Market Segmentation for the Coffee Market Research Paper

Market Segmentation for the Coffee Market - Research Paper Example The following diagram shows the income distribution (media per capita income in 2009) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana area. (Source: â€Å"Baton Rouge..†) As per the media per capita income distribution in Baton Rouge in 2009, the Whites have high inflow of income as compared to other groups. The chart indicates that the Hispanic is ranked just below Whites in case of media per capita income distribution. The 2010 census reflects that the Baton Rouge’s population comprises of 50.02% African American, 45.7% Whites, 2.62% Asian, 0.18% Native American, and 0.49% other races (Louisiana’s report†¦). The historical trend figures point that the percentage of Whites in the city’s population gradually increases over the last two decades. The White’s population growth together with improvements in living standards offers potential advantages for the coffee market. This type of market segmentation assists the coffee industry to easily identify the purchase powe r of consumers and to design cost-effective promotional tactics for different market segments. A number of surveys have indicated that as compared to blacks, whites like coffee more. Hence, the Whites may turn out to be the potential market segment for the company. However, majority of the African Americans and Asians are also regular users of coffee. Targeting strategy While developing a targeting strategy for the coffee market, it is necessary to analyze the coffee consumption culture of the population. (Source: â€Å"2008 National Cofee Drinking†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) The given figure indicates the graphical representation of the outcomes of the â€Å"2008 National Coffee Drinking Trends Study†. This study focused on the coffee consumption trends in different age groups and published a comprehensive report detailing coffee trends over the last eight years. From the above chart, it is clear that the percent of coffee drinking in the United States is directly proportional to the ag e of the population. The graph clearly illustrates that people over the age 60 are more likely to drink a lot of coffee as compared to other age groups. Likewise, youngsters between the age of 18 and 24 are less likely to drink coffee as they are heavily attracted to modern beverages. It is advisable for the company to target people over the age 30, because the trends study shows that youngsters very rarely take coffee. However, a growing coffee consumption trends is seen among the age group 25-39; therefore, it is also advisable for the company to give more focus on this group of consumers as potential prospects. Target segment descriptions As we discussed earlier, a major proportion of the Baton Rouge’s population represents Whites and African Americans even though the city is an agglomeration of different cultures. The demographical information show that the city’s 35.8% of the total households are married couples whereas 40.8% are non-families (â€Å"Private hard money†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). The 2010 census data reveal that the Baton Rouge’s average household size is 2.42 while its average family size is 3.12. The percent of people living under the age groups of below 18 is; 18-24; 25-44; 45-64 and 65 and above is 24.4%, 17.5%, 27.2%, 19.4%, and 11.4% respectively (BatonRouge). The population trend indicates that there are only 90.5 males for every 100

International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 12

International Relations - Essay Example Sen (2002) identify the misconception surrounding globalization. He identifies globalization as an ancient practice. The definition of globalization is well portrayed by the number of activities a country is involved in. There is need to outline globalization as a current phenomenon. A distinction should be made between globalization and westernization, the focus should on how the concept affects sovereignty of a given nation. Globalization provides a different concept form that experienced during the 20th century. The then period was characterized by European dominance. This meant that national all over the world where under the jurisdiction of European nation. The shift in balance begun in mid 20th century where United States and the Soviet Union ruled over international matters (Baylis et al. 75). The concept infringed on the rights other nations. The core nation enjoyed political and economic dominancy (Baylis et al. 207). Globalization creates a level playing ground, this means that setting standards to be used by different nation in their domestic matters. This meant that the oppressed nations felt the need to focus on alternative means to create opportunities for themselves. Sen (2002) acknowledges the ancient worries and how this is being transformed. Countries are them working on models based on global requirement. The interdependent between nations has created a platform where current events depend on global patterns rather than domestic components. Sen (2002) indicate a different pattern on global events. The concept of loss and profit sharing within states indicate the nature in which globalization has influenced issues. The common market protocol means that identifying risks within a given economy and applying global components to deal with them effectively. The profit sharing portfolio among major global unions and partnership means that the earlier gains experienced by a given

Peer Editing for Essay Writing

Peer Editing for Essay Writing The aim of this study was to find out whether the use through Wikispaces helps to correct errors made in essay writing by Form Four students of a Smart School in Kinta district, Perak. This final chapter provides a summary of this research study. It is divided into four parts: conclusions, implications, limitations and recommendations for both practice and further research based on the findings discussed in Chapter 4. Conclusions The following conclusions are based on the three research questions of the study. Each question and its associated conclusions will be discussed. Research Question 1- What are the errors that L2 students frequently edit in essay writing? This study has found that grammar is the most frequently edited language aspect in essay writing by the L2 students. Even though, weekly coding sheets and frequency analysis showed different outcomes for DE1 and DE2, Table 4.1 proved that grammar is still considered as the frequently edited language aspect with a total of 307 (37.4%) errors. This is in line with similar findings of several previous studies as mentioned in the literature review (Maros et.al, 2007; Muhari, 2008; Nor Hashimah et. al., 2008; Darus and Subramaniam, 2009; Darus and Khor, 2009; Wee, 2009). The interview transcripts revealed that the students concentrated more on grammar compared to other language aspects since grammar is indisputably an essential element of second language writing (Frodesen Christine, 2003). Furthermore, field notes illustrated that the students in this study seem to learn new knowledge of the five language aspects, and they did not repeat the same mistakes in following essay writing. In fact, the students realization of being critical for other language aspects besides grammar came into an act after gradual practice of peer editing through Wikispaces. Conversely, sentence structure is reported as the hardly used language aspect by the students in the DE1 and DE2. Research Question 2-How does the use of peer editing through Wikispaces help in correcting L2 students writing? The findings of this study suggested that in general peer editing through Wikispaces could help to reduce errors in L2 students writing. The primary findings from the students essays reported that the students were able to correct most of the errors quite well through online collaborative activity. The language errors identified could be used as a guideline for L2 students to equip themselves with the adequate knowledge and skills in writing essays. They would be benefited the most if they were able to comprehend the conventions and features of this specific context. However, as for the unidentified errors by students, the teacher plays the critical role in emphasizing them in the classroom. The teacher should clearly explain the rules and give a lot of examples as well as provide ample of opportunity to the students to use, produce and practice on their own. This can be done by getting them involved in various immersion activities in class and outside the classroom. It will eventually help the learners to be more aware of the particular language aspects in their essays. Besides that, there were also tendencies for students to correct errors wrongly when editing others work. This situation could be overcome through consistent practice of peer editing. Both questionnaire and feedback forms revealed more positive impressions of the students towards the usefulness of peer editing through Wikispaces in correcting L2 students writing. Additionally, several characteristics and strengths of Wikispaces also supported the peer editing activity. In short, peer editing through Wikispaces is seen as a valuable learning process which can foster independent learning. Research Question 3-How do L2 students respond to the feedback provided by their peers through Wikispaces? Based on the analysis of interview transcripts, it can be concluded that majority of the students showed mixed responses when receiving and giving comments on Wikispaces. But overall, the students were satisfied with the kind of comments given by their group members due to several good reasons: comments given were useful, helped them to increase knowledge, correct mistakes in essays. Apart from that, a number of usefulness of the comments and benefits from peer editing and giving comments to others were also pointed out with reference to the selected descriptions taken from the interview transcripts. In a nutshell, the findings have led the researcher to conclude that the use of peer editing through Wikispaces is an effective alternative way in correcting errors in students essay writing. Implications The implications of this study can be best explained by three aspects, namely (i) pedagogy, (ii) social, and (iii) technology. These are elaborated in the paragraphs below. Pedagogical Implications Students The use of peer editing through Wikispaces has the potential to uphold various pedagogical approaches such as case based learning, collaborative pedagogy strategy-knowledge co-construction activities.Students This technique which serves as an accessible alternative way of error correction also supports the designed learning activities that are to perform in any group dynamics. Hence, this allows the students to share, negotiate and co-construct information on error correction in their writing. The peers can even provide suggestions and advices through discussion tab. In other words, the platform itself is considered as an appropriate space for students whereby they can take ownership of their own pages in groups. Nevertheless, peer editing through Wikispaces helps to promote learning in the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). At this point, students enjoy working in groups. They learn more by working in groups rather than they work by themselves. Through the correspondence and collaboration among the group members, the students do stand a chance to discover and learn about the grammatical rules from their peers. Both correct and incorrect versions act as a guide to the students on what is right and what is wrong. In the initial stage, they may make miscategorise the errors, but it will be better after consistent practice. Teachers The students English proficiency is different in a class, which can be perceived through various errors students have made in their essays. In an ESL teaching context where the classroom population is becoming larger and larger, its a good channel for a teacher to know his or her students learning through the errors or mistakes they make. So teachers should make record of these errors and analyze them to find the possible causes of them, and then decide on the proper way to enable students to learn from the errors. In this study, one can see that its common for students to make the so-called mistakes, and that through peer editing activity such mistakes can be corrected generally, which can not only improve the students language proficiency, but also promote their sense of perfecting the language in writing. The teacher plays the role of moderator and facilitator. Wikispaces features enable the teacher to track and monitor students development process (history logs). It helps to keep systematic records of daily reflections, announcements, due dates and attendance. Text-editor: Teacher posting of instructions and other resources (multiple modes) by teachers a platform for students to rationalize and explain their actions (decisions) in the course of their activities Comment feature-allows the teacher to provide feedback when necessary: errors wrongly corrected and errors which are not identified. In addition, it also promotes collaborative learning. Social Implications Peer editing through Wikispaces supports a variety of interactions and their dynamics: peer-peer, student-teacher. Students can publish their thoughts and obtain feedback from the others at any time. They do not have to depend much on the teacher. Students can turn to others for help when they encounter problems through asynchronous communication: group discussions and personal messages. It is a safe and comfortable learning environment for students to work within. Students are able to draft and modify postings before and after publishing. This will likely give them time to think, amend and improve on the postings suitable to their audiences or for other specific purposes. Additionally, Wikispaces utilities support group work as well as foster group dynamics cohesiveness. Technological Implications The peer editing activity through Wikispaces is a web-based application. Thus, it can be conveniently accessible all time (as long as there is Internet connection). Students could easily learn and use as it does not require any high technical skills to set up the account. Particularly, the text editor toolbar is similar to that of Microsoft Word. This may then serve as an advantage for those students who are computer literate. Limitations of the Study A number of limitations were present in the research. These limitations need to be noted and considered in relation to the research procedures and research findings. Basically, there are three limitations: time constraints, small sample size and limited capacity of doing peer editing on Wikispaces. Firstly, this research was actually scheduled for eight weeks of data collection. But somehow, the data collection procedures which have been planned earlier could not be carried out due to the school holidays. As a result, the researcher has to shorten the duration to five weeks after negotiating with the administrators of the school. In fact, the researcher decided to spend more time then what has been scheduled in order to give the students more guidance and pace to do their peer editing in the computer lab. Although the latter data collection went on well, but still it would have been better if more time with were provided for the research procedures. Secondly, the findings are achieved based on the small sample size, covering only one Smart School located in Kinta district, Perak. There are still many Smart Schools located all over Perak and other states. Besides that, there are also many National schools with similar facilities and criterion participants. Therefore, the researcher suggests carrying out further studies on this topic involving other Smart Schools and National Schools in Malaysia. Thirdly, students were found having some difficulties while doing the peer editing on the same page at one time. It seemed that clashes and overlapping disrupted the students attention while editing. In this situation, it is vital for the teacher to plan the design of the Wikispaces properly at the initial stage as Wikispaces comes with a blank space. The teacher may group up the students but necessarily assign each student with their own page. This solution will definitely reduce the probability of future clashing during the peer editing sessions. Recommendations From the conclusions, the present study proves that the use of peer editing through Wikispaces gives positive implications for the teacher (the researcher) and the students. Therefore, this action which serves as an alternative way in correcting students errors in writing should be implied in secondary schools. However, several recommendations for practice and thereafter for future research are discussed below. Recommendations for Practice As for recommendations, the use of peer editing through Wikispaces should be exposed to teachers in schools. Certainly, there are teachers who are not aware of the benefits of peer editing and giving comments to others in terms of the students essay writing. Furthermore, some are busy with their daily work. They do not have enough time to spend on trying out this kind of technique with their students. Perhaps, as for the start, it is recommended that may be the head panels should be given the training, and later an in-house training can be given to rest of the teachers. Other than that, the use of peer editing through Wikispaces is a suitable learning technique that helps and leads the learners to be independent learners. Nowadays, most the students are no longer the quiet and passive ones in the classroom. Students prefer something new, challenging and suit their interest as well. Teachers impart knowledge to the students. Then, students will themselves discover the knowledge on their own and apply them into other matters. Recommendations for Future Research In the light of the limitations with regard to the findings available to the researcher, it is recommended that further research related to error correction is needed. It would be interesting to find out the A profound study involving each type of would provide further information on the pattern of in a specific context. The information derived from the findings on language errors was insufficient for making any generalization. In terms of the itself, much work needs to be done to uncover some knowledge on the .With all these studies, hopefully all the underlying can be overturned and bring benefits to all. Summary This chapter has presented the conclusions, implications, limitations and recommendations for both practice and further research based on the findings discussed in the previous chapter. The conclusions have shown that the use of peer editing through Wikispaces has a great impact in correcting errors in the L2 students essay writing. This alternative way has proven to be an effective technique and the students involvement in the peer editing was thus enhanced. Students could correct most of the errors quite well through online collaborative activity. Furthermore, most of the findings obtained were fared positively. These outcomes show that the use peer editing through Wikispaces should be employed in teaching and learning of writing. This study has further implied in three aspects: pedagogy, social and technology. Last but not least, limitations of the research were highlighted and recommendations for both practice and future research were suggested.

Lord of the Flies: Human Nature :: Character Analysis

I believe that human nature shows what type of person we are. Human nature guides us as individuals to do the right thing. We learn by our surroundings and it plays on our society and the nature of us as humans. This question had me ponder the question whether or not humans can be born evil? The book just made me think of all the times I have grown up and seen some bad incidents that are part of life. Someone close to me has made an abundance of bad choices in his life and when I was younger, he was the one I always looked up to as a â€Å"brotherly figure† but also as a best friend. He was the one that saved my life when I was younger. He was also somebody that I could trust with my life, but then I ask myself how he became such a bad person because he started hanging with the wrong crowd. He ended up pushing me aside to be with his so-called friends at the time. I think his true nature was starting to show through. He was not the brotherly figure I used to know when I was just a child; he had changed from a brotherly figure I used to know and have so much admiration for, but now he is someone that I do not like being around. I wonder if environmental surroundings had shaped both him and me, and to what extent this influence had on the both of us. He and I had changed very much since we were both children, now he is getting ready to turn 25 and I am 19. I believe our human nature makes us the type of people we are today. In Lord of the Flies, I realized no matter how good of person you are your true nature always comes through. For example, in the story you see how evil Roger can be while on the other side you see how good Ralph is. I think that is where I saw the symbolism between all the characters and each character has their own characteristics from our true human nature. I have seen that each character in the story had their shown their true nature. Roger’s character in the story is someone that has a true nature of being evil, but if you look at Simon’s point of view, you would see how he represented the good side of human nature.

A Report to Determine the Benefits of a Good Staff Welfare System

A REPORT TO DETERMINE THE BENEFITS OF A GOOD STAFF WELFARE SYSTEM BY MARK ROSS 21ST October 2012 CONTENTS Introduction1 Executive Summary1 Staff welfare and organisational objectives1 Process for assessing staff welfare2 Actions to be taken2 Communicating responsibilities for staff welfare3 Recording and maintaining staff welfare systems4 Conclusion4 Bibliography4 i 1. INTRODUCTION 1. 1 This report has been asked for by my manager to determine the benefits to the company of good and well integrated staff welfare system.Recent statistics produced by the companies Human Resources department show that the levels of sickness and absenteeism are unacceptably high. 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2. 1 This Report considers 5 main objectives: Discuss the relationship between staff welfare and organisational objectives. Explain the process for assessing staff welfare. Identify the actions to be taken by the manager in dealing with a staff welfare Issue. Describe how to communicate responsibilities for staff welfare to then team. Discuss records that may be maintained to demonstrate that staff welfare is supported. . Discuss the relationship between staff welfare and organisational objectives. The relationship between staff welfare and organisational objectives can be can be a bit of a balancing act but there are many basic requirements we all expect when we go to work: Safe working conditions / work environment (risk assessments carried out) Safety from any kind of harassment e. g. bullying, sexual, racial. Good employee relations with people being treated with dignity and respect. Equal opportunities. Adequate induction into the company and ongoing training.Some of these process's come at a cost and given the current economic downturn many companies may want try and make cutbacks in certain areas namely ongoing training which can be expensive. If we are able to show our staff that we really care about there interests and personnel development it has been shown in studies to incr ease the overall feeling of well-being in the work place, this is proven to increase productivity and reduce rates of sickness and absenteeism which in-turn leads to a positive effect on bottom line profits. A study by Dr Kerstin Alfes of Kingston University Business School found that:Keeping staff happy might not be a high priority for employers in the economic downturn. But a report from Kingston University argues that a contented workforce can help an organisation to succeed and can even make the difference between whether or not a struggling company survives the recession. 1 4. Explain the process for assessing staff welfare. The process for assessing staff welfare can be achieved in several ways, all are based on an open and honest flow of communication from front-line staff up the chain of command using well defined process's.Making the chain of command clear is also very important so staff know the correct approach to take and who to contact with any given issue/grievance. He re are some of the methods we currently have in place to assess staff welfare: Surveys / Questionnaires. Suggestion Box's (Anonymous). Regular performance reviews / appraisals. Near-miss and accident reporting. Back to work interviews. All these process's are based on getting an understanding of how the workforce feel at work and improvements that may be needed to make things run smoother. One process our company hasn't yet developed fully is a workplace counselling scheme.This concept originated in the USA and looks at staff welfare not only in the work place but outside it too, it recognises that many problems affecting productivity and welfare are not only work related. This counselling must be confidential and empathetic to the personal needs on the individual employee. 5. Identify the actions to be taken by the manager in dealing with a staff welfare issue. A manager may deal with staff welfare issues in the following ways, closely assessing the information gathered during the processing of a staff welfare issue and also looking into other relevant information is one of the most important step.We need to get to the bottom of the issue and take a balanced view on all the concerns raised. Actions to be taken: Following of policies and procedures that are in place. Meetings with those concerned with the specific staff welfare issue. Close assessment of information gathered. These actions should lead to a good overall picture of the staff welfare issue and allow use to take the correct approach in rectifying or putting controlling measures in place to minimize the issue. Often policies and procedures may need to be updated to incorporate things we have learnt from individual issues.This can be seen to be good management tool also as it shows our employees that as a company we are always open to continual improvement. 2 6. Describe how to communicate responsibilities for staff welfare to the team. Staff welfare responsibilities can be communicated to staff via newsletters regular meeting appraisals Notice boards eg last accident/near miss currently our company collects data on accident reports/nears misses but it only used as a tool to pass onto higher management and isn't made freely available to staff, In previous jobs this information has been made public knowledge and published on notice board.I feel this can be used as a good tool to show that we're striving to reduce these figures, the same approach could also be taken with sickness and absenteeism. Publishing information such as days lost due to sickness and cost to the company in having to pay for overtime to cover time could show how important we take this issue. 7. Discuss records that may be maintained to demonstrate that staff welfare is supported. There are several ways in which records can be maintained to support staff welfare such as 8. Conclusion 9. Bibliography http://www. kingston. ac. uk/pressoffice/news/59/26-01-2010-a-happy-workforce-is-good-for-business. html

Alzheimer’s Essay

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear after age 60. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among older people. Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—and behavioral abilities, to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for basic activities of daily living. What are the stages of Alzheimer’s? There are five stages associated with Alzheimer’s disease: preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s, moderate dementia due to Alzheimer’s and severe dementia due to Alzheimer’s. 1.Preclinical Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s disease begins long before any symptoms become apparent. This stage is called preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. You won’t notice symptoms during this stage, nor will those around you. This stage of Alzheimer’s can last for years, possibly even decades. Although you won’t notice any changes, new imaging technologies can now identify deposits of a substance called amyloid beta that have been associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The ability to identify these early deposits may be especially important as new treatments are developed for Alzheimer’s disease. 2.Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease People with mild cognitive impairment have mild changes in their memory and thinking ability. These changes aren’t significant enough to affect work or relationships yet. People with MCI may have memory lapses when it comes to information that is usually easily remembered, such as conversations, recent events or appointments. People with MCI may also have trouble judging the amount of time needed for a task, or they may have difficulty correctly judging the number or sequence of steps needed to complete a task. The ability to make  sound decisions can become harder for people with MCI. Not everyone with mild cognitive impairment has Alzheimer’s disease. In some cases, MCI is due to depression or a temporary medical complication. The same procedures used to identify preclinical Alzheimer’s disease can help determine whether MCI is due to Alzheimer’s disease or something else. 3.Mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s disease is often diagnosed in the mild dementia stage, when it becomes clear to family and doctors that a person is having significant trouble with memory and thinking. In the mild Alzheimer’s stage, people may experience: Memory loss for recent events. Individuals may have an especially hard time remembering newly learned information and repeatedly ask the same question. Difficulty with problem-solving, complex tasks and sound judgments. Planning a family event or balancing a checkbook may become overwhelming. Many people experience lapses in judgment, such as when making financial decisions. Changes in personality. People may become subdued or withdrawn — especially in socially challenging situations — or show uncharacteristic irritability or anger. Decreased attention span and reduced motivation to complete tasks also are common. Difficulty organizing and expressing thoughts. Finding the right words to describe objects or clearly express ideas becomes increasingly challenging. Getting lost or misplacing belongings. Individuals have increasing trouble finding their way around, even in familiar places. It’s also common to lose or misplace things, including valuable items. 4.Moderate dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease During the moderate stage of Alzheimer’s, people grow more confused and forgetful and begin to need help with daily activities and self-care. People with moderate Alzheimer’s disease may: Show increasingly poor judgment and deepening confusion. Individuals lose track of where they are, the day of the week or the season. They often lose the ability to recognize their own belongings and may inadvertently take things that don’t belong to them. They may confuse family members or close friends with one another, or mistake strangers for family. They often  wander, possibly in search of surroundings that feel more familiar and â€Å"right.† These difficulties make it unsafe to leave those in the moderate Alzheimer’s stage on their own. Experience even greater memory loss. People may forget details of their personal history, such as their address or phone number, or where they attended school. They repeat favorite stories or make up stories to fill gaps in memory. Need help with some daily activities. Assistance may be required with choosing proper clothing for the occasion or the weather and with bathing, grooming, using the bathroom and other self-car e. Some individuals occasionally lose control of their urine or bowel movements. Undergo significant changes in personality and behavior. It’s not unusual for people with moderate Alzheimer’s to develop unfounded suspicions — for example, to become convinced that friends, family or professional caregivers are stealing from them or that a spouse is having an affair. Others may see or hear things that aren’t really there. Individuals often grow restless or agitated, especially late in the day. People may have outbursts of aggressive physical behavior. 5.Severe dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease In the severe (late) stage of Alzheimer’s, mental function continues to decline and the disease has a growing impact on movement and physical capabilities. In severe Alzheimer’s, people generally: Lose the ability to communicate coherently. An individual can no longer converse or speak coherently, although he or she may occasionally say words or phrases. Require daily assistance with personal care. This includes total assistance with eating, dressing, using the bathroom and all other daily self-care tasks. Experience a decline in physical abilities. A person may become unable to walk without assistance, then unable to sit or hold up his or her head without support. Muscles may become rigid and reflexes abnormal. Eventually, a person loses the ability to swallow and to control bladder and bowel functions. Treatment: Alzheimer’s disease is complex, and it is unlikely that any one intervention will be found to delay, prevent, or cure it. That’s why current approaches in treatment and research focus on several different aspects, including  helping people maintain mental function, managing behavioral symptoms, and slowing or delaying the symptoms of disease. Maintaining mental function Four medications are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Alzheimer’s. They may help maintain thinking, memory, and speaking skills, and help with certain behavioral problems. However, these drugs don’t change the underlying disease process, are effective for some but not all people, and may help only for a limited time. Managing Behavioral Symptoms Common behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer’s include sleeplessness, agitation, wandering, anxiety, anger, and depression. Scientists are learning why these symptoms occur and are studying new treatments—drug and non-drug—to manage them. Treating behavioral symptoms often makes people with Alzheimer’s more comfortable and makes their care easier for caregivers. Slowing, Delaying, or Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease research has developed to a point where scientists can look beyond treating symptoms to think about addressing underlying disease processes. In ongoing clinical trials, scientists are looking at many possible interventions, such as immunization therapy, cognitive training, physical activity, antioxidants, and the effects of cardiovascular and diabetes treatments. Alzheimer’s References http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/in-depth/alzheimers-stages/art-20048448?pg=1 https://www.alz.org/what-is-dementia.asp http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/alzheimers-disease