Dementia is a broad term used to describe symptoms that result when the brain is damaged by disease, injury, or illness.
These symptoms can include a decline and loss of memory, concentration, judgement and the ability to communicate, learn and problem solve. Dementia is caused by many diseases, including Alzheimer disease and vascular disease.
The diseases, injuries and illness that cause dementia damage the brain and destroy brain cells. Because cells are dead or dying the overall size of the brain shrinks and holes develop on certain parts of it.
In illustration below the left brain is a normal, healthy brain. He brain in the right is what a person that's suffering from dementia would look like.
Symptoms
At least two core mental functions must be significantly impaired to be considered dementia, such as:
Memory
Communication and language
Ability to focus and pay attention
Reasoning and judgement
Visual perception
These symptoms are common across all types of dementia. Common type of symptom that is universal to all types dentist would be memory loss but each dementia diseases has its own symptoms dependent my on which part of the brain it damages.
Common effects of dementia:
Cannot remember things
Have trouble understanding words
Forget how to do things they have done for years
Become disoriented
Have ideas or perception that are not real
Become frustrated easily
Ask the same questions or tell the same stories over and over
Have personality changes
You may have a variety of reactions or emotions toward the individual with dementia and their behaviors. You should remember:
A person with dementia may not be aware of his or her changed behavior and is not doing things intentionally to be difficult.
Never argue, shout, lecture, make fun of or force a person with dementia to do something he or she does not want to do. Be positive. Your attitude will influence the outcome of any interaction.
Causes
Dementia is caused by damage to the brain cells. This damage interferes with the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other.
The brain has many distinct regions, each of which is responsible for different functions. When cells in a particular region are damaged, that region cannot carry out its functions normally. When brain cells cannot communicate normally - thinking behavior and feelings can be affected.
Parts of the Brain
Frontal Lobe: Movement, thinking initiation reasoning and judgement, behavior (emotions), memory, speaking
Parietal Lobe: Perception, making senses of the world, knowing right from left, sensation, reading, arithmetic, spelling, understanding special relationships
Occipital Lobe: Vision, Color Blindness
Cerebellum: Balance, Coordination, Fine muscle control
Temporal Lobe: Memory, understanding language, behavior, memory, hearing
Types of Dementia
Dementia is caused by about 60 different diseases. Each has different symptoms. There are different classification schemes for dementias roughly based on observed problems; some frequently used are
Cortical (memory, language, thinking, social)
Subcortical (emotions, movement, memory)
Progressive (cognitive abilities worsen over time)
Primary (results from a specific disease such as Alzheimer's disease) and
Secondary (occurs because of disease injury)
To clarify, dementia is a broad term used to describe symptoms that result when the brain is damaged by disease, injury or illness whereas Alzheimer's disease is a form of dementia brain disease where lesions clog and prevent communication between brain cells and destroy the brain from the inside.
Keep in mind that memorizing these types of dementia is less important than how you care for a person. Think about how you might approach each individual with kindness and compassion while considering behaviors that might be associated with the disease.
Learning about dementia allows you to create a deeper level of compassion for the individuals you care for, build skills and confidence to provide the best care.
People with dementia are real people with real feelings.
You must understand and adapt to provide a safe, compassionate environment and create the highest quality of life for the individual with dementia.
Dementia is Not a Normal Part of Aging and it is Not a Disease Itself