As people grow older there is a greater risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease developing. It not only affects the patient themselves but also the whole family and friends.

Dementia

Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out the activities of daily living. Dementia is progressive and incapacitating if it occurs in the earlier years the mental deterioration advances more rapidly and is more severe than if it starts in later years. In people over 65 years old early symptoms resemble the forgetfulness of ageing. Many people worry they are becoming demented.

The Earliest Symptoms

A close relative may notice failing memory and initiative. The person may become irritable. The loss of memory is a gradual process, patients can often remember incidents in their past but cannot remember recent happenings. This is called short-term memory loss.

After a time the relatives may notice the person does not understand what is said to them and they appear to have lost interest in their former activities and hobbies.

Not all signs of confusion or impaired capacity in the elderly are due to senile dementia. There may be another cause which when treated can reverse the condition. If your relative has this problem persuade them to see their doctor who will probably refer them to a geriatrician (a consultant who specialises in the care of elderly people). They will give advice on the patient’s management and/or may refer them to a clinic, sometimes known as a memory clinic. The patient will be seen by a consultant, who not only specialises in the care of the elderly person but also in memory loss, its cause and management.

The most common form of dementia in elderly people is caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s Disease

This disease involves the parts of the brain which control thought, memory and language. Research is ongoing and although much has already been done neither the medical profession nor the scientists know the cause of this disease. So far, no cure has been found.

The disease was first recognised in 1906 by Dr Alzheimer, a German doctor, who discovered abnormal changes in the brain during an autopsy (post-mortem) of a lady who had died of an unusual mental illness. Since then scientists have found that in this disease nerve cells die in greater numbers than normal, in areas of the brain which are vital to memory and other mental abilities. They also noticed that there are lower levels of some of the chemicals in the brain necessary for carrying messages between the nerve cells.

Alzheimer’s disease usually begins after the age of 60 and the risk rises with age but this disease is not a normal part of ageing.

What Causes Alzheimer’s Disease?

The cause is unknown at present but there are several factors which may be contributory.

Age

• The risk factor increases in people over 65.
• As people reach their seventies and eighties the risk factor increases. This is known as ‘late onset Alzheimer’s disease’.

Family History

There is a rare form of Alzheimer’s which is familial. It usually occurs between the ages of 30 and 60 years of age and is inherited. This has led scientists to believe genetics may play a role in some cases.

However, the more common form which occurs later in life shows no sign of being inherited.

Deposits

Autopsies carried out on people who died of Alzheimer’s disease in the 1970s showed accumulations of isolated aluminium in some areas of the brain in addition to the changes in the nerve cells which was discovered in 1906. These changes cannot be seen whilst the patient is still living.

Aluminium

It was thought at one time that deposits of aluminium in the brain were contributory to Alzheimer’s disease but this has now been largely discounted.