Symptoms of Dementia
Dementia rather than being a disease is the description of a group of symptoms associated with memory problems. The symptoms usually include loss of focus, depression, and behavioral changes. There are different levels and stages of dementia. Common dementia issues include cognitive, neurological, behavioral, or psychological problems (Dementia,2019).
Being cognitive refers to the ability of a person to talk, comprehend, judge, remember, reason, and interact with other people. Dementia causes these abilities to decline. When symptoms progress, the person starts losing the ability to perform basic daily living activities such as getting dressed, bathing, eating, and toileting (About Dementia, 2019).
Neurological disorders are another problem resulting from dementia. The disorders affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Alzheimer's is one of the most common diseases of dementia. Alzheimer's begins affecting the nervous system through degeneration. The disease damages the cells and eventually kills them (Neurological Disorders, 2019).
Dementia affects people’s behavior. People with dementia start being more passive and losing interest to perform daily activities. They feel unmotivated and start feeling depressed and anxious. Delusions, paranoia, hallucinations, sleep apnea, and insomnia are other effects of the disease (The psychological and emotional impact of dementia, 2019).
Dementia can also cause people to feel scared and insecure. They lose confidence and struggle to control their actions. They may also experience the effects of visible signs of the disease and start losing their self-esteem. Therefore, the psychological health of people with dementia deteriorates noticeably (The psychological and emotional impact of dementia, 2019).
Stages of Dementia
People with dementia go through different stages as the disease progresses. According to the book “The Alzheimer’s Project”, the earliest stage of Alzheimer’s is the “no impairment”. During this stage, signs or loss of memory problems are not detectable; problems or symptoms of dementia are not evident at this point (Hoffman, Golant, 2010).
The second stage is Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). In this stage, the person’s ability to talk, judge, and remember starts declining. It starts with cognitive impairment and it develops to a mild decline. Very mild cognitive impairment is when the patient notices minor memory problems or loses things, but memory loss is not distinguished. This stage is when the patient’s family and friends notice cognitive problems. In this stage, seniors start forgetting names and simple words in a conversation. To determine the person’s level of memory health or proper treatment, several test and neuroimaging techniques are executed (Hoffman, Golant, 2010).
The moderate decline is the stage when clear symptoms begin to appear. In this stage, the seniors with dementia have difficulty with simple arithmetic, have a poor short-term memory, and forget details of their life story. The disease progresses to a more moderately severe decline stage when they begin to need more attention and help with daily activities. They start needing help to get dressed, they forget their own address or phone number and become easily confused. However, they might still be able to go to the bathroom and shower independently (What Are the 7 Stages of Alzheimer's Disease, 2019).
Severe Decline is when the person needs constant supervision. In this stage, seniors get anxious, they cannot recognize faces unless it is a very close relative or friend and begin needing help with all activities of daily living. Seniors lose the ability to walk, communicate, or respond to their environment. They might be able to say some words and sentences, but need help with walking, eating, and all activities of daily living. The disease progresses like this until it becomes terminal (What Are the 7 Stages of Alzheimer's Disease, 2019).
Different types of dementia
Alzheimer’s is not the only dementia disease. There are many other memory diseases that also involve memory loss, disorientation, and behavioral change. There are some other dementia diseases that have similar symptoms. Some of them are Lewy Body Dementia, Vascular Dementia, Mixed Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD), Frontotemporal Dementia, Huntington’s Disease (HD), Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, and Reversible Dementias (What You Should Know About Dementia, 2019).
Lewy Body Dementia, for example, includes symptoms such as forgetfulness and the decline of cognitive abilities. It also includes some other symptoms that are more serious. They start seeing hallucinations that seem very real to them (What Are the 7 Stages of Alzheimer's Disease, 2019).
Vascular Dementia is the second most common form of dementia. The disorder is caused by a poor blood flow to the brain. It comes with other conditions such as diabetes and high blood. Symptoms include confusion, disorientation, and trouble following instructions. They also have hallucinations and become agitated (What Are the 7 Stages of Alzheimer's Disease, 2019).
Another type of dementia is Mixed Dementia. This one is caused by medical conditions. It is caused more commonly by Alzheimer’s and vascular disease (What You Should Know About Dementia, 2019).
Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD) is a type of Lewy Body Dementia. The disease occurs when a patient with Parkinson's disease develops progressive dementia and it involves damage to nerve cells that control muscle movement. Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) is a rare disorder that involves a progressive nerve cell loss in the brain's frontal or temporal lobes (What Are the 7 Stages of Alzheimer's Disease, 2019).
There are some types of dementia that are not curable. One of them is Huntington’s Disease (HD). This one is caused by a gene defect inherited from parents. It affects movement, cognitive functions, and emotions. However, there are treatments and medications that help to control it (What Are the 7 Stages of Alzheimer's Disease, 2019).
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease is a fatal degenerative brain disorder. Early symptoms include memory problems, behavioral changes, poor coordination, and visual problems. With the progression of the disease, patients experience involuntary movements, weakness, and coma. People in this condition have a very high mortality rate. There is no medication that can stop the progression of this disease (What You Should Know About Dementia, 2019).
Lastly, there are reversible dementias. As the name suggests this type of dementia can be reversed with some treatment. Some common causes of reversible dementias include depression, environmental toxins, infections, alcohol abuse, poisoning, poor eating habits, heart or lung disease, and oxygen deprivation (What You Should Know About Dementia, 2019).
Background and treatment
Background and treatment for a person with Alzheimer's and dementia depends on its cause. Depending on the patient’s type of dementia there might be drugs and treatments that could help them to reduce symptoms. However, there are some factors that cannot be changed. Age or genetics are factors that influence the progression of the disease, but it cannot be avoided. However, diet and physical activity have been proven to help reduce the progression of the disease. It has been proven that people that exercise have a lower risk of suffering dementia. Finally, when a healthy diet is followed the physical and mental health is positively impacted (What Is Dementia? (2019).
Sources:
About Dementia. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.dementia.com/about.html
Dementia | Dictionary and Definitions. (2019). Retrieved from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/dementia
Hoffman, J., Froemke, S., & Golant, S. K. (2010). The Alzheimers project: Momentum in science. U.S.?: ReadHowYouWant.
Neurological Disorders. (2019). Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/common-neurological-disorders-list-and-descriptions.html
The psychological and emotional impact of dementia. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/help-dementia-care/understanding-supporting-person-dementia-psychological-emotional-impact
What You Should Know About Dementia. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.caring.com/caregivers/dementia/
What Are the 7 Stages of Alzheimer's Disease? (2019). Retrieved from https://www.alzheimers.net/stages-of-alzheimers-disease/
What Is Dementia? (2019). Retrieved from https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia
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