Who has Alzheimer’s Disease?

1. Who has Alzheimer’s Disease? Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects the brain. People who have the disease have trouble: 1) Remembering 2) Thinking 3) Talking & 4) Taking care of themselves In the next few slides, you will be shown five famous people and asked about their health or cause of death.

2. Mohammed Ali

3. Pat Summitt

4. Walt Disney

5. Marilyn Monroe

6. President Ronald Reagan

7. Who looks like they might have Alzheimer’s Disease? • Which of the previous famous people is living with or died with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease? • Can you tell by looking at the person? • Is it based on the age of the person? • Does a person’s outward appearance tell you something about a person’s brain function?

8. Tell me what you think about the famous people you just saw 1. Do you think any of these people forgot their name? 2. Got lost? 3. Dressed inappropriately? 4. Did or said things over and over? 5. Blamed others when they lost something?

9. Are you….NOT sure!?!? Either am I. What is it like to live with someone with Alzheimer’s Let’s see My Name is Lisa (Video) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1206544/

10. Discussion Questions • What behaviors did you notice the mother doing? • How did Lisa initially respond to her mom’s behaviors? • What worried you the most about her mom’s behavior? • What do you think the future holds for Lisa and her mother?

11. Information about the Famous People • Mohammed Ali has Parkinson’s disease which impacts the neurons that produce dopamine, the chemical responsible for helping the muscles work smoothly (He’s in his early 70’s). • Pat Summittwas recently diagnosed with early onset dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (She’s in her late 50’s). • Walt Disney died of a lung tumor that impacted heart function (He was in his 60’s). • Marilyn Monroe died of a drug overdose and had bouts of depression (She was in her 30’s). • President Ronald Reagan spent the last ten years of his life with Alzheimer’s (He died at age 93).