Around 420,000 people in the UK have Alzheimer’s, and it is said that this number is set to double within a generation, so what is Alzheimer’s? What causes it? And how does it change the life of the sufferer?

What is Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is a serious deterioration of the mental functions of a person, such as memory, language, orientation and judgement and there are several different forms of dementia, the symptoms are similar but not exactly the same for each form.

Causes and effects of Alzheimer’s

Plaques and tangles develop in the brain, which leads to the death of the brain cells and a shortage of brain chemicals, which transmit messages within the brain. The tangles begin to attack other connections between the brain cells and this continues to make the condition worse. The brain begins to shrink and has fewer chemical messages to rely on, an effect of all this activity within the brain is that key mental skills will begin to diminish.

Initial symptoms of Alzheimer’s

• Forgetfulness. 
• Mixing up words. 
• Getting times, people and places mixed up. 
• Difficulty performing familiar tasks. 
• Changes in personality. 
• Change in mood or behaviour. 
• Misplacing things. 
• Listlessness and uninterested moods.

When to see your GP

The earlier you go to see someone the better, even if it’s just a hunch something is wrong or because friends and family have begun to point out strange behaviour. Your GP is the best starting point for accessing the right services for you. Diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s is progressing all the time but a diagnosis will usually be given based on behaviour and changes over a period of time. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s but your GP will assess the situation and decide what kind of action is needed, this might be nothing if the Alzheimer’s is not causing any problems at the moment. Or it might be assigning a social worker, community nurse or psychiatrist to help with daily tasks or any emotional issues.

Life with Alzheimer’s

Although many of us would like to keep hold of our independence for as long as possible, there is no shame in asking for help. Some extra help with day to day tasks could make a big improvement in your quality of life and enable you to manage the condition with a degree of independence for longer. There will undoubtedly be some bad days and some good days, the important thing is to accept this, try not to get frustrated and don’t let people hurry you to complete tasks. Arranging regular activities and keeping a routine can be very helpful to keep socialising.

Extract taken from Alzheimer's - The Essential Guide. For more information on Alzheimers and it's causes, take a look at the book - available now in eBook, printed book and large print formats. Buy the printed version and get the eBook free!