For more information on how to volunteer or donate, contact us at friends@hammerandnails.org. WelcomeHammer & Nails, Inc., is an ecumenical Christian nonprofit outreach organization based in Canton, Ohio.
Doctors say it is possible that an Alzheimer's patient could progress to the point that damage from the disease to the centers of the brain that control breathing could cause death, but patients rarely get that far without an infection setting in.
Another study that examined autopsy reports of people with dementia found the main causes of death were pneumonia, cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary embolism, cachexia, and dehydration. Other factors that impact the death rate in Alzheimer's disease include advanced age, increased falls and delirium.