What is Alzheimer’s Disease?Lily Ha

B Block

November 3, 2011

Introduction

Irreversible brain disease 4th leading cause of death among older adults Leading cause of dementia Destroys memory, thinking skills, and ability to function

About 4.5 million Americans have this disease Expected to increase 70% by 2020 Aging increases risk because people are living longer these

days

Normal Brain vs. Affected Brain

“The diminishing of the intense white and yellow areas in the image on the right indicates mild Alzheimer's disease, with the increase of blue and green colors showing decreased brain activity.” – MFMER

Who can get Alzheimer’s?

Name for types of Alzheimer’s Early onset is 30 year olds to 60 year olds Late onset is after 60 year olds

Older adults Woman have a ¼ chance by age 55 Men have a 1/6 chance around 60

Who can get Alzheimer’s?

People who don’t keep their brain active and healthy may have a higher chance in getting Alzheimer’s

Factors depend on… Genetics Environment Lifestyle factors

What are the signs or symptoms?

Mood swings and behavioral issues Distrust Anxiety Depression Getting extremely angry Becoming insensitive, impolite, or judgmental Impatient, self centered, or short attention span Sloppy, disorganized, or neglecting personal hygiene Personality changes

What are the signs or symptoms?

Forgetting Family members and well known people Can’t find way back to their homes How to do simple tasks or taking too long Important events or being late Words – speaking sluggishly Repeating words, sentences, and questions

How should we treat people with this disease?

Develop good coping skills Make decisions for them Help maintain their mental focus Take things off their hands

Bills Errands

How should we treat people with this disease?

Strong support Stimulate creativity Keep in touch with them

Can Alzheimer’s be treated or cured?

For right now, there is no known cure. We are still unsure what causes Alzheimer’s Disease

Symptoms can be treated temporarily by medicine

Career as Registered Nurse

Administer nursing care to ill, injured, or disabled patients. May advise patients on health maintenance.

Alzheimer’s patients are typically cared for by nurses Median $64,700 The need for nurses will increase 22% in about 7 years Master’s Degree needed to advance Related careers

Nurse practitioners Advanced practice psychiatric nurse Clinical specialist

High School Career academies

High school: River Hill High School

Career Academy: Visual Communications

You are involved in elements of design and learn to use industry standard software

I chose this academy because I’m interested in graphic arts and designing them. I have a lot of creativity and enjoy expressing it.

University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore

In state tuition: $6,576

Graduates make up more than 40% of Maryland’s nurse workforce

Program requirements Official transcripts from all attended schools Personal résumé 2 recent academic letters of recommendation Overall GPA 3.0 For further information visit website

Prior Job Experience

Worked 4 years at Dougar’s Nursing Home

Employed at the River Hill Pool as Lifeguard

Assisted at Columbia Animal Shelter

Community Service

Participated in various triathlon packet pick ups

I helped out in these because I enjoy meeting people and helping others. It’s a very social event and these skills are good to have in any job.

Citing

PET scan of affected brain provided by Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

All other pictures were taken off of Clip Art

All information on University of Maryland School of Nursing can be found on their website nursing.umaryland.edu