Dementia being viewed as a disability may help people get funding for the help they need. The most common causes of dementia are: • Stroke: Sometimes dementia is the result of a vascular (blood vessel) episode such as a stroke. When an individual suffers a stroke, a portion of the brain that controls the mental, behavioural or physical body functions may be damaged. 80% of cases were caused by high blood pressure, smoking, a fat stomach, poor diet and lack of exercise. Another 10% could be attributed to
This causes a gradual decline in mental ability. The key functions of the brain that are affected by dementia are the temporal lobe, frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, cerebrum lobe and the hippocampus 3. Depression, delirium and age related memory impairment share a lot of the symptoms of dementia. For instance with depression their memory may be affected and they may find it difficult to retain new information, also it is quite common for people to become forgetful as they age. This may be why people mistake them for dementia.
This leads to the decline of a person’s mental health and sometimes physical abilities. The gradual changes and damage to the cells of the brain are caused by a build-up of abnormal proteins in the brain. There are irreversible changes that occur in and individual’s brain lead to: * Death or the loss of the nerve cells * Lots of cognitive deficits, including memory lose * Decline in language understanding * Unable to recognise family and friends * The decline in the overall mental function The abnormal proteins are different in each type of neurodegenerative dementia. In most cases dementia is not inherited from family members directly. Although there a small amount of cases of Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia can be inherited from a previous generation.
Dementia with Lewy bodies is closely related to Parkinson's disease and often has some of the same symptoms, including difficulty with movement. Front temporal dementia (including Pick's disease) – In front temporal dementia, the front and side parts of the brain are damaged over time when clumps of abnormal proteins form inside nerve cells, causing them to die. At first, changes in personality and behavior may be the most obvious signs. Depending on where the damage is, the person may have difficulties with fluent speech or may forget the meaning of words or objects. 2) Memory problems are usually the most obvious symptom in people with dementia.
Working with individuals with Dementia calls for different approaches to communication. As dementia impairs a person’s ability to communicate effectively, it also reduces the ability to decode and understand information. It decreases the persons capacity to plan and problem solve. These language deficits are compounded by other dementia related impairments including decreased attention span and memory loss. The combination of all these attribute to a serious communication loss.
Anyone not able to perform according to that benchmark lives with a disability and requires help to function. Dementia covers a multitude of behaviour patterns, such as not remembering to dress or eat, remember where you live, who you are, what is your identity and so forth. All these things are definitely a disability. Sufferers from dementia who wander away from their safe family or home environment are in danger and are at risk as they cannot be independent. Task 3 3.1 The most common causes of dementia are Alzheimer's disease, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Stroke, Picks disease, Degenerative Diseases.
They might not remeber who they are or were they are without support or care. 3.1 The most common causes of dementia are Alzhemirs, vascular, parkinsons, lewy body 3.2 Likely signs and symptoms of common causes of dementia are , memory loss, depression, personality changes, deliruim, confusion and inabilities of tasks. 3.3 Risk factors for dementia are smoking, high blood pressure, alcohol, diabetes, depression, head injuries and age. 3.4 Prevalence rates for different types of dementia are Demography, background, prevalance and incidence and projected growth. 4.1 Depending on the form of dementia people abilities and disabilities will always be different.
Understand the neurology of dementia Dementia is a general term for loss of memory and other mental abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life. It is caused by physical changes in the brain. Alzimers is most common type of dementia; accounts for an estimated 60 to 80 percent of all cases. Symptoms, difficulty remembering recent conversations, names or events is often an early clinical symptom, apathy and depression are also often early symptoms, later symptoms include impaired communication, poor judgment, disorientation, confusion, behavior changes and difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking. It is not known exactly what causes this process to begin, although people with Alzheimer's disease have been found to have abnormal amounts of protein (amyloid plaques), fibres (tau tangles) and a chemical called acetylcholine in the brain.These reduce the effectiveness of healthy neurons (nerve cells that carry messages to and from the brain), gradually destroying them.
Moving the eyes upwards can be due to old age, but difficulty in moving them down is the key. Other symptoms include falling backwards, balance problems, slow movements, irritability, apathy and depression. Corticobasal degeneration is a rare form of dementia. It can affect the brain in many different places. One common sign is losing the ability to move a limb.
They may become agitated or see things that are not there. While symptoms of dementia can vary greatly, at least two of the following core mental functions must be significantly impaired to be considered dementia: Memory * Communication and language * Ability to focus and pay attention * Reasoning and judgment * Visual perception People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of a purse or wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing meals, remembering appointments or travelling out of the neighbourhood. Many dementias are progressive, meaning symptoms start out slowly and gradually get worse. If you or a loved one is experiencing memory difficulties or other changes in thinking skills, don't ignore them. See a doctor soon to determine the cause.