What is Dementia?

There are many kinds of dementia ranging from mild symptoms to severe (Alzheimer’s) and is a disease of the brain.

Dementia is usually a disease of the elderly although it can affect younger people, the onset can start in the mid sixties but most often starts in the 70 to 80 year old age range, growing old does not necessarily mean that a person is going to develop dementia, in fact most older people never suffer from this illness. The question is often asked ‘ is this disease hereditary? ’ the answer is, ‘it has not been proved’.

Vascular dementia is the most common form of dementia and is caused by poor circulation of blood in the brain, there are several types of vascular dementia but most common is multi-infarct dementia where the tiny blood vessels become narrow or blocked starving the brain of oxygen and blood and therefore these vessels become damaged or die. It is likened to having small strokes in the brain.

The risk of developing vascular dementia can come about in the same way as a heart attack or a stroke i.e. high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, poor diet, and a large amount of alcohol intake.

There are other types of dementia that are less common, such as:

Picks Disease
Huntington’s disease
CJD
Syphilis or HIV/Aids (advanced stage)
Under active thyroid gland
Pressure on the brain due to fluid within the skull
Infections of the brain such as meningitis or encephalitis
Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis
Reaction to a medication or interaction of two or more medications
Alcohol abuse long term
Illegal use of drugs
Lack of certain hormones, nutrients, especially the vitamins B


Signs and Symptoms

The onset is usually gradual and hardly noticeable, so diagnosis can be difficult in the early days, but first signs can be memory loss and or confusion, forgetfulness (forgetting the names of family, friends, or where they live etc). Many sufferers have difficulty in remembering recent daily happenings but can very often remember details of the distant past. They constantly repeat themselves during conversation and sometimes are unable to string sentences together coherently. As they are unable to look after their own personal hygiene, skin can become infected and cause sores. Eating and drinking becomes a problem if the sufferer is living alone and is unable to cook a meal or make a cup of tea as often they cannot remember how to perform these tasks.

Lack of interest in life in general can occur, so hobbies and past times no long appeal. Mood swings, aggressiveness, argumentativeness and sometimes violent or anti social behaviour can appear. Unfamiliar surroundings or strangers can cause stress resulting in any of the these behaviours being exaggerated.

Other symptoms that can arise are

Appetite and weight loss
Incontinence
Immobility
Depression


Prevention

Life style can help reduce the risk of developing dementia by :

Eating a good balanced diet of fruit, vegetables and fibre low in saturated fats.
Alcohol intake should be limited remembering that, a little is good for your health.
Keep as active as possible with regular exercise. Reading or some kind of mental stimulation is also helpful.
Try not to be overweight
Have a positive outlook on life


Treatment

Most types of dementia cannot be cured but there are some exceptions:

Those related to hormone or vitamin deficiency
Those related to head injury, or tumour
Those related to medication
Those related to an infection

For treatment of the above a Doctor would have to be consulted.

Dementia is not curable but there are drugs now available for some people in the early and middle stages of the disease that may help to prevent some of the symptoms from becoming worse over a period of time.

Tests can be done by mental and physical examinations along with blood tests or an MRI scan. Urinary and other infections in the elderly can sometimes be mistaken as the onset of dementia, as confusion can be a symptom of an infection.

Dementia can be very distressing and debilitating for those who suffer from it as well as for their carers and loved ones. But, it must never be forgotten that there are many support groups out there that are there to answer questions and provide the help and compassion needed. See Further information and Support Groups and Forum

There are specialist homes for Dementia and Alzheimer's sufferers called EMI homes (Elderly Mentally Infirm) where the staff are specifically trained in looking after people affected by this illness. For homes that provide care for those with Alzheimer's and Dementia please visit EMI homes for dementia

For further information on Alzheimer's please visit Alzheimer's in the Elderly