Thursday, November 28, 2013

What Is Dementia: Basics You Should Know

By Jack Morgan


Dementia in itself is not a specific disease as many people think but rather it's a term that is used to describe more than one brain disorder with common signs and symptoms. The condition is commonly associated with old age but can also affect the young and people in the middle age due to illness or change of lifestyle. Signs and symptoms that is associated with dementia include; memory loss, inability to work, communicate, think and loss of cognitive skills.

Dementias are most often progressive; the symptoms start slowly and get worse with time. In case if any of your friend or relative faces difficulty in remembering, do not ignore. Consult to doctor as soon as possible. Professional help may detect the problem in early stages and if the symptoms are related to dementia, early diagnosis helps victim to get maximum benefit.

Dementia is believed to be progressive in nature which means that the symptoms will eventually grow. However the speed with which it progresses will majorly depend on the individual person and the kind of dementia they have. People of all ages, intellectual ability and ethnicities can get it but it is believed to be more common with the old people who are above the age of 60.

Dementia always starts with short term memory loss affecting the way the people talk and think. People often tend to forget the words they want to speak and can also have issues in planning. If the disease affects that part of the brain which controls emotions, then people can feel angry, depressed, frustrated, sad or frightened.

Dementias are of different types depending upon the cell damage in different parts of brain. Like the most common dementia named Alzheimer is caused due to the damage in region of brain called hippocampus. It is caused due to the high level of proteins outside and inside of brain cells that makes hard for cells to communicate with each other and remain healthy. That is why memory loss is the first symptom of Alzheimer.

How to improve dementia? Physical exercises such as running and yoga are very good to improve blood circulation in the brain, relieves stress and feeling of fatigue and prevents muscles form becoming stiff. It is also advisable to challenge your mind by learning new vocabulary or even filling puzzles and crossword. Lastly, avoid staying alone as this may make you feel so lonely and stressed up which eventually can lead to depression.

How to take care of a patent living with dementia? If you are living with a friend or relative who has dementia try to be very patient and accommodative to the patient despite change in behavior since dementia affects the mind. Show them love and affection and be there when they need self-care such as using the toilet, feeding, dressing and cleaning.

There are 7 stages involved in this disease. The first stage has no cognitive impairment with no memory problems. The second stage involves very mild cognitive decline where there are memory lapses. The third stage involves mild cognitive decline causing concentration problems and decline in the ability to plan and organize things. The fourth stage is a moderate cognitive decline with impaired ability to perform. The fifth stage is a moderately severe cognitive decline with immense gaps in memory. The sixth stage is a severe cognitive decline worsening the memory difficulties. The last stage is a very severe cognitive decline where the individual completely loses the ability to respond to the environment.

The best way to keep yourself away from dementia is to control your smoking and drinking habits. As blood directly affects mind, take steps to control your blood pressure and sugar level. Perform regular exercises as it increase the oxygen and blood flow to brain. Also take care of your diet, eat lots of fruits and green vegetables.




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