Post Type: ARTICLES
Dementia is a term for a range of illnesses. The most common type is Alzheimer’s disease, in which brain cells deteriorate through the buildup of protein. Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia and is caused by problems in the supply of blood to brain cells. About 75% of people who are diagnosed with dementia will have either Alzheimer’s or vascular, or a combination of the two. There are other kinds of dementia which are less common. They include Huntington’s disease, alcohol related dementia and HIV/AIDS related dementia.
Although there are many different forms of dementia, they all share the commonality of progressively damaging the brain. Symptoms include serious memory loss, losing track of time, getting lost in familiar places and changes in behavior. Additionally, people with dementia are likely to lose their ability to reason clearly or make decisions. With the right help and support, most people with dementia can go on living at home and enjoy a good quality of life for a long time.
Early on in the illness, many people may need help such as reminders and memory aids, and help with managing money or making decisions. Later, they will need increasing amounts of help with their daily activities. They will need a lot of help with activities of daily living later on. The activities of daily living include eating, bathing, dressing, and toiletry.
In most cases, dementia is progressive and degenerative. The care needs of people with dementia increase as the disease progresses. The progress of the disease is broken into three stages; mild, moderate and severe.
In mild dementia, a person might have difficulty making decisions and coping with complexities in their work or hobbies. Also, they may have problems remembering to pay bills or keep appointments.
At a moderate stage, the person with dementia may have increasing difficulty recognizing family, friends and familiar places. More help is needed in their daily activities. The person behavior and personality may change. This can range from the embarrassing, such as inappropriate outbursts, to hallucinations, paranoia, and violent behavior.
In the later stages the disease affects more functions of the brain, and problems of memory and every day activity become severe. Communication can become challenging and the person’s physical activities are increasingly affected.
These diseases also have a significant effect on a person’s caregiver. Care givers can become worn out and frustrated by the extreme behavior of the client. Many times the client refuses to cooperate with the care giver.
For people affected and those who care for them many measures can improve their lives. Cognitive and behavioral intervention may be appropriate. Also, educating and providing emotional support to the caregiver is important. In addition, exercise programs are beneficial with respect to activities of daily living.
Globally dementia affects thirty four million people. Economically it cost 604 billion USD per year to treat.
About 10% of the population develops the disease at some point in their lives. The disease becomes more common with age. Three percent of people between the ages of 64 – 74 have dementia. In addition, nineteen percent between the ages of 75 – 85 are affected. Finally, nearly half of those over the age of eighty five have this sickness.
Although there are no cures, much can be done to ease the impact of the illness, and to maintain the best possible quality of life for those affected. It is important for people with dementia that their interests, skills, and normal life are supported and maintained for as long as possible. Also, they should be able to make choices, even if it is limited and their rights should be recognized.
1 Roth, t al. (1998) CAMADAX, “The Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders of the Elderly.” Cambridge University Press.
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