They can forget to take medications, forget that they need to eat or drink or wash and change their clothes. 3.1 The cause of dementia include various diseases or infections, Drugs, head injuries or malnutrition 3.2 Signs and symptoms of the most common causes of dementia include memory loss, personality change, impaired intellectual function. A noticeable decline in communication and signs of depression, learning and remembering things are forgotten. 3.3 The risk factors for the most common causes of dementia include having a family history, smoking, having high cholesterol and drinking large amounts of alcohol. 3.4 4.1 Individuals living with dementia may experience loss of hearing, which can make things difficult for communication and experience feeling frustrated with others causing misunderstanding of commands.
These negative images can add unnecessary distress to the individual and their family. Diagnosis of dementia can be difficult to make due to the symptoms can develop slowly. The individuals GP or health professional will be able to monitor any patterns and take tests over a period of
The cause of the brain cells dying and the deterioration of the connectors is not fully known. Vascular dementia is a form of dementia caused by damage to the brain through deprivation of oxygenated blood. Causes are preventable and include high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes and high cholesterol. Rarer forms of dementia are Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Biswanger’s disease. 1.2 Types of memory impairment Whilst long term memory loss is experienced, short term memory loss can cause more problems, although it is not the same in every case.
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.
Taking in new information People with dementia find it very difficult to understand and retain new information and events. In some cases of dementia the area of the brain that processes new information may be damaged , which means the individually not be able to recollect hearing information they have already been given. As the brain has not been able to retain the information the individual may think its the first time they have been given it. Recognising people and places People suffering with dementia may lose the ability to recognise people, places or things. This is because the brain no longer the the capability to remember or process the information it needs.
People who care for dementia sufferers may find that as the illness progresses they will have to start discussions to get the person to make conversation. This is common. Their ability to process information gets progressively weaker and their responses can become delayed. Impaired depth perception, loss of vision, loss of colour vision, loss of contrast sensitivity and hallucinations are all problems that may be associated with dementia. As a carer non-verbal communication will become important, body language, facial expressions, gestures, eye contact and tone of voice will have to be taken into account when communicating with a sufferer.
Alzheimer’s early stages include but aren’t limited to minor Short-term memory loss, forgetting that memory lapses happened and some confusion in situations outside the familiar. The early stages are difficult but with support from family and medical experts they are manageable, but what if the patient is scared of the late symptoms. Late stage of Alzheimer’s includes but isn’t limited to speech impairment, repeatedly initiating the same conversation, abusiveness, anxiety, and paranoia and debilitating cognitive deficit, which in layman’s term means mental retardation and eventually death but not from the disease it’s self. Shouldn’t those patients have a choice weather they want to go through the later stages of Alzheimer’s, it’s very doubtful that
The disease can consist of : clumsiness, uncontrolled continual muscular contractions, loss of balance, slurred speech, walking difficulty and stumbling, and falling. The Cognitive aspect consist of judgment, memory deteriorated. The ability to focus become extremely hare. The ability to answer question and reading becomes a painstaking task if it is accomplished. Huntington also creates inability to enjoy life and lack of energy.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurologic disease of the brain that leads to the irreversible loss of neurons and dementia. The clinical hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease are progressive impairment in memory, judgment, decision making, orientation to physical surroundings, and language. Alzheimer's disease is a very difficult disease to deal with for the patient and family. Patients with alzheimer's deal with alot of anxiety and confusion while the family struggles with grief that the patients ability to reconginze the family and life are fading. In the Notebook we see both sides of the struggles of dealing with Alzheimer's.
This can cause fluctuation in the persons behaviour as perhaps they are frustrated that they can no longer take care of their personal needs. 2.1, Diagnosis can help uncertainty, It may not be clear why someone has problems with memory or has a change in behaviour. These problems may be because of dementia, or down to other reasons such as poor sleep, low mood, medication or other medical conditions. The uncertainty can be distressing for both the person experiencing the difficulties and their families and friends. While a diagnosis of dementia can be devastating news an explanation of what the problem is and what can be done about it can help people feel empowered and reduce some of the worry caused by uncertainty.