Dementia is not a single disease, but a general term to describe symptoms of impairment in memory, communications, and thinking. “Just over a tenth of people aged 65 years or more have Alzheimer’s disease. This proportion rises to about a third of people aged 85 and older.” (MND)
Possible symptoms of dementia are recent memory loss, difficulty completing familiar tasks, problems communicating, disorientation, problems with abstract thinking, misplacing things, mood changes, personality changes, and loss of initiative. The main stages of dementia are mild cognitive impairment, mild dementia, moderate dementia, and severe dementia. Mild cognitive impairment is characterized by general forgetfulness. This will affect at a younger age, but it will progress to dementia for some. Mild dementia is when the dementia is impacting their daily life. Some might experience memory loss, confusion and difficulty carrying out tasks. Moderate dementia is when your daily life becomes more challenging, and the individual needs help. They may need help getting dressed in the morning or help getting to where they are going throughout the day. At this point most people have 24-hour care for safety reasons or they are in a care unit. During this stage the person may have changes in their personality. Severe Dementia is the worse stage. The person will have lost the ability to communicate. “Simple task, such as sitting and holding one’s head up become a challenge.” (MNT)
Dementia has multiple types. Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Mixed dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is where the brain tissue has fewer nerve cells and connections. The total brain size shrinks. Dementia with Lewy bodies is the second most common types of dementia. “It’s a neurodegenerative condition linked to abnormal structures in the brain. The brain changes involve a protein called alpha-synuclein.” (MNT) The average number of years a person can live with this type is 20 years. Mixed dementia is when two or three types are occurring together. Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of movement. It can also lead to dementia symptoms. “Huntington’s disease is characterized by specific types of uncontrolled movements but also includes dementia.” (MNT)
Most types of dementia can't be cured, but there are ways to manage your symptoms. Cholinesterase inhibitors work by boosting levels of a chemical messenger involved in memory and judgement. Memantine is another source of treatment. “It works by regulating the activity of glutamate, another chemical messenger involved in brain functions, such as learning and memory.” (MC) Of course, most of the treatments have their own side effects. Like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Other side effects include slow heart rate, fainting and sleep disturbances. With other medications, it may treat symptoms like depression, sleep disturbances, hallucinations, parkinsonism or agitation. While most medications must be prescribed by a doctor, some are required to go to therapy to help deal with the causes of depression, and hallucinations.
(Queensland Brain Institute 2019)
RESOURCES
Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (May 7, 2012) Retrieved From https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3345875/
Medical News Today (2020) Retrieved From https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/142214
Stages and Progression (November 7, 2019) Retrieved by https://www.verywellhealth.com/lewy-body-dementia-stages-progression-98735
Mayo Clinic, Retrieved From https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dementia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352019
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