In this assignment I am going to be describing 3 different types of dementia. I will be looking at Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia. I will be looking at what these dementias are, what the signs are and what the symptoms are.
Dementia is a common condition that affects 800,000 people in the UK, someone’s risk of developing dementia increases as you get older and the condition usually occurs in people over the age of 65 years old. Dementia is a syndrome associated with on-going decline of the brain and its abilities. This includes problems with memory loss, thinking, speed, mental agility, language, understanding and judgement. People with dementia can become apathetic or uninterested in their usual activates and have problems controlling their emotions. They may also find social situations challenging. Dementia develops when parts of the brain that are involved with learning, memory, descion making and language are affected by injury or disease.(www.nhschoices/dementia.com)
Alzheimer ’s disease
This is the most common cause of dementia. During the course of the disease, the chemistry and structure of the brain changes leading to death of brain cellsYoung, C. (2001) English Heritage position statement on the Valletta Convention, [Online], Available: http://www.archaeol.freeuk.com/EHPostionStatement.htm [24 Aug 2001].) Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia affecting around 496,00 people in the UK. Alzheimer’s disease was first described by a German neurologist Dr Alois Alzheimer. Alzheimer’s disease is a physical disease of the brain. During the course of the disease plaques and tangles develop in the brain leading to death of the brain cells. We also know that people with Alzheimer’s disease have a shortage of some important chemicals which are involved in transmitting messages within the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition and symptoms become