How Do You Die From Alzheimer's?

AlzheimersProof.com -- How Does a Person Actually Die From Alzheimer's Dementia?

00:11 - Alzheimer's Disease widely held to be the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. But how, exactly, does a person die from it?

00:24 - Alzheimer's is a progressive, brain-degenerating condition.

00:32 - It's effects depend on the stage that the sufferer is in.(For more information about Alzheimer's various stages, see: http://alzheimersproof.com/ind....ex.php/2018/12/31/ho )

00:50 - Eventually, Alzheimer's strips a person of basic life functions.

01:45 - There are three main possibilities for how people with Alzheimer's die.

01:54 - #1. They die from a cause (like accident or heart disease) unrelated to the Alzheimer's.

03:51 - #2. They die from a complication of Alzheimer's (such as a blood clot that arises due to immobility) or from an accident (such as a fall) brought on by the decline in mental powers.

05:48 - #3. They die from Alzheimer's more directly (e.g., as a result of the loss of basic, life-preserving functions such as being able to swallow food or water).

Caveat: Sometimes, causes of death do no fall neatly into one specific category. For instance, pneumonia may be considered a complication of Alzheimer's -- and therefore be classified as an instance of possibility #2. But pneumonia may also become more likely (or more likely to be fatal) if the patient loses a basic function -- e.g., the ability to cough. In this case it might be a candidate for possibility #2.

06:36 - Is Alzheimer's a terminal illness? There are two definitions for "terminal illness."

07:06 - In the conversational sense, Alzheimer's is a terminal illness because it is a serious condition that a person will die with.

07:29 - In the technical sense, late-stage Alzheimer's is a terminal illness because a sufferer usually only has another 1-2 years to live.

09:04 - I have personal experience with Alzheimer's and death, as my dad, Jim, died from the disease in 2016.

11:24 - Concluding remarks.

For more information, see the companion articles:

"How Does a Person Actually Die From Alzheimer’s Dementia?"
http://alzheimersproof.com/ind....ex.php/2018/12/08/ho

and

"Is Alzheimer’s Disease a Terminal Illness?"
http://alzheimersproof.com/ind....ex.php/2018/12/09/is

See also:

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