Alzheimer's disease- How long do you have it before...?

you go from an essential, glowing and full functioning individual to someone identifiable only in physical form.
when you start to lose memory

With the baby boom generation aging at a quick rate, Alzheimer 鈥檚 disease is becoming more prevalent in our society with an average of 1 in 10 over 65 being diagnosed with Alzheimer鈥檚. You can find more general information on the disease at:
http://www.medicinenet.com/alzheimers_di...

It鈥檚 difficult to predict how quickly Alzheimer鈥檚 impacts the daily living skills because it depends on the individual person. Even though you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer鈥檚, there are some proactive steps you can take to make the disease a bit more manageable.

A regimen of a nutritious diet and multi-vitamins can help prevent secondary illnesses such as heart disease and osteoporosis. Vitamins are also used to improve memory. You can read more about the benefits of vitamins at: http://www.womans-health.net/vitamin-wom...

You may also want to be aware of signs of heart disease, especially in women. You can read about heart disease prevention at: http://www.womans-health.net/symptoms-of...

Best of luck in your search for answers!

it depends on the person. My grandma had it for about 10 years before she died. We had to put her in a nursing home about 5-6 years after diagnosis.

It depends on a number of factors. By the time Alzheimer's is diagnosed, the patient usually already has reached stage 2 or 3 (sometimes 4, if they hide their deficiencies well).

Alzheimer's typically affects individuals between the ages of 55-75, though it can strike earlier or later. Its progress can vary; experts tend to agree that the average span can be from 10-20 years for someone of the age range 55-75. Later onset (after age 75) can go a little more quickly, with a range of around 5-10 years (sometimes longer). If younger than age 55, the person has what is termed Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease, and this form is rapid and terrifying. It can progress in as little as two years, from diagnosis until complete disability or death.

The memory issues are often seen even before the person is diagnosed; and many people erroneously attribute the memory issues to simply old age. There is no such thing as normal old-age forgetfulness; there is always a reason. Alzheimer's is only one of several hundred forms of dementia; so if you see memory problems in a loved one, it's important that you get them to the doctor for a checkup as soon as possible.

With Alzheimer's Disease, there are many medications on the market to help stave off the worst of the disease. The best known and most effective one is Aricept. Aricept works to "plateau" the patient at a specific level, in order to provide them with a better quality of life for the longest time possible. Some doctors will enhance the effects of Aricept by also prescribing Namenda, which will boost Aricept's effects. The decline of the patient will not stop; but it will decrease significantly. After a period of time the Aricept will cease to work; the doctors may try different medications, but usually they have little effect once this point has been reached.