UNIT 4222-365 1.1 Range of causes of dementia Cells in the brain stop working, and the part of the brain that this occurs in will affect how that person thinks, remembers and communicates. The most common forms of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by damage in certain areas of the brain. With time, it spreads and affects cells in other parts of the brain. The cause of the brain cells dying and the deterioration of the connectors is not fully known.
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
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.
This can be caused by a stroke or hardening or thickening of the artery walls which impedes the flow of blood. The vascular system can also be damaged by heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. The brain cells eventually die and this leads to the onset of vascular dementia. If these conditions are treated early enough the onset of dementia may be delayed or even halted. There are different types of vascular dementia and they are dependent on which part of the brain has been damaged and how the damage was caused, as different parts of the brain control different functions of the mind and body.
The memory impairment may result in lack of attention, forgetting language, forgetting names and identity of friends and relatives and lose of ability to solve problems. confusion another effect of dementia, and also disorientation in which the patient forgets the direction, the time (date, month and year) and everything about the self. 1.2 Describe the types of memory impairment commonly experienced by individuals with dementia: dementia is a condition of the brain which causes a
Parkinson’s disease; the brain changes caused by Parkinson’s disease begin in a region that plays a key role in movement. As the brain changes, the disease will begin to affect mental functions, including memory and the ability to pay attention, make sound judgements and plan steps needed to complete a task. Parkinson’s disease is a fairly common neurological disorder in older adults, estimated to affect nearly 2% of those over 65. Huntington’s disease; this disease is a progressive brain disorder caused by a single defective gene on chromosome 4. Symptoms of the disease include abnormal involuntary movements, a severe decline in thinking and reasoning skills, irritability, depression and mood changes.
It is rare to have dementia in young people 1.2 Describe the types of memory impairment commonly experienced by individuals with dementia. The memory impairment may result in lack of attention, forgetting language, forgetting names and identity of friends and relatives and lose of ability to solve problems. confusion another effect of dementia, and also disorientation in which the patient forgets the direction, the time (date, month and year) and everything about the self. 1.3 Explain the way that individuals process information with reference to the abilities and limitations of individuals with dementia. People who
The answer may be as simple as sitting in the wrong seat , Or in pain which can lead to frustration from the service user. 1.3)Explain the importance of effective communicationto an individual with dementia. Communicating with a person with dementia can be very difficult. In the early stages of dementia individuals have trouble finding the words to express their thoughts or wishes, and are unable to remember the meaning of simple words. But as the disease progresses it becomes more difficult as the language skills become impaired, which makes it very difficult to understand what they are trying to say.
Dementia with Lewy Bodies can be closely related to Parkinsons Disease and there is a theory that Dementia with Lewy Bodies interferes with two neurotransmitters called dopamine and acetylcholine which assist in the brains functions. In Frontotemporal dementia – Picks Disease, the brain shrinks in the frontal and temporal lobes and a build of specific protein’s occur in these areas. Once the proteins come together, they become toxic and cause brain cells to die. It is not understood why these proteins build up. There are other dementia types too, namely Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) caused by an abnormal infectious protein call Prion which cause nerve damage to
2 How dementia affects decision-making Dementia is the umbrella term for a number of conditions which cause damage to the brain cells. The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease which has a gradual progression. The next most common type is vascular dementia which has a step-like progression. About one in four people with Parkinson’s disease also develop dementia. Short-term memory loss, disorientation and loss of concentration are common symptoms.