阿爾茨海默氏症(Alzheimer's Disease)是一種會影響認知功能的大腦慢性疾病，亦是一種最常見的認知障礙症，大部分患者都是６５歲以上的長者。在患有阿爾茨海默氏症的病者中，他們的認知功能（例如記憶，學習能力，語言和判斷力）將逐漸惡化，並且影響他們的日常活動能力。善忘，反复詢問問題和經常忘記出席約會都是阿爾茨海默氏症的常見症狀。他們的認知能力會不斷下降，令他們的自理能力逐漸喪失。除了認知問題外，阿爾茨海默氏症的病者還會出現幻覺，妄想和躁動等行為和心理症狀，導致家人出現很大的壓力。不幸的是，現在的藥物和防預措施只能減緩疾病惡化，但無法治癒疾病。由於人口老齡化和人類的預期壽命延長，患有阿爾茨海默氏症的病者的人數將持續增加，並且為社會及醫療系統帶來沉重的影響。
Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive disease of our brain affecting the cognitive function. It is the most common types of dementia that commonly found in the older people. In the people with Alzheimer's Disease, their cognitive function (e.g. memory, learning capacity, language and judgment) will gradually deteriorate and also affect their activities of daily living. Forgetfulness, asking repeated questions and missing appointments frequently are the common symptoms in the people with Alzheimer's Disease. As the cognitive function progressively decline, their self-care ability will lose gradually. Apart from the cognitive problems, behavioural and psychological symptoms such as hallucination, delusion, and agitation are also presented in the people with Alzheimer's Disease resulting in a heavy caregiving burden among family caregivers. Unfortunately, the medications and interventions nowadays can only slow down the disease progression but cannot cure the disease. Because of the aging population and the increased life expectancy, the number of people with Alzheimer's Disease will keep increasing. The caring problems for the people with Alzheimer’s Disease will also create a heavy clinical and social impact on the society in the coming future.
Knapton, S. (2016, 2016-02-15, December 23). Students should learn a second language to prevent dementia in later life. The Telegraph.
The article shared the new research findings in preventing the people from dementia. Studies have shown that certain types of dementia appear up to five years later for people who speak a second language compared with monolinguists. 引文
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Glatzer, R. & Westmoreland, W. (2014). Still Alice.
It is an enlightening movie which explores the harsh reality of a person from both the physical and emotional effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Julianne Moore plays the role of Alice who is an acclaimed linguistics professor at Columbia University. The story starts off with Alice celebrating her 50th birthday with her husband, who is a successful scientist (Alec Baldwin), and three grown children. As the story progresses, Alice begins experiencing growing symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease. At first she brushes the symptoms off as being absent-minded. Eventually, the symptoms of forgetting words, names, appointments and locations lead her to seek medical treatment from a neurologist. 引文
Polley, S. (2006). Away from Her.
The movie focuses on a couple whose marriage is tested when the wife begins to develop Alzheimer's disease and moves into a nursing home. In the nursing home, she loses virtually all memory of her husband and begins to develop a close relationship with another nursing home resident. 引文
Chiao, C. Y. et al. (2015). Caregiver burden for informal caregivers of patients with dementia: A systematic review. International Nursing Review, 62(3), 340–350.
Caring the people with dementia is challenging and the family caregivers take up a lot caregiving tasks resulting high level of burden. This article identified the factors constituting caregiver burden on the family caregivers of people with dementia living in the community and discussed how to improve the quality of life of the caregivers. 引文
Williams, K. N. & Kemper, S. (2010). Interventions to reduce cognitive decline in aging. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 48(5), 42–51.
This article discussed different risk factors of cognitive decline in the older people and suggested a wide range of interventions such as cognitive training, physical activity, social engagement that reduced cognitive decline in aging. 引文
Draper, B. (2013). Understanding Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
This book talks about different aspects about Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia including their symptoms, assessment, diagnosis, different types of treatments and management. Taking into account the latest research, and ethical and legal issues, there is also some useful advice and ways to support relatives and carers. 引文
Jordan, M. (2013). The essential guide to avoiding dementia: Understanding the risks.
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