UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS AND EXPERIENCE OF DEMENTIA Task A 1. For each of the following forms of dementia, describe: • How is the brain affected • The symptoms an individual might experience. Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative brain disease. Most patients start exhibiting symptoms after they reach the age of 60. Alzheimer's disease affects the brain through exponentially greater cell death and tissue loss, resulting in a decreased brain size.
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 gradual changes and damage to the brain cells are caused by a build up of abnormal proteins in the brain. Dementia is a common condition that affects about 800,000 people in the UK. Your risk of developing dementia increases as you get older and condition usually occurs in people over the age of 65 years. The symptoms of people with dementia is memory (short/long term), Thinking, Speed, Language, Understanding, Judgement and sensory ability. There are some other factors Cause changes in individual condition with similar symptoms of dementia, like depression, confusional state due to an infection (UTI/chest infections), sensory changes due to age related degeneration, reduced metabolism cause poor appetite, Osteoporosis and fear of falling.
Parietal lobe which is responsible for sensory information from the body, also where letters are formed, putting things in order and spatial awareness. Occipital lobe which is responsible for processing information related to vision. Cerebrum lobe which is the biggest part of the Brain, its role is memory, attention, thought, and our consciousness, senses and movement. Lastly there is Hippocampus which is responsible for memory forming, organizing and storing and emotions. 1.3 -Explain why depression, delirium and age-related memory impairment may be mistaken for dementia This may be the case because they all share many of the same symptoms as dementia, for example depression can manifest as anxiety, irritability, sleep disturbance, changes in appetite, weight loss or occasionally weight gain, fatigue, decreased energy and difficulty concentrating, thinking or making decisions.
Dementia is the term used to describe the condition which results in brain cells dying more quickly than the normal aging process, therefore commonly causing memory loss and a decline in the individuals mental and physical abilities. A build up of abnormal proteins on the brain is the most common cause however other heath factors can contribute to whether an individual is likely to be affected by dementia. Depending on the type of dementia the symptoms can differ. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, this currently affects 62% of people diagnosed with dementia. Alzheimer's is caused by a gradual loss of brain cells.
Thalamus – Muscle movement and processing sensory information. Hippocampus – Processes recent memories into stored memory Limbic system - Emotions and smell. 1.3. Explain why depression, delirium and age related memory impairment may be mistaken for dementia Depression is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. A person who is depressed can often show similar signs or symptoms to a person that has dementia.
It has widespread connections with the rest of the forebrain and the midbrain. Partly through nerves and partly through hypothalamic hormones, the hypothalamus conveys messages to the pituitary gland, altering its release of hormones (Kalat, 2003). According to “American Accreditation Health Commission,” The hypothalamus is responsible for certain metabolic processes and other activities of the autonomic nervous system. It synthesizes and secretes certain neurohormones, often called hypothalamic-releasing hormones, and these in turn stimulate or inhibit the secretion of pituitary hormones. The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, sleep, and circadian cycle.
Parietal lobe - responsible for sensory information from the body, also where letters are formed, putting things in order and spatial awareness. Occipital lobe- responsible for processing information related to vision Cerebrum lobe - biggest part of the Brain its role is memory, attention, thought, and our consciousness, senses and movement. Hippocampus = responsible for memory forming, organizing and storing and emotions. 3. Explain why depression, delirium and age related memory impairment may be mistaken for dementia.
Memory is the most common cognitive ability lost with dementia. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (slide 71) is the most common cause of dementia in western countries and Japan, representing more than half of demented patients. Vascular disease is the second most common cause of dementia in the U.S. and Japan. Most common forms of dementia are progressive, and currently there is no effective treatment to stop or reverse the progression of the disease. Incidence of most dementia increases with age.
Hedge reports that strokes occur every forty-five seconds and more than 300,000 people suffer a permanent disability yearly. Holland et al., (1996), describes aphasia and the effects on the PWA’s intellect, and incapacitated social and family life. This research examines the validity of the treatment of auditory comprehension in persons with Aphasia. Since past research has yet to validate, and substantiate evidence-based practice (EBP) in this particular area, this literature review will illustrate the etiology, characteristics and, if found within the study design, the clinical relevance of treatments considered and provided for the debilitating disorder of AC in PWA. ETIOLOGY According to Hedge (2008), the leading cause of strokes may be due to years of vascular disorders.