Understanding Alzheimer Disease: From Diagnosis to Rehabilitation

Abstract

People with Alzheimer disease can benefit from rehabilitation therapies aimed at maintaining their functional abilities. To foster understanding of this disease, this article describes its genetic basis, illustrates its clinical course in patients with onset early and late in adulthood, and discusses some of the personal, legal, pharmacologic, and ethical issues and implications surrounding genetic testing for Alzheimer disease. Rehabilitation principles for treating people with Alzheimer disease include: participation of clients and their caregivers in the process, basing rehabilitation on disease stage, accentuating abilities versus disabilities, and targeting behavior problems as well as physical and cognitive dysfunction.

KEYWORDS:

• Alzheimer disease
• dementia
• genetics
• genetic testing
• rehabilitation

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joan C. Rogers

Jennifer R. Johnson was a graduate student in the School of Occupational Therapy, Texas Woman's University, Houston, TX at the time of this study. She is currently employed as an Occupational Therapist at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, LA

Debra Stewart is Lecturer, School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University and staff therapist at Erinoak Centre, Missis-sauga, Ontario. She is currently completing a MSc (Design, Measurement and Evaluation) at McMaster University.

Ronald L. Mace (deceased, June 29, 1998) was also affiliated with The Center for Universal Design, School of Design, North Carolina University.

Lois Rosage and Geraldine Shaw are Occupational Therapist Consultants who provide evaluations for the housing programs at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.

Debbie Rand is Occupational Therapist, Beit Rivka Geriatric Rehabilitation Hospital, Petach Tikva, Israel. She completed this study in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy, School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her mailing address is 50 Heh B'Eyar Street, Apartment 5, Rosh Ha'Ayin, Israel, 48056.

Maureen McKenna is a Licensed Physical Therapist and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California. Her Current position is: Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, Wheeling Jesuit University, 316 Washington Avenue, Wheeling, WV 26003.

Heather Lambert was funded in part by a Health Canada NHRDP Fellowship, a REPAR Fellowship, a doctoral bursary from the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Quebec, and a Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation-Royal Canadian Legion Fellowship in Gerontology.

Trish Wielandt was supported by a University of Queensland Postgraduate Research Scholarship (UQPRS).

Dr. Leigh Tooth was supported by a NHMRC Fellowship (#997032) while some of this research was undertaken.

J. D. “Herb” Herbert is Occupational Therapist, Rocky Mountain Menders LLC, 363 Pioneer Road, Lyons, CO 80540. At the time of this study, he was a graduate student, Department of Occupational Therapy, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.