......"FORGETFULNESS IS ALZHEIMER'S DISEASES" ......

 When forgetfulness is Alzheimer's Diseases?......


      Alzheimer's Disease is a strange disease, or later everyone else becomes a stranger.  Alzheimer's Diseases is unforgiving.  It steals from a person while still physically strong; his career,  family, independence and himself.  AD is the most common and most popular of the diseases that cause dementia.  It is estimated that today 24.3 million people world wide have dementia.  Affecting about 8 people in 100 individuals 65 years old and older with the number doubling every 5 succeeding years, the WHO(World Health Organization) in 2005 declared dementia as a public health concern.  It is projected that in the next 2 decades, they expected rise in dementia will be 200 times more in the less developed countries.  The highest growth is expected in South East Asia including Philippines.  Where under detection is possible because of shorter survival rate, each of public awareness because dementia is not a health priority and until recently in  adequate, assessment tools if not outright ignorance and negligence.  

      Forgetfulness frequently precedes all the other symptoms of dementia.  Unfortunately, it is also common in normally aging individuals.  Differentiation, therefore, is extremely crucial in early detection of AD.

 .......Symptoms of Alzheimer's diseases......

     *Recent memory loss that affects your job and daily activities; example forgetting names appointments, details of recent events.
      *Difficulty in performing familiar tasks like driving, operating household appliances, or participating in old hobbies.
      *Trouble finding the right words to say making sentences difficult to understand or substituting forgotten words incorrectly.
      *Disorientation such as getting confused in familiar places and disoriented to dates and times.
     *Poor or unpaired judgment such as in problems with handling finances and inappropriate behavior.
     *Problems with abstract thinking such as in calculating change or balancing the checkbook.
     *Frequent misplacing of personal possessions especially of value.
     *Change in mood or behavior or like rapid mood savings for no apparent reason.
     *Change in personality like one who is generally easy going may become angry and  suspicious, or one who is dependent becomes unusually more reliant on family members.
     *Lack of initiative to engage in usual activities but becomes passive sitting in front of the television for hours.  Sleeping more than usual........