The term dementia refers to a brain disorder that demonstrates itself in several ways. A person may easily become confused even in familiar settings, may ask questions repeatedly, or may neglect such basic things as their own hygiene or basic safety issues. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia linked with old age.
The disease is named after German Doctor Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Doctor Alzheimer discovered differences in the brain tissue of a patient of his that died with unusual mental illnesses and dementia. His study directed him to find out anomalous clumps and tangles of fiber in the brains of those patients who were suffering from this same disease.
Hence, while it was common for persons who were older and losing their mental faculties to be dismissed as "senile," Doctor Alzheimer was able to pinpoint the actual breakdown in the brain that led to the loss of their mental faculties.
According to the National Institute on Aging different test conclusions, there are actual brain changes in persons with Alzheimer's disease. They can discover how nerve cells die in areas of the brain that affect memory and basic abilities. It may seem strange, but everything that we do on a everyday basis is because of memory.
We remember that we need to take a shower on a regular basis that we need to shut the door behind us when we leave the house. We don't realize that we're doing these things because of memory, and assume that they just happen naturally. But when those memories break down because of Alzheimer's or any other mental disorder, even the most basic everyday functions begin to be confusing or neglected.
