A. Named after Alois Alzheimer, the German physician who identified it in 1907,Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and accounts for over half, possibly up to 80% of all dementias.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder in which brain tissue deteriorates and dies. The rate the disease advances differs from person to person and survival rates vary from 2 to 20 years from onset.
Memory loss, language skills, personality change, people’s ability to recognise objects and other people and the ability to carry out tasks are often affected. The disease does affect people in different ways and the severity of symptoms are variable. Eventually most people with Alzheimer’s are unable to care for themselves.
