words in speaking and writing
- Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
- Decreased or poor judgement
- Withdrawal from work or social activities
- Changes in mood and personality
5. What are the stages of Alzheimer’s?
There are seven stages of Alzheimer’s as outlined by the Global Deterioration Scale. We have summarized them below:
- No cognitive decline — No complaints of memory loss.
- Very mild cognitive decline — Forgetting where one has placed familiar objects or names of people they know well.
- Mild cognitive decline — Among other deficits, the individual may get lost when driving, experience work performance deficits, have decreased ability to remember names, and experience concentration issues.
- Moderate cognitive decline — Deficit is now clearly identified in cognitive interview. This may include decreased knowledge of current events, deficit in memory of personal history, difficulty handling finances, traveling, and so on.
- Moderately severe cognitive decline — The individual now needs assistance in most areas. They may no longer recall their address, phone number, or names of close family members.
- Severe cognitive decline — Deficits include, unawareness of recent events, forgetting spouse’s name, difficulty counting to 10, and difficulty distinguishing faces. They may retain some knowledge of their life.
- Very severe cognitive decline — Individual has lost verbal abilities, is incontinent, needs assistance with eating, lacks bodily coordination, and may no longer be able to walk.
6. Does Alzheimer’s involve more than memory loss?
Yes, while memory loss is the symptom most often attributed to Alzheimer’s, the disease also impacts behavior as well as physical health and well-being. During the later stages of Alzheimer’s, mobility becomes impaired, and ultimately the individual will become bed ridden.
7. How long can someone with Alzheimer’s live independently?
That depends on the overall health of the individual and what stage of Alzheimer’s they are in at the time. Those who are in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s can live independently but will eventually need assistance with their daily activities. Living alone can pose greater dangers in the form of leaving a stove burner on, forgetting to turn off water in the sink or tub, and a variety of other issues that will worsen in time.
8. When do I know it’s time for memory care?
There comes a time when living independently becomes more difficult as the disease progresses. Some signals that it’s time to seek a memory care environment may include:
- Starting to self-isolate and not participating in activities that used to bring purpose and joy.
- Wandering away from home and becoming lost.
- Leaving the stove burner on, water on.
- Leaving food out, forgetting to clean up.
- Difficulty bathing and tending to personal hygiene.
- Behavior that is increasingly confused, irritated, paranoid, or shows a disconnection with reality.
- Any other behavior that causes family members to fear for the individual’s safety and well-being.
9. What are the benefits of memory care?
Memory care communities provide specialized care for individuals with dementia. The benefits of living in a memory care community are as follows:
- Optimized to meet cognitive, emotional, and physical needs of residents.
- Provide nutritious brain and heart healthy dining plans.
- Emphasize purposeful activities to help residents retain cognition for as long as possible.
- Provide round-the-clock medical care.
- Provide a safe and secure environment.
- Most provide end of life care.
10. Can I get tested for Alzheimer’s?
Yes you can, and you should. Medicare will cover both a basic cognition test as well as more advanced testing when cognitive impairment becomes evident. Early testing is key to getting early therapy and medication to help the individual live as normal a life as possible for as long as possible.
There are many resources available to help you better understand Alzheimer’s and how to cope with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Please visit Anthem Memory Care for more information at AnthemMemoryCare.com.
