Expository Essay: “Alzheimer’s Disease” – 20 Topic Ideas to Research

This is the second part of our three-part guide. We are sure that the previous part 10 facts on Alzheimer’s disease for an expository essay proved to be very helpful in gathering research on the subject. It’s now time to assist you in locking on a single topic.

There is just so much information to be found on Alzheimer’s disease and we understand it must be like picking a needle in a haystack. However, take a read at the topic suggestions below; we’ll tell you what to expect next. There’s also a sample essay waiting for you at the end of this guide.

Here are 20 expository essay topics on Alzheimer’s disease:

1. Causes of Alzheimer’s Disease
2. Behavioral Problems of an Alzheimer’s Patient
3. Americans and Alzheimer’s Disease: Why is it Becoming More Common?
4. Effects on Families of Alzheimer’s Patients
5. Vascular Dementia and its Connection with Alzheimer’s Disease
6. How to Keep the Brain’s Blood Vessels Healthy?
7. What Are the Symptoms of Mixed Dementia?
8. How Alzheimer’s Affects the Brain and its Functions
9. How Plaques and Tangles Form Affect the Brain
10. Effects of Disrupted Nerve Cells
11. Genetic Analysis and Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease
12. Studying the APOE Gene to Understand How Alzheimer’s Spreads
13. Alzheimer’s Disease in Latinos, African-Americans and White Americans
14. Head Injuries and the Risks it Curtails with Regards to Future Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
15. Things to Do to Avoid Alzheimer’s Disease in Future
16. How Other Mental Disorders are Related to Alzheimer’s Disease
17. Relevant Neurological Tests for Alzheimer’s Disease
18. How to Care for an Alzheimer Patient
19. Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease and its Relationship with Age
20. Cholinesterase Inhibitors for Alzheimer’s Disease

We’re sure after going through these topics you must have come up with ten of your own already. The idea behind this list is to help you find the right train of thought, whether directly or indirectly, that is entirely up to you. The first part of this three-part guide was 10 facts on Alzheimer’s disease for an expository essay, while this part gave you 20 topic suggestion. The final part of this guide is how to outline an expository essay on Alzheimer’s disease”

Through this guide you were able to come up with the research needed to write a great college essay and got to know a few interesting topics regarding Alzheimer’s disease. The last part of the guide discusses in detail how to write an expository essay on the subject.

Before you get to the final guide though, here is a sample essay as promised:

Sample Expository Essay: How to Care for an Alzheimer’s Patient

It takes a lot of patience and flexibility to take care for an Alzheimer’s patient. Although there are ways to make it easier, in this essay we will concentrate on how the frustration or emotional stress endured by the patient can be reduced. There are a few steps that you can follow to help make the environment safer for both you and the Alzheimer’s patient.

Whether you’re a professional caretaker or a family living with an Alzheimer’s patient, a lot of care and attention needs to be given to the patient. Alzheimer causes an individual to lose the ability to safely perform even the most routine daily tasks which only gets worse with time. You must see to it that they are able to demonstrate a certain degree of awareness and independence, as well as a sense of dignity. This is especially important since they are starting to become more dependent on you and your family members. It also gives the patient a sense of control and awareness even though there brain is in a deteriorating state.

Your main goal is to reduce the frustration an Alzheimer’s patient goes through. When they see that the tasks that seemed so simple and effortless earlier have become extremely difficult, they’ll need some to help ease the agitation and mental anguish.

One of the foremost things you can do is maintain a routine, which can make each day less agitating and frustrating. Alzheimer’s patients are not completely incapable mentally, and it’s still possible for them to learn (or relearn) certain routines. The best solution for a safe and stress-free environment is to schedule every task down to medical appointments and bathing timings, which must be done when the patient is at their sharpest. And don’t forget to plan the schedule strategically so that there is ample room for anything that should require a spontaneous reaction and on-the-spot solution.

If you’re a family member then you need to realize that everything will take more time than it did before. If you’re doing something together then you’ll have to give the patient regular breaks. If you can, schedule the task while taking these breaks in account.

Never underestimate them the recuperative abilities of the patient; if you see them doing something they are confident in doing themselves, let them do it without any assistance. Some patients might still have their mind-muscle memory intact. Encourage them to complete activities on their own such as changing clothes or setting up the table themselves.

It is important that you provide the patient with a plethora of choices. Keeping a schedule too restricted or making them stay in a room for too long is more damaging than safe, and can even lead to a faster mental decline. Make sure you are offering patients plenty of flexibility to move around and engage in different activities so long as they pose no danger to their wellbeing. For example, If it’s coffee you’re offering, ask them if they would like it hot or cold or if you’re going to the movies, ask them which movie they’d prefer to see. Find ways to keep the patient engaged and occupied, but have sufficient variety while you’re at it. Doing the same thing over day in and day isn’t very healthy for the patient or those providing care, for that matter.

The instructions that you give to the patient need to be simple. If they don’t understand what’s being communicated to them, simply rephrase or give them simpler instructions. While they are performing any given task, make sure that there are little to no distractions; if they are having a meal, turn off the TV and have a conversation about the meal instead.

References:

1. Agronin, M. (2014). Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias : a practical guide. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
2. Davis, R. & Davis, B. (1989). My journey into Alzheimer’s disease. Wheaton, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers.
3. Mast, B. (2014). Second forgetting : remembering the power of the gospel during Alzheimer’s disease. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan.
4. Newport, M. (2011). Alzheimer’s disease : what if there was a cure? : the story of ketones. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.
5. Callone, P. (2006). A caregiver’s guide to Alzheimer’s disease : 300 tips for making life easier. New York: Demos Medical Pub.Fife, B. (2011). Stop Alzheimer’s now! : how to prevent and reverse dementia, Parkinson’s, ALS, multiple sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Colorado Springs, CO: Piccadilly Books.
6. Newport, M. (2011). Alzheimer’s disease : what if there was a cure? : the story of ketones. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.
7. Poirier, J., Gauthier, S. & Sandilands, B. (2014). Alzheimer’s disease : the complete introduction. Toronto: Dundurn.