A quick guide to the vast impacts AD has on a person
Written By: Alaina Yan
Image from Gain Therapeutics
Important Note: All information and sources come from the Alliance for Aging Research Youtube Playlist (check links at bottom of blog for more information)
Introduction
While Alzheimer's Disease is known to impact short-term and long-term memory in patients, it also results in mood and behavior changes. While many believe this change is voluntary, it is not. In fact, some of these changes require medical attention.
Anxiety and Depression
Different parts of the brain are damaged. Anxiety and depression in AD patients can be expressed as restlessness, irritability, muscle tension, and changes in weight. A reliable and familiar caregiver is imperative to amending anxiety and depression in AD patients. It may also be useful to look for medical causes or start CBT. Anxiety and depression symptoms can either worsen or get better over time, but changes differ over time.
Sleep Disturbances
Sleep disturbances can be seen as not getting enough sleep, getting too much, or even excessive daytime sleepiness. This is due to the circadian rhythm being disrupted. This symptom is almost universal in AD patients and more common during the middle-stage of AD. Sleep disturbances will lead to trouble with regulating emotions, delusions, hallucinations, and even psychosis. Sleep apnea scales are used to determine and scale sleep disturbances
Psychosis
Psychosis is made up of hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations are visual or auditory experiences that are not rooted in reality. Similarly, delusions are extreme false beliefs. 75% of AD patients experience psychoticosis, typically in the later middle-stage. Psychosis is the result of difficulty processing or recalling memories or environments due to the lack of brain cells in the lobes. Psychosis may also lead to paranoia. For example, some Ad patients may believe that somebody is robbing them when they forgot where they placed an object. Thus, paranoia and hallucinations are rooted in misinterpretation of the environment and grounded in prior life experiences. The best way to calm down a loved one experiencing hallucinations is to join them in their reality.
Wandering
Wandering is when somebody with AD loses their sense of familiarity and does not know where they are. Wandering is an extremely common symptom and typically occurs alongside anxiety. A few ways to lower wandering risk is to restrict exiting the house by deliberately placing obstacles, limiting driving, and having a plan in place. Project Lifesaver is an important program to know about for caregivers as it is a search-and-rescue program to search for designated at-risk people who are prone to wandering.
Apathy
Apathy can be described as a lack of motivation, withdrawal from typical social activities, relying on others to organize activities, and the loss of concern for personal hygiene. It is developed in the early stage and worsens in each stage of dementia. Medication for apathy in AD is extremely similar to medications for depression. Reframing questions may be useful for caregivers to coax those experiencing apathy to join social activities they may be reluctant to join.
Agitation
Agitation is described as excessive motor activity, pacing and restlessness, verbal aggression, yelling and cursing, physical aggression, or increased negativity. As AD impacts both the shallow and deep processing of emotions, those experiencing agitation feel more emotions and have a decreased ability to manage them. Agitation is common in the middle stage of AD. The best way to support those with agitation is to create a calm environment and behavior interventions.
