This paper examines how culture and ethnicity influence the recognition, treatment and care of Alzheimer's Disease patients. The paper begins with an overview of the basic nature of the disease, emphasizing its diagnosis, treatment, and care aspects. This is followed by an examination of how culture and ethnicity affect the recognition or diagnosis, treatment, and care given to patients living with Alzheimer's Disease. The paper ends with the presentation of a series of conclusions formulated on the basis of the reviewed material.
Alzheimer's Disease (AZ) is a form of dementia involving a progressive impairment of intellectual functions, most especially the memory (Ott, 2002). Symptoms can vary; however, Sabat (2001) states that they most frequently are associated with short-term memory loss as well as a general tendency to: forget basic information such as names, and telephone numbers; get lost in familiar places; misplace things more often than normal; lose the train of thought during conversations; repeat oneself; be overly cautious of others; and lose interest in various activities that were once enjoyed. There can also be difficulties with decision making.
According to Peterson (2003), there are two basic types of Alzheimer's Disease. The first is associated with early onset in which symptoms appear before age 65 years. Peterson notes that this type is frequently associated with heredity. Early onset is rare, accounting for only five to ten percent of Alzheimer's parents. The second and most common form of Alzheimer's Disease is late onset AZ which, Peterson states appears to be, at best, only weakly strongly associated with genetic contribution, the genes doing little but increasing the likelihood that plagues and tangles will appear in the brain.
While there is yet no consensus regarding definitive causes of Alzheimer's Disease, there are known risk factors. The first and most important is that of age. Tanzi and Par...