Alzheimer's disease
4. Alzheimer's disease
According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, about half a million Canadians suffer from Alzheimer's and related dementia. Diseases of the nervous system, such as Alzheimer's, took the lives of more than 10,000 Canadians in 2004.
What is Alzheimer's disease?
Although often mistakenly considered a normal part of aging, Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative illness that occurs when natural self-repair and self-healing mechanisms of the brain become overwhelmed, causing the destruction of vital brain cells.
Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease
There are several clues that indicate the onset of Alzheimer's disease:
- Memory loss that becomes frequent and affects daily functioning
- Difficulty performing familiar, lifelong tasks
- Losing simple words or substituting wrong words, making sentences impossible to understand
- Disorientation of place and time
- Decreased or poor judgment and difficulty with abstract thinking
- Misplacing items in odd places
- Unprovoked mood swings and significant personality changes
- Passivity and loss of initiative
Reducing your risk of Alzheimer's disease
Although you can't prevent Alzheimer's disease, you can reduce the risk or slow progression of the disease.
- Stay socially and mentally active
- Exercise regularly and follow a healthy diet
- Don't smoke
- Protect your head from injury
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