Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a pathological process in which a persistent, gradually progressive decline occurs in a person’s intellectual abilities. The mechanism of development of this disease is associated with the gradual death of the cellular structures of the brain, due to which the following disorders develop:

• memory deteriorates significantly;
• mental abilities are reduced;
• other cognitive functions fade.

Alzheimer’s disease is regarded as an acquired form of dementia. The likelihood of this pathological process’s occurrence increases significantly after the patient reaches the age of 65 years.

Most of a person’s intellectual abilities are completely degraded in the late stages of the disease’s progression. Patients experience memory lapses, difficulty making decisions, inability to carry out daily living tasks, general disorientation, and other challenges. In addition, Alzheimer’s disease provokes behavioral disorders associated with personality disorders.

Today there is no full-fledged treatment for this disease, and doctors can only reduce its progression rate and improve patients’ quality of life. For this reason, rehabilitation is paramount in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Effective, well-designed rehabilitation programs allow not only to improve the patient’s condition but, to some extent, even restore lost intellectual abilities.

Reasons for the development of the disease

Alzheimer’s disease is called a multifactorial disease. However, it is not contagious. The actual causes of degenerative processes in the brain remain unknown. But if we talk about the most likely predisposing factors, they include:

• age-related changes that occur in old age;
• traumatic brain injury;
• genetic predisposition;
• diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, which are associated with circulatory disorders of the brain and insufficient supply of oxygen to brain tissues;
• consequences of nicotine, alcohol, and drug addictions;
• diabetes;
• cases of depression or psycho-emotional shocks in history, etc.

Treatment

Today’s medicine cannot completely cure Alzheimer’s disease. However, conservative therapy tactics have been developed that help slow down the progression of the pathological process. At the same time, a systematic and integrated approach is critical, which includes:

• Drug therapy with palliative drugs, the action of which is aimed at optimizing synaptic impulses. These medications can significantly slow down cognitive disorders’ development and improve the patient’s quality of life.
• Correction of lifestyle and diet – optimizing the main areas of the patient’s life is necessary. Control the alternation of rest and physical activity, excluding from the diet foods that can aggravate the course of concomitant pathologies.
• Physiotherapy – is aimed at maintaining the patient’s general physical condition, indirectly affecting the mental and brain functions. Physiotherapy is part of a comprehensive treatment and allows you to cope with concomitant disorders.

Rehabilitation for Alzheimer’s disease

Rehabilitation programs are an extension of the Alzheimer’s treatment process. Since this pathology cannot be cured entirely, rehabilitation doctors set themselves the goal of consolidating the result achieved during therapy and maintaining the patient’s mental and physical activity. Thanks to such actions, it is possible to delay the progression of the disease to a severe stage as much as possible while maintaining and even developing the human intellectual sphere.

Each patient’s rehabilitation program is individually developed at the Schmider Clinic for maximum effectiveness. Qualified rehabilitation physicians and specialists of related specialties participate in the processes of development and management of rehabilitation. The main areas of rehabilitation for patients with Alzheimer’s disease are:

• Physical methods of physiotherapy – the most significant value in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease bring exercise therapy, swimming pool classes, yoga, and adaptive gymnastics. Maintaining physical fitness is necessary because the brain’s work and intellectual abilities are directly related to physical activity. In addition, individual physiotherapy exercises allow you to use the brain centers responsible for the processes of perception, learning, and memory maintenance.
• Supportive psychotherapy – rehabilitation courses necessarily include work with a psychologist and psychotherapist. This consists of both individual and group lessons. Psychotherapy programs aim to prevent depression and apathy, help maintain cognitive functions, and help the patient navigate reality.
• Replacement therapy is needed for patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease who are faced with losing self-care and household skills. This rehabilitation area focuses on developing or re-learning particular abilities, skills, and habits to help a person lead a fulfilling daily life.

In addition, Alzheimer’s rehabilitation programs include sensory exercises, memory therapy, occupational therapy, mind games, and more. It is essential to develop all functions and fully support the brain’s work to effectively slow down the progression of the pathological process and maximize the patient’s quality of life.

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