Dementia Awareness Dementia is not a disease in its own rights and it is not a part of the normal aging process. It is a progressive condition which means it will gradually become worse. This is because when dealing with dementia brain cells will begin to die and as these brain cells cannot usually be replaced the cells die and the brain begins to shrink. It is a common illness and affects around 820,000 people just in the UK alone. Most people who suffer with it are over 65 but there are 150,000 people under 65 who also suffer with it.
About 75% of people who are diagnosed with dementia will have either Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia, or a combination of the two. There less common forms of dementia include dementia with Lewy bodies, fronto-temporal dementia (Pick’s disease), Huntington’s disease, alcohol-related dementias, and HIV/AIDS-related dementia. Alzheimer’s usually affects the elderly population and is a degenerative neurogical disorder and genetic factors are considered the greatest factors in the development of the disease. This conditions begins gradually and worsens progressively over several years. It is caused by nerve cells dying in certain areas of the brain and the connections between the affected nerve cells deteriorate.
The only way the Multiple Sclerosis could be diagnosed was examining the spinal fluid of a patient after a painful and dangerous spinal tap. Today, the disease is much the same as it was in the past. Since the first diagnosis of MS with the use of an MRI in the 1980’s it has become slightly easier to diagnose the disease. However, there is still little known about what causes it. It was not until the 1990’s that there were any treatments for Multiple Sclerosis.
NFCE Level 3 Preparing to work in Adult Social Care Unit 13 understand the process and experience of dementia 1.1 Dementia is not a specific disease. It's an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases. Vascular dementia which occurs after a stroke is the second most common dementia type. But there are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia, including some that are reversible, such as thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies.
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.
With senile dementia, you may have little or no awareness of cognitive problems and you may not know what a car key is or may put it in an inappropriate place. The most common form of senile dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Senile dementia is often used when referring to individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. According to Rabins (2008), “Older age is the strongest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. The likelihood of developing the disease doubles every 5 years after the age of 65.” In the early stages of Alzheimer’s or senile dementia, short-term memory is affected first.
UNDERSTANDING DEMENTIA Signs and symptoms of dementia Dementia is a collection of symptoms including memory loss personality change, and impaired intellectual functioning that interferes with normal activates and relationships. They can have behavioural , hallucinations, cant judge thins properly resulting from debase or trauma to the brain.. Some people might think that dementia is due too old age were in fact its not as when we get older are thinking slows down . Dementia can happen at any age some children can have dementia , dementia is not a specific disease ,there is Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia , accounting for two- thirds of all diagnosed cases. if your dementia symptoms
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia that still deals with an unknown cause to this day. This condition causes severe memory loss that is commonly diagnosed to people ranging from the ages of 40-60 years old. Various effects occur in the levels of Alzheimer’s such as sleep disorders, confusion, and lack of communication. There is currently no cure for the disease; scientists and doctors are still analyzing. The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation is an effective and reliable charity that researches the cause of Alzheimer’s disease.
The E2 form seems to decrease the risk of Alzheimer disease, E4 increases the risk. The presence of an E4 gene only means that the risk of Alzheimer disease is increased. It doesn’t predict the disease in a person who doesn’t have any symptoms of Alzheimer disease, and that as many as 50 percent of people with two E4 genes will not develop the disease. The association of E4 and Alzheimer disease is weak in very old people, where the risk of Alzheimer disease is very high because of advanced age. Some research suggest that most people with one E3 gene and E4 gene will not get the disease Other researchers Shiver(2011) suggested that Alzheimer disease is not considered as a genetic disease because no single gene determines if an individual will develop the illness.
Dementia Awareness Q 1.1 Explain what is ment by the term dementia Dementia is a disease which, unfortunately effects mainly the elderly. It comes in various forms, for example:- Alzimers, Pakinson’s and Huntington’s disease. It is often a progression from a stroke and to date there is no cure. Q 1.2. Describe the key functions of the brain that are effected by dementia * Temporal lobe is responsible foe vision, memory,laugage, hearing, learning * Frontal lobe is responsible for decision making , problem solving, control behavior and emotions * Parietal lobe is responsible for sensory information from the body, also where letters are formed, putting things in order and spatial awareness * Occipital lobe is responsible for processing information related to vision * Cerebrum lobe is biggest part of the Brain its role is memory, attention, thought, and our consciousness, senses and movement * Hippocampus is responsible for memory forming, organizing and storing and emotions Q 1.3 Explain why depression, delirium and age related memory impairment may be mistaken for dementia Depression can be mistaken for dementia because when someone is very depressed their memory can be affected and they may find it difficult to remember new information.