How To Recognise The Different Types Of Dementia
Types and symptoms dementia
Dementia definition is a broad term used to describe a range of symptoms and disorders that involve a progressive decline in a person’s mental abilities to remember, make rational judgments and communicate. The types of dementia are outlined further down the post.
symptoms of dementia
Memory loss – With dementia, forgetfulness is more routine and progressively more obvious. Memory loss is the most common feature of dementia and it is the memory of recent events that is affected first.
Disorientation – They can become disoriented and confused regarding time, place and direction like forgetting the day of the week. They may not be aware of the time, date or day. They can become lost in familiar places like their own home or street.
Difficulties in performing familiar tasks or movements – A person with dementia may reach a stage where they are unable to start or complete tasks like simple this of getting dressed and undressed.
Difficulties with language – They have difficulty in finding the correct word. They may find it difficult to remember words and to find suitable replacements. This can make communication difficult.
four of most common types of dementia
The two mains types of dementia are
Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular Dementia, then a large number of rarer dementias are Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Fronto-temporal dementia (FTD).
Changes in behaviour – The decline in mental power may be accompanied by changes in behaviour. Dementia can cause a person to become confused, suspicious and withdrawn. They may also be fearful, aggressive or generally act out of character.
Alzheimer’s disease – There is believed to be a strong link between serious head injury and future risk of Alzheimer’s especially when trauma occurs repeatedly or involves loss of consciousness.
Neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques cause brain cells to die off at a faster rate than in normal ageing. This leads to difficulties in thinking and memory experienced by people with Alzheimer’s disease.
The risk of developing Alzheimer’s appears to be increased by many conditions that damage the heart or blood vessels. These include high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high cholesterol.
some of the ways dementia may affect the individual and their life
Activities of daily living – This may affect them such as washing dressing, eating and drinking etc and as the dementia progresses it can affect their abilities to carry out these activities without assistance. This loss of independence can be demoralising. When the memory deteriorates it may limit their freedom and range of choices for example on leaving the house alone can become an issue if they get lost.
Communication and interaction – Dementia can affect the person ability to communicate. It can diminish a person ability to express themselves to others. They may forget a word and substitute it with an inappropriate word that does not make sense. It can also affect their ability to understand what others are trying to say to them.
The ability to remember and learn new things – the areas of the brain responsible for processing and learning new information are often damaged by dementia. They find it difficult to retain new information and can be terrifying for the person concerned.
how dementia may affect the person’s family and friends
Family or friends may have to rethink or alter their plans for the future for example moving to the coast or another country may no longer be possible. Plans to take up new hobbies may have to be foregone as spouses or partners become full-time carers.
There is financial pressure on families as some may have been in working when developing dementia. Or some may have to give up work to look after them.
Family carers can ignore their own health and as a result may experience physical and emotional exhaustion or suffer from other health problems. Family carers are more susceptible to depression.
what is meant by the term ‘ill being’ and how people with dementia may express this state of mind
Ill-being is when a person questions the point of carrying on or becomes angry and resentful towards those that provide care. It can also cause the person with dementia to be fearful, anxious and depressed.
Some of the signs of ill-being are: sustained periods of depression, sustained despair, sustained intensive anger, sustained aggression, fear, agitation and restlessness, withdrawal, anxiety.
why a person with dementia may be adversely affected by the unconsidered actions or words of the carer
These things gradually chip away at their sense of hope and self-worth. This in turn increases the likelihood of people with dementia experiencing a state of ill-being.
four interventions used to treat and support people with dementia
Dementia Medication – There are drugs available the appear to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, such as anti-dementia drugs, and include: Doneprazil hydrochloride, Galantamine and Rivastigmine. These increase the amount of chemicals in the brain to help healthy brain cells communicate with each other.
Sensory stimulation – Therapeutic activities that aim to stimulate the senses have been shown to increase feelings of well-being in people with dementia. Massage and aromatherapy are popular forms of sensory stimulation.
Assistive technology – Assistive technology ranges from very simple tools such as signs to help direct people to high-tech options such as so-called smart houses and satellite based navigation systems to help find a person who has got lost.
Reminiscence therapy – This involves activities that allow people to remember feelings and events from the past in a nostalgic way. It is highly effective way of communicating with a person with dementia and it also rein forces their sense of identity.
ways in which family and friends can help the individual with dementia to manage their illness
Personal care – Family and friends can help as they are the people they know and trust. They can help with tasks such as washing and bathing, mealtimes and going to the toilet.
Companionship and social interaction – Informal carers can help by continuing to stimulate the person socially. They can also help by encouraging the person to meet new people or keep in contact with old friends. They can facilitate this by accompanying them to social gatherings, activity sessions and support groups.
Promoting independence and personal safety – informal carers can help by establishing a preferred daily routine so giving the person security and structure. Memory aides are also helpful for example placing pictures of cups and saucers on a cupboards may act as a reminder of where things are kept.
They can also help by supporting the person to access assistance from local health and social care services.
TOOLS TO HELP WITH DEMENTIA
Medpage Long Range (400M) Dementia Wandering Alarm, Door Exit Alert Sensor With Programmable Message Pager POC-DCK. A long-range door exit alarm kit is used to alert the carer when a person exits an internal or external door in the home or in professional care. Quick and easy to install.
Simply fix the transmitter to the door frame using supplied screw pack or Velcro dots and the magnet on the door. Carer receives an alert on the pager when the door is opened. The door transmitter can be programmed with a message of your choosing (up to 40 characters); the default message is a door alarm.
Digital Day Calendar Alarm Clock- 8 Alarms, Non-Abbreviated Day & Month Memory Loss, Dementia, Alzheimer’s Vision Impaired Clock for Elderly/Seniors (8” White). 8″ digital day clock is clearest & easiest to readable, extra-large display Non-Abbreviated spell bold Time, Day Week Month Year and the cycle of the day is a good gift for senior elderly dementia vision-impaired memory loss Alzheimer to win the ability to recognize what day of the week it is; day date time clock also suitable for kids to study time and date.
examples of local sources of support that should be available to an individual experiencing dementia
The person’s GP – The GP will have several responsibilities that include gathering information from the person and their family regarding the person’s lifestyle etc., rule out any reversible or temporary causes of dementia-like symptoms, ask a series of questions designed to test thinking and memory and provide a referral to a specialist.
Social services – These can provide support for home care, meals on wheels, a place at a day club, respite care, a place in a care home and equipment to make life easier and to make the persons home safe.
Respite care – This refers to short-term care as it is aimed at giving family carers a break or to provide a change of environment for the person with dementia.