Dem 201
Unit 4222-237 Dementia Awareness (DEM 201)
Outcome 1 understand what dementia is
Explain what is meant by the term “dementia” (201.1.1)
Dementia describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. These changes are often small to start with, but for someone with dementia they have become severe enough to affect daily life.
Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body disease, a series of strokes or even a group of symptoms which may result from brain injury, vitamin/hormonal imbalance, drugs and alcohol. These diseases have factors in common and can cause a person to have their mental functions affected in lots of different ways. An inability to retain new information, they may lose the ability to understand written/spoken language, they may lose the ability to speak and be understood by others, finally they may lose the ability to process and understand visual information. The specific symptoms that someone with dementia experiences will depend on the parts of the brain that are damaged and the disease that is causing the dementia. The main symptoms are usually confusion, loss of memory, changes in personality and behavior, problems with speech and understanding and the decline in the ability of daily living tasks. Dementia causes permanent and progressive damage to the brain so confusion will most likely be present.
Describe the key functions of the brain that are affected by dementia (201.1.2)
The cerebral cortex (the largest part of the brain) is divided into different regions which are known as lobes. Each lobe controls different functions.
Temporal lobe – Learning new information, recording and storage of verbal memory (such as names), and visual memory (such as faces).
Frontal lobe – Organising and planning actions, language, logic, personality, regulating behaviour, learning tasks, theoretical
Outcome 1 understand what dementia is
Explain what is meant by the term “dementia” (201.1.1)
Dementia describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. These changes are often small to start with, but for someone with dementia they have become severe enough to affect daily life.
Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body disease, a series of strokes or even a group of symptoms which may result from brain injury, vitamin/hormonal imbalance, drugs and alcohol. These diseases have factors in common and can cause a person to have their mental functions affected in lots of different ways. An inability to retain new information, they may lose the ability to understand written/spoken language, they may lose the ability to speak and be understood by others, finally they may lose the ability to process and understand visual information. The specific symptoms that someone with dementia experiences will depend on the parts of the brain that are damaged and the disease that is causing the dementia. The main symptoms are usually confusion, loss of memory, changes in personality and behavior, problems with speech and understanding and the decline in the ability of daily living tasks. Dementia causes permanent and progressive damage to the brain so confusion will most likely be present.
Describe the key functions of the brain that are affected by dementia (201.1.2)
The cerebral cortex (the largest part of the brain) is divided into different regions which are known as lobes. Each lobe controls different functions.
Temporal lobe – Learning new information, recording and storage of verbal memory (such as names), and visual memory (such as faces).
Frontal lobe – Organising and planning actions, language, logic, personality, regulating behaviour, learning tasks, theoretical