Sparking Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness

The Alzheimer’s Disease is a brain disease, that was first described by a German, physician named Alois Alzheimer in 1906. This disease destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and problems with cognition. It also causes severe behavioral and mood changes. It massively affects the person and their activities of daily life. In addition, it eats away at their personal relationships with the people who love them.

This disease gets progressively worst over time and there is no cure. We have found out that it gets worse as we age and that it is caused by harm to the neurons in the brain. There is an increase effort in research to find a better way to treat these patients. Scientists are also working to try to delay the onset or even to prevent it from developing entirely. Only time will tell if we can beat this horrible disease.

The reason that I picked this topic was because my Great Grandma died a few years ago of this disease. I want to gain as much information about Alzheimer’s as I can. I know that my mother, grandma, and even myself have a risk of getting this genetic disease. I am praying that they find a cure for this disease before any more of my family is affected by it. I have seen first hand what it can do. I personally think that it is one of worst diseases, because it kills the personality of the person that you know and love.

The different websites where chosen based on their information and interest level that they sparked. All of these sites have great information about this disease. It just depends on what you want to learn and how much time you have, when choosing a site. I hope that everyone can learn something new about this disease.

Alzheimer’s Association

What is Alzheimer’s?

http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp

This website gives a brief review of Alzheimer’s Disease. It is quite easy to read and contains additional links, that you can click on to learn more about a certain topic. This site also tells about how to donate to their organization.

U.S. National Institutes of Health; National Institute on Aging

Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet

http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/adfact.htm

This website gives a more detailed view of Alzheimer’s Disease. It tells about the different stages and what to expect regarding signs and symptoms. It talks about the genetic aspects of the disease and even gives helpful tips for family members and caregivers.

The Mayo Clinic

Alzheimer’s Disease

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alzheimers-disease/DS00161

This site is straight forward and gives specific information. It talks about signs and symptoms, causes, treatments, risk factors, diagnostic tests, etc. The site is easy to access, because it has icons that you can click on to the left of the screen, to search the topics listed above.

Wikipedia Encyclopedia

Alzheimer’s Disease

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer’s_disease

This site is quite hard to read because it has a numerous amount of information. It discusses the different stages of this disease. Also, it tells of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of it. It gives additional external links and references.

Alzheimer’s Research Forum

AlzGene Field of Genetic Association Studies and Ad

http://www.alzgene.org/

This site was really cool. It tells all about the research being conducted on Alzheimer’s Disease. You can look at the recent discoveries or news about it. Then you can also follow them on twitter. They also have live discussions.

Alzheimer’s Association

Alzheimer’s Disease; Facts and Figures 2009

http://www.alz.org/national/documents/report_alzfactsfigures2009.pdf

This is a report that shows the healthcare aspects of this disease. It shows how much it costs health care for long term care for these patients. They also say it is the 6th leading cause of deaths in this nation. In addition, it tells the impacts that it has on families and individuals, when it comes to health care insurance.