Alzheimer's disease affects the brain through exponentially greater cell death and tissue loss, resulting in a decreased brain size. As a result, behavior, memory and thinking are affected. Vascular dementia is caused by blockages and breaches in the brain's blood supply that damage the brain and can be caused by any condition which results in an interruption to the blood flow to the brain, and as well as strokes, this could include diseased arteries, heart attacks, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, diabetes, furred arteries and irregular heart rhythms. Any condition causing damage to the circulation of blood to the brain carries a risk to mental functioning. People experiencing vascular dementia will, like those with Alzheimer’s disease, have problems with learning, remembering, recognition, planning and problem solving.
Dementia is a collection of symptoms including memory loss, personality change, and impaired intellectual functions resulting from disease or trauma to the brain. These changes are not part of normal aging and are severe enough to impact daily living, independence, and relationships. There will likely be noticeable decline in communication, learning, remembering, and problem solving. These changes may occur quickly or very slowly over time. Common signs and symptoms of dementia include: * Memory loss * Impaired judgment
Dementia Awareness Unit 237 Dementia is a condition which is the gradual loss of brain function, this also makes it degenerative. It can include symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, problems with speech and understanding. Dementia at the moment has no cure, as it has a number of diseases that coincide with it. Alzheimer’s is part of dementia. Functions that are affected by dementia are; Short term Memory loss, Language skills, the ability to interpret information, spatial skills, judgement and attention.
For example, a victim in an accident resulting in head injury may have difficulty remembering anything new. Concussions are a leading cause to anterograde amnesia. It is also a very common type amongst elderly people battling for of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s. In cases of anterograde amnesia, the damage resides in areas of the hippocampus,
Other early warning signs that Mr Lusk has presented with are deficits in language often people with Dementia forget how to speak simple words which can impact on the ability to have a conversation with the person, judgement, insight and thinking are also signs of Dementia people with Dementia have a hard time with abstract thinking and can’t problem solve as well as they use to. All the deficits that Mr Lusk has presented with do help confirm that Mr Lusk is suffering from Dementia. (Croft, 2010) 2. What investigations would help to confirm a medical diagnosis of Dementia? Mr Lusk had a mental exam performed on him when he was admitted to hospital which did show signs of memory loss and impaired cognitive functions other investigations that would help confirm a medical diagnosis of dementia would be to take a clinical history from the patients family, a
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease may change as the disease progresses. Many symptoms include becoming confused, forgetful, withdrawn, loss if communication, behavioural problems such as mood swings, frustration, anger and sadness. They may begin to have difficulties performing every day tasks such as personal hygiene or eating and drinking. However every person is unique and no two people may have the same symptoms. There is currently no cure but medication can be taken to stabilise some symptoms for a certain period of time.
It is caused by nerve cells dying in certain areas of the brain and the connections between the affected nerve cells deteriorate. As the conditions affecting only or primarily the neurons of the brain, causes gradual but irreversible loss of functions of these cells, Memory loss is one of the earliest symptoms of this disease. Vascular dementia is caused by damage to the brain through deprivation of oxygenated blood causing part or all of the affected area to die. (Series of strokes) Conditions that can cause
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.
Understand the process and experience of dementia Definition of dementia is a syndrome usually of a chronic or progressive nature in which there is deterioration in cognitive function, thinking, orientation, comprehension, and calculation, learning capacity, language and judgement. Dementia is caused by damage in brain. The most common cause of dementia is called neurodegenerative diseases that include Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Huntington disease, Front temporal dementia and dementia with lewy bodies. With this disease the brain cell degenerate and die more quickly than normal ageing process, these decline a persons mental and some times physical abilities. The gradual changes and damage to the brain cells are caused by a build up of abnormal proteins in the brain.
Cristina-Sandra Chirita | Dementia | [Date] Cristina-Sandra Chirita | Dementia | [Date] Dementia Awareness assessment Dementia Awareness assessment 1. Understand what dementia is: 1.1 Explain what is meant by the term “dementia” Dementia are the signs and symptoms caused as a result of the specific diseases such as Alzheimer’s or a stroke that involve the damaging of brain cells; as the brain cells die the person with a dementia will lose their ability to do things they are used to doing as different parts of the brain are damaged. Dementia affects both older and younger people and the decline in the person will get worse as more brain cells are damaged or die. 1.2 Describe the key functions of the brain that are affected by dementia - behavior, movement, interpretation of what is around us and personality: frontal lobe; - language used, special awareness and recognition of places, objects and people: parietal lobe; - eyesight and ability to see: occipital lobe; - memory, hearing and speech: temporal lobe. 1.3 Explain why depression, delirium and age-related memory impairment may be mistaken for dementia Because this are symptoms of dementia but the cause for them to happen can be different: - for depression: a person can be depressed but not suffer for dementia; - for delirium: it can be caused by an infection and the person could become confused and suffer with memory loss which are also signs and symptoms of dementia; - for age-related memory impairment: if someone becomes forgetful they might think or others might think they have dementia because a lot of people associate dementia with old age and memory loss but younger people can be affected too.