Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells. Damage to the brain cells interferes with the brain cell’s ability to be able to communicate with each other. Without communication with each other, one’s thinking, feelings, and behavior can be affected. Some of the risk factors for dementia are age, alcohol use, diabetes, genetics, mental illness, and smoking. The risk rises with advanced age. Any person or age can get dementia; typically …show more content…
Symptoms do vary from person to person, as well as the cause of dementia. Common symptoms are cognitive, behavioral, and psychological changes. Cognitive symptoms can be memory loss, confusion, disorientation and difficulty communicating. Behavioral/psychological symptoms may include personality changes, depression, agitation, and inappropriate behavior. Dementia affects all aspects of a person’s life. Other than interfering with one’s mental abilities, it also affects daily living routines. As dementia progresses, it usually gets worse. So the person with dementia may not be able to do their normal daily activities such as getting out of bed, getting ready for their day, or even fixing a meal. This is when it is very important to have some type of care plan set up. A person with dementia may need a family member or friend to stay with them, take turns sitting with them, or also there are nursing facilities that have care 24/7 for people with dementia as well as other health …show more content…
Usually, Doctor’s diagnose dementia by looking into a person’s medical history, by performing a physical exam, performing lab tests, and by performing mental status tests. These tests evaluate memory and other thinking skills. Treatment for dementia depends on the cause of dementia as well as the severity. In most cases, there is no cure and no treatment that slows the progression. However, there are drug treatments that may help improve symptoms. Other than medication, therapy may help the patient as well as the family cope with the condition. The most important type of treatment is to have support and care from family members and friends. Can dementia be prevented? There is no way to know for sure if this condition can be prevented because there are so many causes of dementia. However, there are measures that can be taken to try to prevent any disease including dementia. Having a healthy lifestyle is a key factor to prevention. Some other key factors are eating a healthy diet, not smoking, not drinks excessive amounts of alcohol, exercising on a regular basis, and maintaining a healthy