Dementia is an illness characterized by a deterioration in cognitive function beyond what might be expected from normal ageing.
It is a major cause of disability and dependency among older people.
Dementia is currently the 7th leading cause of death,affecting more than 55million people world wide.
Dementia is not a specific disease but is rather a general term for the impaired ability to remember,think ,or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities.Though dementia mostly affects order adults,it is not a part of normal aging.
10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease:
Sign 1: Memory loss that affects day-to-day abilities
Are you, or the person you know, forgetting things often or struggling to retain new information?
It's normal to occasionally forget appointments, colleagues’ names or a friend’s phone number only to remember them a short while later. However, a person living with dementia may forget things more often or may have difficulty recalling information that has recently been learned.
Sign 2: Difficulty performing familiar tasks
Are you, or the person you know, forgetting how to do a typical routine or task, such as preparing a meal or getting dressed?
Busy people can be so distracted from time to time that they may forget to serve part of a meal, only to remember about it later. However, a person living with dementia may have trouble completing tasks that have been familiar to them all their lives, such as preparing a meal or playing a game.
Sign 3: Problems with language
Are you, or the person you know, forgetting words or substituting words that don’t fit into a conversation?
Anyone can have trouble finding the right word to express what they want to say. However, a person living with dementia may forget simple words or may substitute words such that what they are saying is difficult to understand.
Sign 4: Disorientation in time and space
Are you, or the person you know, having problems knowing what day of the week it is or getting lost in a familiar place?
It's common to forget the day of the week or one's destination – for a moment. But people living with dementia can become lost on their own street, not knowing how they got there or how to get home.
Sign 5: Impaired judgement
Are you, or the person you know, not recognizing something that can put health and safety at risk?
From time to time, people may make questionable decisions such as putting off seeing a doctor when they are not feeling well. However, a person living with dementia may experience changes in judgment or decision-making, such as not recognizing a medical problem that needs attention or wearing heavy clothing on a hot day.
Sign 6: Problems with abstract thinking
Are you, or the person you know, having problems understanding what numbers and symbols mean?
From time to time, people may have difficulty with tasks that require abstract thinking, such as using a calculator or balancing a chequebook. However, someone living with dementia may have significant difficulties with such tasks because of a loss of understanding what numbers are and how they are used.
Sign 7: Misplacing things
Are you, or the person you know, putting things in places where they shouldn't be?
Anyone can temporarily misplace a wallet or keys. However, a person living with dementia may put things in inappropriate places. For example, an iron in the freezer, or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.
Sign 8: Changes in mood and behaviour
Are you, or the person you know, exhibiting severe changes in mood?
Anyone can feel sad or moody from time to time. However, someone living with dementia can show varied mood swings – from calmness to tears to anger – for no apparent reason.
Sign 9: Changes in personality
Are you, or the person you know, behaving in a way that's out of character?
Personalities can change in subtle ways over time. However, a person living with dementia may experience more striking personality changes and can become confused, suspicious or withdrawn. Changes may also include lack of interest or fearfulness.
Sign 10: Loss of initiative
Are you, or the person you know, losing interest in friends, family and favourite activities?
It's normal to tire of housework, business activities or social obligations, but most people regain their initiative. However, a person living with dementia may become passive and disinterested, and require cues and prompting to become involved.
What causes dementia?
Dementia is caused by damage to or changes in the brain.
Common causes of dementia are:
Alzheimer's disease. This is the most common cause of dementia.
Vascular dementia. This may occur in people who have long-term high blood pressure, severe hardening of the arteries, or several small strokes. Strokes are the second most common cause of dementia.
Parkinson's disease. Dementia is common in people with this condition.
Dementia with Lewy bodies. It can cause short-term memory loss.
Frontotemporal dementia. This is a group of diseases that includes Pick's disease.
Severe head injury.
Less common causes of dementia include:
Huntington's disease.
Leukoencephalopathies. These are diseases that affect the deeper, white-matter brain tissue.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. This is a rare and fatal condition that destroys brain tissue.
Some cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Multiple-system atrophy. This is a group of degenerative brain diseases that affect speech, movement, and autonomic function.
Infections such as late-stage syphilis. Antibiotics work well to treat syphilis at any stage, but they can't reverse the brain damage already done.
How is dementia treated?
Medicines may slow down dementia, but they don't cure it. They may help improve mental function, mood, or behavior.
Palliative care
Palliative care is a kind of care for people who have a serious illness. It's different from care to cure the illness. Its goal is to improve a person's quality of life—not just in body but also in mind and spirit.
Care may include:
Tips to help the person be independent and manage daily life as long as possible.
Medicine. While medicines can't cure dementia, they may help improve mental function, mood, or behavior.
Support and counseling. A diagnosis of dementia can create feelings of anger, fear, and anxiety. A person in the early stage of the illness should seek emotional support from family, friends, and perhaps a counselor experienced in working with people who have dementia.
The goals of ongoing treatment for dementia are to keep the person safely at home for as long as possible and to provide support and guidance to the caregivers.
The person will need routine follow-up visits every 3 to 6 months. The doctor will monitor medicines and the person's level of functioning.
At some point, the family may have to think about placing the person
in a care facility that has a dementia unit.
Can dementia be prevented?
Dementia is hard to prevent, because what causes it often is not known. But people who have dementia caused by stroke may be able to prevent future declines by lowering their risk of heart disease and stroke. Even if you don't have these known risks, your overall health can benefit from these strategies:
Don't smoke.
Stay at a healthy weight.
Get plenty of exercise.
Eat healthy food.
Manage health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
Stay mentally alert by learning new hobbies, reading, or solving crossword puzzles.
Stay involved socially. Attend community activities, church, or support groups.
If your doctor recommends it, take aspirin.
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