'They're just senile, sweetie.'

I know that title looks so odd to many of you(well mainly because it is.) But have you ever heard your parents or someone your know say something similar to this? I hear this all the time. I have heard this so much that I have come to associate memory loss and old age together. This frightens me because I would hate for my memory to decline as I age. I have an excellent memory and that is some I pride myself on. But as we get older Dementia is something that we have to take an account. It can strike at any moment in our golden years. "•Dementia is a family of diseases that results in serious behavioral and cognitive impairments(Dr. T. Witter, HD 101-005, 2014 )."We discussed in class how tangles in our brains' neurons begin to form. These tangles become to form from old, dying cells and soon they begin to interpret the flow of communication to other healthy neurons. The more tangles a person's brain has, the more they are at risk for developing any form of Dementia. 

 One of the most common forms of Dementia is Alzheimer's Disease. I have seen the effects of this horrible disease first hand and it is not pretty. My paternal great-aunt was afflicted by this disease and it was heart breaking to see her lose everything because of this disease. Alzheimer's Disease is characterized by memory decline, mental confusion and major changes in personality.  The risk of developing this disease increases as we age. Another form of Dementia is one that has been brought by the onset of a stroke. My maternal grandfather is starting to show some signs of Dementia brought on by his two strokes. It hurts when you see someone you love slowly start to lose their memory. This is a very tough stage for an older person to go through. In the long run, everyone is affected. 

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