In 1906, German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer examined the brain of a woman who died from abnormal psychopathological conditions. He researched the neurocognitive changes in her brain tissue and, before she died, identified her symptoms, such as memory loss, language problems, and abnormal behavior. Alzheimer highlighted “many abnormal clumps (i.e., amyloid plaques) and tangled fiber bundles (i.e., neurofibrillary, or tau, tangles)" (National Institute on Aging [NIA], 2023, para. 4). The unusual neuropsychiatric condition was named after him: Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive condition that significantly impacts brain cognition, memory, and other essential high-executive function capabilities over time. Due to eventual cognitive impairment, the disease affects how a person completes simple tasks and daily responsibilities and alters their behaviors and emotions. Individuals diagnosed with AD experience the degeneration and eventual death of brain cells and their connections within the neural system. The disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for up to 80% of the cases, with approximately 14 million people projected to be diagnosed by 2060 (Centers for Disease and Prevention, 2024).

There are two types of AD: early and late-onset. Early-onset symptoms appear before one reaches 60; late-onset, the most common form, is diagnosed in individuals 60 and older. Because AD diagnoses tend to double, particularly by age 65, it is essential to be cognizant of the symptoms, as AD can occur to anyone and is predicated on various factors.

Age-related changes and environmental, genetic, and lifestyle factors are common causes of AD. Protein buildup in brain cells (e.g., amyloid and tau) forms plaques and tangles—the plaques and tangles cause brain dysfunction, which damages those cells and eventually causes cell death. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (2023), AD is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and has a significant causal relationship between dementia and Gerocognitive conditions in older adults.

Regarding dementia, the condition can vary and is dependent upon neurocognitive changes over time. Besides AD, there are other dementia types, including frontotemporal, Lewy body, mixed (i.e., diagnosed with two or more dementia types), and vascular. There is no cure for AD; however, there are medicinal therapies and treatments that can........

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