What is dementia and what are the effects of it? Dementia is a very devastating progressive disease. It is classified by a number of symptoms that affect a persons brain. In order for a person to be diagnosed with dementia, doctors have to discover two or more brain functions deficits. There are multiple types of dementia, with varying symptoms. Memory loss, Skill loss of functioning, Altered behaviors, hallucinations and multiple other issues can be symptoms of dementia. In this research paper I will be discussing the different type of dementia, which is more degrading, how it affects a person, how people get it and the different symptoms. Dementia is a class of diseases and is caused by damage to the brains cells. Research is exploring …show more content…
It is a number of symptoms and types of disorders. According to Medical Specialist Weiner MD, “The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Brain damage from an injury or a stroke can also cause dementia, as can other diseases like Lewy body dementia and Huntington’s disease.” Since Alzheimer’s is the most common start of dementia I will start with that. Alzheimer's effects the brain by shrinking the actual brain and cell death. It disables your mental capacity and you begin to forget things, know how to do things, and form new memories.
An article by Health Wise Staff states: “Alzheimer’s often severely damages the hippocampus, inhibiting your ability to form new memories. As the disease progresses, it impairs the areas of the brain involved in processing speech and spatial awareness. The parts of the brain that Alzheimer's effects are the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and parietal lobe.
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It is the hardest thing to watch as someone you know and even if you don't know them, to watch them change into a person you don't understand or a person you don't know anymore. It hits home for me and learning by doing research on this topic is a very eye opening research paper. Parts of the brain that dementia effects varies. Normally in the different types of dementia the brain starts to shrink first in certain sections or hemispheres, as the cells and nerves are damaged. In Alzheimer’s the first part of the brain that is effected is the hippocampus, which is where we form new memories and retrieve old memories. After the hippocampus the amygdala is affected. Bownds, Deric (2008) According to The Alzheimer’s Society(2014), “A person will recall emotional feelings about a subject, person, or an event even when they can't recall the actual memory, and that the damage spreads to the cortex: thinning it, the left hemisphere: causing problems with semantic memory and language, the visual system in the temporal lobes: making familiar things un recognizable, it can spread to the frontal lobe: causing issues with decision mak ing and tasks that have
Dementia is a long-term condition that normally affects people aged 65 and over, younger people can be affected. Having dementia can cause loss of key functions to the brain, such as; loss of memory; confusion; speech and language problems; loss of ability to make judgements; loss of concentration; difficulty in processing information; changes in behaviour and personality. These all lead to a person not been able to function properly. The person’s ability to function deteriorates over a period of time and is usually at least 6 months before positive diagnosis of dementia can be made. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases such as Alzheimer’s which is the most common of dementia, vascular which is a series of mini strokes,
Alzheimer is a dementia type of disease named after Dr. Alois alzheimer that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills,and eventually , the ability to do simple things, or recognize their family. The first case occurred in the 1906 when a woman died on a unusual mental illness. After she died Dr.Alois examined her brain , amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary. Alzheimer’s is in older people the most common cause of dementia. Dementia is a loss of remembering ,thinking and reasoning skills, that intervenes with your daily life and activities. It is very common in people over sixty years of age. People younger than sixty years can also
Although Alzheimer’s disease appears to be the most common cause of dementia, “more than 50 conditions are associated with dementia, including degenerative ...
Dementia – is the chain of signs and symptoms which effect the human brain. As a result of this changes in the brain occur which are irreversible. These changes lead to memory loss, difficulty in planning and learning, confusion and changes in behaviour.
People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of their belongings, keeping up with plans, remembering appointments or travel dates. Many dementias are progressive. This means that symptoms start out slowly and gradually get worse with time. Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia are diagnosed based on careful medical history, a physical examination, laboratory tests, and the characteristic changes in thinking, day-to-day function and behavior related to each
Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness that affects the brain tissue directly and undergoes gradual memory and behavioral changes which makes it difficult to diagnose. It is known to be the most common form of dementia and is irreversible. Over four million older Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to triple in the next twenty years as more people live into their eighties and nineties. (Johnson, 1989). There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but throughout the past few years a lot of progress has been made.
As dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (DAT) is frequently the cause of dementia in the geriatric population common symptoms, treatments and the efficacy of the treatments will be discussed. Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type is a cognitive impairment, resulting in the inability to learn and retain new inform...
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, accounting for approximately 60 to 80 percent of all cases. The disease slowly destroys connections in the brain via plaques, causing problems with memory, behavior, thinking and brain function. There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, though treatments are available that can slow down its progression.
Dementia is a disease that contains a group of symptoms that contain loss of memory, judgment, language, complex motor skills, and other intellectual function-caused by the permanent damage or death of the brain 's nerve cells, or neurons. This disease is centered around memory impairment. (Goren, A., Montgomery, W., Kahle-Wrobleski, K.,
Alzheimer’s disease – The most common form of dementia, and is a disease that attacks the neurons and nerve cells of the brain, consequently causing memory loss (short-term and progressing to long-term), cognitive processes, communication, and behavioural changes.
Dementia is a disease effecting nearly thirty-six million people worldwide (Whiteman, 2014). Even with so many elderly suffering from the disease, there are many people who don’t know what dementia truly is. People often jump too quickly to the conclusion that dementia is a disease that only effects the memory. They may believe that dementia is inevitable and cannot be cured in any case. They may also believe that dementia is something the majority of elderly will experience when they get older.
There are four main types of dementia with AD being the most widespread form. It ac...
Alzheimer is a progressive disease of the brain that causes memory and cognitive function loss. Alzheimer symptoms are apathy, difficulty remembering recent events, depression, disorientation, behavioral changes, and difficulty speaking, swallowing
Dementia is a term to describe a variety of symptoms of a large group of illnesses or neurodegenerative diseases that cause a progressive decline in a person’s mental functioning. Dementia can cause a serious loss of mental capacity, including memory loss, a decline in intellectual ability, poor judgement, poor social skills and abnormal emotional reactions. Although it may be more common with older people this is not a normal part of the ageing process and many people do not develop this disease (Australian institute of health and well-being, 2013).
Dementia is an organic brain syndrome which results in global cognitive impairments. Dementia can occur as a result of a variety of neurological diseases. Some of the more well known dementing diseases include Alzheimer's disease (AD), multi-infarct dementia (MID), and Huntington's disease (HD). Throughout this essay the emphasis will be placed on AD (also known as dementia of the Alzheimer's type, and primary degenerative dementia), because statistically it is the most significant dementing disease occurring in over 50% of demented patients (see epidemiology).