What is Dementia?
Dementia is a term that covers more than 100 diseases that have similar effects on the person (The Department of Health 2014). The symptoms shown are known to affect the proper functioning of the brain, thought, behaviour, bodily actions that are required for daily tasks and one’s normal social and working life (Fight Dementia 2012). Dementia is becoming more prevalent in Australia and globally. With factors such as increased life expectancy having an effect on the brain and nervous system that is still not something that modern medicine can control the degradation of. “While not a consequence of ageing, the prevalence of dementia is increasing as people live longer and the proportion of older people in the population rises” (Hartwell 2014, p. 134). There have been many people researching different factors in one’s lifestyle that can help decrease the chance of developing a form of dementia at or even postpone it until a later age. Even if someone is genetically prone to getting dementia, or is a part of an ethnic group with a high prevalence with dementia, for example Australian Aboriginals, factors such as nutrition, diet, exercise and new medical treatments may help them.
Prevalence of Dementia
Alzheimer’s Australia’s statistic report shows us that the two factors are positively correlating with the prevalence of dementia that are shown by the table below are:
1) The age someone is, shown going down the table in every year the prevalence of the people with dementia in each age group increases. As the table shows before the age of 60 there is a relatively small number of people suffering from dementia with an average of only 1-2% of the total number of people suffering from dementia at a given time.
2) Each yea...
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... effects. These include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and anorexia. These can be harsh for the individual physically, especially if they are already an older person, which is statistically what they are more likely to be. The family and the individual will then be burdened with finish methods to make sure the individual taking the medication has constant care or they could get badly hurt, for example if they vomit whilst laying on their back sleeping, it could be deadly.
Great amounts of research and studies are going into dementia, but as seen by the various different approaches taken, it is a difficult matter, to try and prevent. There are some positive results that have potential to help prevent dementia, such as the medication that reduces the chance of getting a stroke and the use of antioxidants and fish oil to help nourish and keep the cells of the body strong.
Outcome 3 Know the most common types of dementia and their causes The learner can:
Dementia is common among a large population of elderly people. The disease affects not only the individual diagnosed, but also the caregivers that work towards making their life comfortable in the end. Understanding and learning about the disease is crucial in helping those that experience or live with someone who has dementia. The services and support that are currently in affect for elderly people with dementia and the caregivers is poor, and ineffective because of the lack of research and information on the topic.
Dementia is a disease which causes mental debility and affects one’s way of intelligent, attentiveness, recollection and problem-solving (NHS, 2013). As a result of dysfunction of brain cells in some parts of the brain it affects the thinking process then dementia occurs and it usually comes with age (Ibid). It is estimated that 560 000 people suffer from dementia in England and as a result the NHS and Social Care spend about 3.3billion (National Audit Offices)
While the average life expectancy of the world’s population has increased, the number of detected dementia cases has commensurately risen to astonishing levels. Along with improved discovery of this disorder, new causes and treatments have been found, from which many innovative techniques have been developed towards the prevention of future incidences and reduction of the effects of this condition; however, the quest for these solutions have raised more questions than it has answered. Why do some develop this disorder, while others do not? Can early detection be achieved to reverse the processes or limit its effects? Further specifics on these topics have been categorized into three main sections, which include:
...sion of the disease. In addition, the risk factors and preventive measures are quite clear. These can help those who are unaware of what Alzheimer’s disease is or how it progresses. Future studies may prove to be beneficial in preventing the occurrence of Alzheimer’s, or at least the severity of its’ progression. Informing people of this disease, the risk factors, and preventive measures at a younger age, can only prove beneficial in the decrease or possible elimination of this physically and mentally altering disease. Living a healthy life now can only increase your chances of having a healthier life in old age.
Dementia has historically been, and continues to be, a major health issue in Australia and is currently the third leading cause of death, behind Heart Disease and Cerebrovascular disease (ABS 2012). It is estimated that there are currently 332, 000 people living with Dementia in Australia (AIHW, 2012). In the 65+ age bracket, 9% of people are living with Dementia and this increase to 30% in the 85+ age bracket. Alzheimer’s Australia (2014) estimates that every week there are 1700 new ...
This paper is on dementia, a late-life disorder, as it pertains to the geriatric population. “It is estimated that 24.3 million people around the world have dementia and that, with an estimated 4.6 million new cases every year, we can expect about 43 million people and their families to have to handle the challenge of dementia by 2020.” (McNamera, 2011) I will cover three relevant points concerning this disorder that cause changes in the brain.
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most prevalent diseases in America and in the world at this point in time and the number of cases is only increasing. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s might include a decline in mental capacity, confusion, and forgetting how to do simple tasks. The disease in not limited to the older generation but is far more prevalent. There is no existing cure for Alzheimer’s and only a few medications that can mildly treat the disease but they vary from patient to patient and are not very affective. Many people are now trying to focus on preventing the disease in its early stages. Some ways in which people do this is by pairing a healthy diet with both cognitive and physical exercises.
The participation in leisure activities, such as dance, is related with a reduced risk of development of dementia, both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia (Verghese et al., 2003). Dementia is “a general term that describes a group of symptoms-such as 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” (Alzheimer’s Foundation of America [AFA], 2015, para 1). Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in persons over the age of 65, representing about 60 percent of all dementias. Dementia is specifically characterized by “different pathologic, or structural, changes in the brain, such as an accumulation of
A myth about Alzheimer disease says that nothing can be done about the disease. This is not true. Much can be done to assist the person with Alzheimer’s disease to maintain the highest possible level of functioning as long as possible and in providing the highest quality of life.
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,
Delirium, Depression, and Dementia are some of the most common psychological diagnoses in the elderly today. The three D’s are difficult to differentiate between in older adults because they overlap with each other and can all exist in the same patient at once. Delirium, Dementia, and Depression all affect the elderly’s quality of life and often increase the risks for one another (Downing, Caprio & Lyness, 2013). For the purpose of this paper I will be focusing primarily on the diagnosis of Dementia, the prevention, and nursing measures associated with it, but first I would like to differentiate between Delirium and Depression because Dementia is often associated with the two in the older adult population.
According to (Miller, 2009), dementia is the most accurate expression which illustrates the development of cognitive impairment. ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬It exemplifies the diverse brain anarchies which ultimately lead to severe brain dysfunction (Alzheimer Australia, 2011). Dementia is the leading cause of disability in older adults in Australia accounting for 17 percent of the cases (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2004). Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Vascular Dementia (VD), Frontotemporal Dementia (FD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) are the well known forms of this disease. This usually occurs in older adults aged above 65; however it is a disability and not a normal symptom of aging. Chances of inheritability are present but it depends on the individual and the type of dementia (Alzheimer Australia, 2011). The Global Deterioration Scale provides a detailed explanation regarding the seven stages of cognitive decline in Dementia (Alzheimer’s Association of Canada, 2005).
Personal Social Services Research Unit. (2007) Dementia UK. London: London School of Economics, King’s College London.
WIMO, A., WINBLAD, B., AGUERO-TORRES, H. & VON STRAUSS, E. 2003. The magnitude of dementia occurrence in the world. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord, 17, 63-7.