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About Dementia
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Dementia is a decline in mental abilities or cognitive functions such as memory, language, reasoning, planning, recognising, or identifying people or objects. This decline is beyond what might be expected from normal aging. These symptoms eventually impair the ability to carry out everyday activities such as driving, household chores, and even personal care such as bathing, dressing, and feeding.
The probability of suffering from dementia increases with age. Dementia mostly occurs in the second half of life, often after the age of 65.
Dementia usually progresses slowly. Making an accurate diagnosis in its early stages can be difficult. Several visits with the physician over a certain period of time may be needed. It is important to confirm a diagnosis of dementia in order to:
- Eliminate other conditions that can cause dementia-like symptoms, such as depression
- Discuss treatment
- Plan the future, enabling the patient to participate actively
- Arrange support for the patient and his/her family
Dementia can be caused by one medical condition or by multiple medical problems. Some types of dementia can be cured partially or completely with treatment. The degree of reversibility often depends on how quickly the underlying cause is detected and treated. Other types of dementia are irreversible and cannot be cured (e.g., dementia due to Alzheimer's Disease.
Most dementias are caused by Alzheimer's Disease (accounting for about 50-70% of all dementia cases) and vascular disease (about 15-20% of all cases). We will concentrate most of our discussion on dementia due to Alzheimer's Disease because this condition is the most common. However, the term dementia is not a synonym for Alzheimer's Disease. Dementia is a broader term and refers to any brain syndrome resulting in problems with memory, orientation, judgment, and communication.
Alzheimer's Disease
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Alzheimer's Disease is the most common type of dementia, and is caused by loss of brain cells. It is a normal process to lose a number of cells during ageing but in people with Alzheimer's Disease this loss occurs at a more rapid pace. As a result, the brain of the patient is not longer functioning in a normal way. To date, the reason for this loss is still unknown.
Alzheimer's Disease is not a normal part of aging. As we get older, we do experience minor changes in memory and thinking. Yet there are several differences between normal aging and Alzheimer's Disease:
- Memory loss As we get older, we might sometimes forget part of an experience (“What did I have for breakfast yesterday?”). Eventually, we may recover the desired information, especially when prompted. In contrast, people with Alzheimer's Disease forget the entire experience (“I can't remember yesterday morning at all”) and cannot recall the information at a later time. Moreover, older people can use notes and reminders such as grocery lists to help them remember. People with Alzheimer’s Disease cannot benefit from such aid because they may forget how to use such list or even that they have a list.
- Planning, organising, and comprehension difficulties. Usually, older people have no difficulties when following verbal or written instructions, particularly when these instructions include several steps, such as following a recipe. In contrast, people with Alzheimer’s Disease become less and less able to do so as the disease progresses.
- Personal Care. Despite the physical complaints that appear with age, like stiffness or pain, older people are generally able to take care of themselves (dressing, bathing, going to the bathroom). On the contrary, people with Alzheimer’s Disease lose the ability to perform these tasks.
Alzheimer's Disease is a slowly unfolding, progressive disease that can be divided into three stages. The mild stage or early stage is typically characterised by impairments of mental abilities as well as mood swings. In the moderate stage or mid-stage, behavioural disturbances usually increasingly develop, whereas physical problems are dominant in the severe stage or late-stage. The individual course of the disease is, however, very variable.
Alzheimer’s Disease is not reversible, and there is no known cure. There are, however, medications that can slowdown its progress. Also, some prevention methods might reduce the risk of developing the disease.
