About a year ago, I lost one of the most important people in my life. When my grandmother died, the loss of her physical presence was terrible; however, mentally, my grandma had been gone for a long time. She suffered from Alzheimer's disease for over a decade before she passed away.

I am now blessed to be working with Alzheimer's patients through volunteer work for my Social Work major. Having grown up around the disease, I am fairly comfortable with Alzheimer's patients.

I notice, however, that many people shy away from those who suffer from Alzheimer's, since their behavior can be somewhat unpredictable. It surprises me, though, how little people seem to know about the disease, and how often people misunderstand what Alzheimer's disease really is.

So here are five things that this nineteen-year-old college student would like you to know about Alzheimer's:

1. It’s not called “Old Timers.”

So please, don’t call it that.

Alzheimer’s disease was named, shockingly enough, after a guy named Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer discovered some strange stuff in the brain tissue of a deceased woman; she had suffered from mental illness that had never been studied before.

Alzheimer found abnormal clumps ("plaques") and tangled bundles of fibers (“tangles”), which are two contributing factors of Alzheimer's disease. Another factor is the loss of connections between neurons (nerve cells) in the brain.

“Old Timers” is a derogatory and discriminatory nickname for the disease — it is also inaccurate. Not everyone who gets Alzheimer’s disease is “old”.

One kind of Alzheimer’s called “early-onset” that can be seen in people who are younger than 65. People can develop early-onset Alzheimer’s in their 30s, 40s, or 50s. About 200,000 people in the United States suffer from early-onset Alzheimer's (are under the age of 65).

My grandma starting showing symptoms of Alzheimer's in her early sixties. She was, otherwise, in perfect health, and not at all an "old timer."

2. It’s a chronic condition that can’t be prevented, cured, or slowed.

“Chronic” means that the disease will continue. It cannot be stopped, and there is no known cure. Alzheimer’s is fatal; most patients live an average of eight years after their symptoms appear.

People with Alzheimer's develop more plaques and tangles in their brains than normal others (usually in places in the brain that affect memory). It is believed that these plaques and tangles block communication of nerve cells, which kills the cells. Nerve death causes memory failure, changes in personality, and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

The three stages of Alzheimer’s disease are mild, moderate, and severe. The disease eventually leads to a loss of the patient’s ability to respond to the environment—meaning that the patient can no longer move around or talk.

During the end (severe) stage, it becomes difficult to the treat patients, because they cannot tell others how they are feeling.

My grandma stopped speaking over a year before her death. She made facial expressions and noises on occasion, but it was nearly impossible to interpret their meanings.

There are treatments for the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, but these treatments only work to make patients more calm and comfortable. Many Alzheimer patients, like my grandma, are medicated to ease their anxiety. However, treatments do not make patients “better”. And most treatments methods only work for about six months.

3. It’s different from dementia.

Not all people who have memory loss have Alzheimer’s. Some memory loss is normal during the aging process.

Dementia is not a disease. It’s an umbrella term for “a decline in mental ability that interferes with daily life”.

Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia—about 60-80 percent of dementia cases are Alzheimer’s.

4. It’s very prevalent, and the numbers are rising.

Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents, and strokes.

About once a minute, someone in the United States is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. As the percentage of the population over the age of 65 increases, so will the number of people with the disease.

About one in five Medicare dollars is spent on patients with some kind of dementia. In 2050, this amount will rise to around one in every three dollars.

5. It’s a debilitating illness for all involved.

Alzheimer’s disease begins as mild memory loss and confusion, and ends in death. It is a long and devastating disease. Over time, it cuts people off from the world around them. Alzheimer’s is traumatic for both patients and their loved ones.

I can say from experience, it is nearly unbearable to watch the disease progress, and to watch a loved one fade away over an extended period of time. It is heartbreaking to be forgotten by someone who once loved you constantly and faithfully.

About 40% of caregivers of patients report suffering from depression. 60% report “high” or “very high” emotional stress levels. 34% of caregivers are 65 or older, but it is estimated that 250,000 children/young adults (8-18 years of age) assist in the care of Alzheimer’s or dementia patients.

I was one of those 250,000. And my heart goes out to anyone currently suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and to their loved ones and caregivers.

If you took the time to read this, I thank you. Please pray for a cure for this degenerative devil of a disease.

facts, stats, and umbrella image from: <a href="http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_1973.asp" data-mce-href="http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_1973.asp">http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_1973.asp</a>

photo of Dr. Alzheimer from: Wikipedia

featured image: my grandma's hands, holding hope <3