Dr. Mihaela Marinescu, Medical Director of the VITALITAS Center of Excellence for the Assistance and Care of the Elderly and the Prevention of Memory Disorders, explains in detail how patients with Alzheimer’s disease can be cared for to a high standard.
According to statistics, more than 55 million people worldwide suffered from Alzheimer’s in 2020. It is estimated that in 2030, the number of patients will reach 78 million. In 2050, the number of Alzheimer’s patients could reach 139 million. Alzheimer’s disease it is extremely serious because it affects memory and quality of life.
“Alzheimer’s disease is the most common of the neurocognitive diseases. It accounts for between 60 and 80 percent of these diseases. It is a common disease at the age of over 65. The incidence of this disease increases with age: at 85, one in 6 seniors suffers from this disease.
Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease that produces brain atrophy, which has a significant impact on the way we think, remember, and behave. In the severe stages, Alzheimer’s disease produces the inability of the person to take care of himself, to carry out the basic activities of daily life.
I have been frequently asked by patients what are the changes in the brain that lead to this cerebral atrophy that is not a physiological one, it is not a minimal one that can sometimes be related to age. It is about the dysfunction of two proteins that are in the brain.
The first protein is called amyloid and is found on the outside of the nerve cell. It has a malfunction and a change that causes the accumulation of amyloid plaques. Think of it, if you will, as a paste, a toxic glue seeping between the connections between neurons, affecting the synapses and practically short-circuiting them. This is external aggression.
There is another protein whose dysfunction occurs at the level of the nerve cell, inside it, leading to the appearance of neurofibrillary tangles. They interfere and short-circuit the processes that are inside the nerve cell, even the transport of nutrients.
Thus, the nerve cell is attacked from two directions: by amyloid plaques and by neurofibrillary tangles. Over time, nerve cell dysfunction, its death, and brain atrophy occur. The more the disease progresses, the more severe the atrophy is, the symptoms become more severe and lead to the person’s inability to take care of themselves” Dr. Mihaela Marinescu told us in the video interview.
What can currently be done for Alzheimer’s patients?
Unfortunately, until this time, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s. But patients can receive rigorous care in specialized centers.
“In our VITALITAS care and support center for the elderly, we have a special accommodation unit for people affected by Alzheimer’s disease in its severe form, a cognitive behavioral unit where all this support for the basic activities of daily life is provided by the staff specialized. There is supervision, continuous medical assistance.
Unfortunately, this severe form of the disease is often accompanied by behavioral disorders. We also work with a psychiatrist on this to reduce anxiety, using medications that are suitable for these behavioral disorders. And we collaborate with the psychologist who helps us with occupational therapy activities, with cognitive stimulation exercises so that our patient is not only cared for, but continues with his life and we do everything we can to preserve as much as we can and to stimulate him to do it on his own some of these activities” adds Dr. Mihaela Marinescu.
You can learn more about the care of Alzheimer’s patients from the video interview conducted with Dr. Mihaela Marinescu, Medical Director of the Center of Excellence for the Assistance and Care of the Elderly and the Prevention of Memory Disorders VITALITY.
