What is Alzheimer's disease?

The brain changes typically found in Alzheimer's disease were first described by the German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer in 1906.  

Alzheimer’s disease used to be most frequently diagnosed when people already had dementia and were experiencing quite noticeable problems with memory loss, thinking ability and daily activities.

Nowadays, Alzheimer’s disease is considered a continuum ranging from a pre-clinical (at-risk for dementia) state, to a form of mild cognitive impairment with only minor problems with daily activities and on to mild, moderate and severe dementia with increasing loss of cognitive and everyday function.

The disease progression

Alzheimer’s disease begins many years before symptoms become apparent and develops gradually over time.

As people progress along the Alzheimer’s disease continuum, cognitive and functional impairments gradually become more severe, with an eventual loss of independence and hence, a need for support from other people. However, it is important to understand that progression along the Alzheimer’s disease continuum varies considerably from person to person and that each person’s experience of Alzheimer’s disease will be unique to them.

Moreover, in keeping with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, dementia is also considered a disability. Article 1 states:

For this reason, it is important to consider the physiological/biomedical aspects of Alzheimer’s disease but also the interaction between people with cognitive impairment, other people, situations and societal structures as this, in addition, impacts on the wellbeing, opportunities and overall experience of having dementia.