Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Alzheimer's: The Invisible Second Victim, Emma Alberty

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive illness characterized by severe brain atrophy and accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles and neurotic plaques in the cerebral cortex. These symptoms lead to severe memory loss and confusion for the individual with AD, but this loss of memory also has a great effect on the family members caring for them. In the past the consequences of caring for someone with AD have been largely ignored and overshadowed by AD itself, however one should not ignore the drastic life changes the caregiver of an AD patient must make. Caregivers of AD patients must not only cope …