Dementia originated from the Latin language meaning ‘mind gone’. The course of the disease declines to the last stage and the person will forget majority of his or her memory. The patient will go about his or her normal ways during the first stage of dementia; eyes and mind are clear. During the beginning of the last stage, the patient will depend on the caretaker for his or her needs and will not recall the things he or she has learned. In the last phase of the last stage, the patient will be “born again”, meaning he or she will derive from the end of his life to the beginning. Similar to the Alzheimer’s disease, the nerve cells in the brain become short. The brain will not function properly because of the shrinkage of the nerve cells, but …show more content…
In the beginning of the nineteenth century, dementia became a true medical condition. The disease was known to have symptoms of lack of memory, social, and mental disability. When the disease became more severe, people were sent to asylums “In 1907 Dr. Alois Alzheimer published a paper identifying a cluster of symptoms of dementia. These included reduced comprehension and memory, disorientation, unpredictable behavior and difficulties with communication. Thus Alzheimer’s disease was born.” (Welsch 17). Little care and little research were done for people who were suffering from the disease. If not taken care of at home, the person would be sent to a psych-ward facility. There was a debate concerning if dementia was a social or nurse profession. “Since the 1980s the profile of dementia has been raised and how it is viewed has changed. Sufferers are no longer seen as unfortunate victims of diseased brains for whom little can be done, but as fellow human beings capable of responding and enjoying human relationships and having a full bill of rights.” (Welsch 18). Caring for a dementia sufferer will become challenging to recover his or her life. Dementia remains untreatable, but there are medications provided to help prolong the memory of a sufferer. The drug, ‘anti-cholinesterase inhibitors’, helps postpone the effects that will show in the final stages. Supporting and caring for people with dementia will have a large impact on …show more content…
There are four main types’ dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia and other dementia disorders. Dementias are considered to be neurodegenerative because of the death or nerve cells in the brain. These disorders are caused by toxic proteins stored in the brain. The abnormal proteins will cause the brain function to weaken, which will eventually lead to dead cells. The proteins also damage the spaces in between the nerves causing them to transmit improperly. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, named after Alois Alzheimer, a German neurologist. In one case, there was a woman who began having hallucinations, disorientations, and memory loss. It increased over the years until her death at the age of 55. Vascular dementia, the second most common dementia. A disease when the blood vessels become affected in the brain. It is similar to the Alzheimer’s disease because it has been called to be the ‘forgotten’ dementia. In contrast to the Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia results from multiple causes, like “haemodynamic (blood flow to the brain) disorders (for example, strokes), thromboembolism (small blood clots originating mainly from the carotid artery or heart that block small blood vessels in the brain), small blood vessel disease in the brain (which results in a gradual reduction in blood supply to the brain), and heamorrhage (bleeding) into or around
There are many different forms of dementia and each has its own cause. Some of the main type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia affecting 50%-70% of dementia patients (Alzheimer's australia, 2005). This is a degenerative illness which attacks the brain, this is achieved buy tangles which are in the middle of shrunken brain cells and plaques which eventually cause the brain cells to die meaning information can no longer be recalled or assimilated. There are also other types of dementia which include vascular dementia which is caused by circulation of the blood to the brain, Parkinson’s disease which is a disorder of the
Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. Brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease dies and degenerate causing the loss of memory and mental functions. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.A. Alzheimer’s Disease is named after Dr. Abis Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a lady who had died of an unusual mental illness that was very unknown. The woman 's’ symptoms included memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior that people with Alzheimer’s have almost often of times. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in this world and it’s thought to be the most progressive disease of all diseases. Also this disease gets progressively worse over time. The majority of people with Alzheimer’s are sixty-five years old or older, however, almost five percent of the people have early-onset Alzheimer’s. Early-Onset Alzheimer 's is known as Alzheimer 's at a younger age which appears at the ages of forties and fifties. In early stage Alzheimer’s, memory lost is very mild. With late Alzheimer’s, individuals lose the ability to carry on conversations and respond to their environment. People with Alzheimer’s often live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to others.
People with dementia gradually lose their previous skills, as well as other executive mental functioning like planning, judgment, abstract thinking and psychiatric disorders such as agitation, delusions and depression are very common in patients with dementia (Hendrie, 1997). Dementia is a pathological process in the brain that reduces the quality of life and it caused by a number of different illnesses. As part of the normal aging process people may become more forgetful but it does not affect their daily living activities like dementia does. Dementia is therefore quite separate from the symptoms of normal aging. However, it can affect people at any age oh life (Alzheimer's Association,
Although dementia is often viewed as an “old person’s disorder, its effects ripple down in many directions such as family, caregivers, finances, and the healthcare system, leaving behind many unanswered questions and confusion for all. The purpose of this paper will be to answer some of these questions, so that a better understanding of dementia will be possible. By doing so through research already performed,
Alzheimer’s and Dementia are becoming more prevalent in America, caretakers and medical professionals are urging people to become more self-aware of these diseases. Dementia is a disease that can develop into other disorders such as Vascular Dementia or Parkinsons Disease; however, in most cases, it usually ends up as Alzhiemers. It 's a typically seen in older people; about, sixty five and older, so of course one would automatically put themselves, and their family out of the picture, that is until one of you gets it. In most cases one primarily thinks of Alzheimer’s and Dementia as diseases that they, as well as anyone close to them would necessarily not get anytime soon, or maybe even ever. Due to increased medical costs, and scarce specialized facilities; seniors with Alzheimer’s and Dementia are not quite the recieving proper, sustainable long-term care.
Advanced dementia can be seen as a deadly illness in itself or as a symptom involved in the human ageing process. A study proposed that a more beneficial way to approach the treatment for advanced dementia was to treat it as a terminal illness. People who have had advanced dementia experienced symptoms similar to those who were dying of terminal conditions, like cancer. Common symptoms include pain, agitation, and shortness of breath. It is said that three common immediate causes of death are from a fever, eating problems, or from pneumonia. A researcher from the Indiana University center for Aging Research, Greg Sachs, notes that the hospitalized patients with advanced dementia have
Until the end of the 19th century, dementia was a much broader clinical concept. It included mental illness and any type of psychosocial incapacity, including conditions that could be reversed.[74] Dementia at this time simply referred to anyone who had lost the ability to reason, and was applied equally to psychosis of mental illness, "organic" diseases like syphilis that destroy the brain, and to the dementia associated with old age, which was attributed to "hardening of the arteries."
Forgetting loved ones, favorite foods, and even how to put on clothes in the morning. All are signs of people who go through some sort of dementia. These people will never fully regain the memory that once use to be so cherished and held onto. Dementia can happen fast and even without warning. One week a person could be mowing the lawn and having normal conversations, then have a stroke and forget his grandson’s name. Stroke and dementia result in both long and short term disability and worldwide both are major health and social care issues (Greenwood 2016). Dementia has a huge impact on people’s lives and even can cause people to do harm to one another. Not knowing is the scariest thing a human can feel.
Dementia is defined as a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning. However, what most of us do not know is that dementia is a general disorder that has a few subcategories. Those categories include Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and frontal-temporal dementia, to name a few. Although statistically dementia is experienced at a similar rate amongst Japanese-Americans and caucasian Americans, their rates in the subtypes are different. Japanese-American’s, most typically Japanese-American men, experience a higher rate in vascular dementia. Vascular dementia is attributed by a lack of blood supply to the brain. Although Japanese-Americans experience vascular dementia at a higher rate than others, the reasoning behind that is still unexplained.
Dementia is a progressive brain dysfunction. In Latin, 'dementia ' means irrationality, which results in a restriction of daily activities. Alzheimer’s disease was first identified more than 100 years ago, but research into its symptoms, causes, risk factors and treatment has only progressed in the last several years. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 1906, German physician Alois Alzheimer was “one of the first to link
Memory loss, social abilities, mood changes and everyday tasks are some of the things elderly men and women will have to face when diagnosed with dementia. Dementia is psychological disorder illustrated by chronic personality disintegration, and confusion. Also, it is one of the biggest health issues that majority of the elderly men and women will encounter all over the world. Sadly, the amount of people who are diagnosed with dementia is increasing every year and transforming the illness to Alzheimer’s. Ages from sixty to sixty- five will face problems with their brain function causing the brain cells to die, brain shrinks, and unnecessary space in the brain leading to serious bodily functioning. Episodic, semantic, and procedural
Usually in chronic or progressive nature, Dementia is a syndrome where there is a deterioration in one’s cognitive function. Which is dramatically greater than normal cognitive deterioration expected from normal aging. It is caused by a variety of diseases and injuries that affect the brain, such as a stroke or Alzheimer’s disease, 60-70% of cases are contributed to Alzheimer’s. Dementia affects memory, comprehension, calculation, language, judgment, thinking, and learning capacity. This is devastating on the person affected and also the family of the person affected and can commonly lead to deterioration in emotional control, motivation, and social behavior. Worldwide, it is estimated that 47.5 million people are living with dementia, 7.7 million new cases every year, and it is estimated that 75.6 million will be affected in 2030.
The first questions will be to develop a history for information to understand what is wrong. There are several situations that might precipitate dementia-like symptoms. They will include questions on whether or not the person is on drugs. There are medicines that might cause confusion as a side effect (Hammond, 2012). Additionally, overdoses can have the same symptoms as dementia, and to be misdiagnosed can be worse for the patient. These questions will more likely be asked of the patient first. It is the patient who knows whether or not he or she is taking drugs, abusing them. In this case, drugs can mean both medicine and intoxicating substances such as alcohol. The doctor can also ask family members, as to get a corroboration of the details offered by the patient. The doctor will compare the information from both the patient and the family. The doctor will then take blood and urine samples to check for diseases like Parkinson’s and others type conditions. All these will be aimed at getting a
With the increasing medical pharmacology and non-pharmacology therapies that are available to individuals through early onset of dementia, early diagnosis is prevalent. Through research it suggest that through early diagnosis that pharmacology and non-pharmacology have maximum effect (Milne, 2010).There have been treatments that have been made availability in consideration cholinesterase inhibitors that have been identified to treat dementia, and also improve memory functioning, and minimize anxiety which enhances an individual’s daily living (Milne, 2010). Also early intervention helps to delay or restrict the need to transition to convalescent centers or care homes.
Unfortunately age affects even our pets and, like humas, they experience certain cognitive dysfunctions, which we know as dementia. With dogs it can remain unnoticed for a long period of time and thus it can be too late to help, once we discover it.