Dementia Awareness Essay

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Unit 4222 – 237 Dementia awareness (DEM 201) 1. Understand what dementia is 2.1 Explain what is meant by the term ‘dementia’ The term ‘Dementia’ is used as the collective name for the number of various diseases that all affect the brain. Dementia is not part of ‘normal ageing’ and it is not contagious. It is a progressive and irreversible brain disease; it will only go worse with time. 2.2 Describe the key functions of the brain that are affected by dementia. Key functions of the brain are affected by dementia, conditions will deteriorate as dementia is a progressive brain disease. The main areas of the brain that are affected by dementia in terms of causing difficulties with their functions are: 1) Frontal Lobe – this is the part of the brain that controls behaviour, movement, personality and the interpretation of what is around us 2) Parietal Lobe – this is the part of the brain that controls the language we use, spacial awareness and recognition of places, objects and people. 3) Occipital Lobe – this is the part of the brain that controls eyesight and our ability to see 4) Temporal Lobe – this is the part of the brain that controls our speech, hearing and memory Below are the normal and affected conditions of the brain; Key functions of the brain affected by dementia | Normal Brain Function | Effects of dementia on Brain Function | * The brain is made up of billions of cells. Each cell sends messages to many other cells that send messages to our body * Most cells in the brain are called neurons * Neurons communicate with each other by passing an electrical signal down their arms (axons) * This leads to a release of chemical at the ‘fingertips’ * At the end of the axon (at the fingertips) there is a gap, known as a synapse – message passes on by shooting out a special chemical across the synapse and in to the

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