Persuasive Essay On Alzheimer's

Through serving others, I have come to realize that every person, regardless of one’s cultural background, has something to offer to the community. As an immigrant, I was quite hesitant about accepting new challenges. The fear of others’ judgment regarding my performance hindered my progress. However, through serving others in various capacities, I was able to interact and help people in my community, who themselves helped me overcome my fears.  Whether helping patients at St. John Providence or assisting refugees at the American Red Cross, I was amazed as to how much my presence made a difference, especially for those who needed me to interpret for them. The gratitude these people expressed to me enhanced my sense of purpose and made me realize

Imagine being a competitive athlete that can do almost anything and in a matter of seconds never being able to hug love ones or do the simple everyday tasks many take for granted. That’s how life is when a person is diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) it’s a fatal disease that causes a person to lose complete control of their body and constantly need assistance. Having ALS also means having to watch the body deteriorate when the mind is perfectly aware of its own demise. Being diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive degenerative disease caused by multiple severe concussions to the head. CTE is a disease that leads to many other abnormalities and only can be diagnosed after death. A concussion is

Atul Gawande’s book, “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End,” explores different themes such as, aging, death, and the mishandling of both aging and death by the medical profession’s. This book also addresses what it means to live well near the end of life. It is not just to survive, not just to be safe, not just to stay alive as long as the medical technology allows, but, according to the author it is about what living truly means to an individual. The author describes that the idea of “Being Mortal” developed as he watched his elderly father go through a steep decline in his health and the eventual death. He soon realized that during his medical education and training he was never taught how to help his patients with managing

An Alzheimer's caregiver once said, “ We remember their love when they can no longer remember.” Alzheimer's is one of the leading causes of death in the United States; however, the federal government does not as much interest in funding for Alzheimer’s as they do in cancer. Alzheimer’s is the only cause of death in the top ten in America that can not be cured, prevented, or slowed. The disease starts mildly and gets progressively worse over a course of time. In intense political competition for federal dollars for medical research, and other diseases come out far ahead of Alzheimer’s. Additional support from the federal government could cut down on the death rate of one out of every three seniors; thus, decreasing Alzheimer’s from one of the top six leading causes of death.

Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive disease, meaning memory loss is mild in the beginning, but it worsens over time to the extent that individuals are unable to have conversations or respond to their surroundings. A group of brain disorders that causes the loss of intellectual and social skills brain cells degenerate and die causing a steady decline in the memory and mental function. The likelihood of having Alzheimer’s increases tremendously after the age of 70. There are no genetic risk factors and Alzheimer’s disease is more prevalent in African Americans and Hispanics.

Imagine in 35 years living in a world where Alzheimer's disease is rampant among many of our beloved elderly family members and possibly ourselves. According to research journalist Linda Marsa, “This disease is expected to reach epidemic proportion as the nation's 76 million baby boomers move into old age. The number of Alzheimer's patients is expected to reach 100 million worldwide by 2050, including as many as 16 million in the United States.” Currently scientists and researches feel as if they are very close to finding the solutions to the many questions concerning Alzheimer's disease, which currently has claimed more than five million victims in America alone (2015, pg. 3). Many

There have been studies that examine the effects of family members who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease being good or bad. Some studies looked at how care givers are effected. They can be known to depress prior to or after death of the person diagnosed with the disease (Stroebe, Zech, Stroebe, & Abakoumkin, 2005). Other studies showed how the family member with Alzheimer’s and the care giver interaction with the physician is known to result to the caregiver had more interaction than the patient does (Fortinsky, 2001). Another study showed how a family members

There have been studies that examine the effects of family members of those who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. These studies looked at how care givers are effected. They can have depression prior to or after the death of the person diagnosed with the disease (Stroebe, Zech, Stroebe, & Abakoumkin, 2005). Other studies showed how family member is of Alzheimer’s and the patients care giver had more interaction with physicians than the patients. (Fortinsky, 2001). Another study showed how a family members experience change (Välimäki et al.,2012). Others showed

This tragic circumstance – dementia – is one that befalls more and more people every year even as we celebrate the feats of science in concocting more and better treatments for illness and stretching out our sojourn on this increasingly less mortal coil. It is one of many immense costs that the human race bears – on individual, familial and societal levels – for greater longevity. As biological science strides on towards its likely tipping point into a Brave New World, it is imperative that we examine whether longer life expectancy is more a blessing or a bane. The problems wrought by the constant uptick in our years of life are, in my view, of such magnitude that they have preponderance even over the undoubtedly great advantages that they

“Grief is like the ocean, it comes in waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim” This quote from the author, Vicki Harrison shows us a pattern people share in dealing with difficult times. Our worlds can change in the blink of an eye. When dealing with some of life’s situations we encounter many different responses to death and illness that many people feel even if it does not involve them personally. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and her essay “On the Fear of Death,” Lewis Thomas’s “On Natural Death,” Joan Didion’s “After Life,” Edward F. Truschke’s “Dear Caring Friend,” and Dylan Thomas’s poem “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” give us different perspectives on these

The patient is the only one that can deem how much pain they can tolerate and when they are ready to stop fighting. The choice of assisted-suicide should be chosen by those that are doing the actual suffering, they are the ones that are stuck living that way. No one should be told that they have to live the rest of their life in constant pain when there is a way to die in a painless manor. For instance, Mark A. R. Kleiman, professor of public policy at New York University and author, argues that “There are other people whose lives are so miserable that they prefer to end them…Some suffer from intractable physical pain. Others find their physical and mental powers failing and hate the thought of being dependent on others for basic activities” (Kleiman). To elaborate, Kleiman believes that terminally ill patients should be allowed the choice to die with dignity. Many terminally ill patients find it embarrassing to imagine that in a few months they will not be cable to bathe themselves, use the washroom alone, or even feed themselves. If a patient knows in advance that their physical and mental abilities

According to the Alzheimer’s Disease Association (2015), there are 10 identifiable stress symptoms observed in caregivers that are contributing to the psychological and physical distress of the caregiver. As the disease progresses the stress increases. The first stressor is denial of the disease and its unexpected impact on the one who is diagnosed. Next, is the unexpected feeling of anger towards the victim of Alzheimer’s disease and toward others because there is no cure for this devastating disease. Due to the continuous cognitive decline, anger increases toward the care recipient, especially when they continually ask the same question over and over again while becoming more dependent. Social withdrawal or isolation from friends and family members is a significant stress factor. Consequently, the caregiver no longer participates in activities that once brought them joy. Anxiety and worry are in the forefront as the care recipient recognizes the extensive care that will be required outside the home increasing the financial burden. Feelings of depression impact the caregiver’s spirit and, therefore, the caregiver begins to lose hope in the caregiving role. Psychological and physical exhaustion begins to take over from the round the

Encountering death constitutes one of the most stressful events that a nurse inevitably encounters. Patients and families often face complex choices as patients approach the end of their lives. These decisions often affect many aspects of a person’s well-being and may be spiritual, psychosocial, or legal. Dying patients have to consider their wants and needs from treatment, while also considering the ramifications that can accompany these choices. This paper discusses a professional nurse’s role in promoting a good death, personal experiences regarding my encounters with death, and how all nurses can effectively facilitate end of life decisions.

1901 was the first recorded Alzheimer case. A woman named Auguste Deter was under the care of Dr. Alois Alzheimer; however he was not able to figure out what was wrong until Auguste had died in 1906. Samuel Cohen, a researcher looking into a drug to cure or at the very least slow down the process of Alzheimer’s, noted that even if Alois and Auguste were alive now they would not be able to help her with modern medicine. The lack of research on the disease affects 40 million people today and in the future when the baby boomers state to become older it will affect approximately 150 million people. A ratio of 1:2.

It is expected that by 2050, one new case of AD is expected to develop every 33 seconds, or nearly a million new cases per year, and the total estimated prevalence is expected to be 13.8 million(Alzheimer’s association, 2014)(Prince et al., 2013). According to Alzheimer Society of Canada in 2011 only, 747,000 Canadians were living with cognitive impairment, including dementia - those're 14.9 per cent of Canadians 65 and older.