Social Effects Of Dementia Essay

Thank you, Elaine, for explaining the social and economic impacts of dementia. Moving on, are the causes of dementia.

The first cause is the genetic mutation. Dementia is a chronic and progressive disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Its genetic causes are mutations and polymorphisms, which are the variations in deoxyribonucleic acid sequences, in three genes, including presenilin 1, presenilin 2 and amyloid precursor protein.

Using this picture to explain. This is a DNA sequence these small blocks are DNA bases. Mutation is one or some of the bases changed which leads to the malfunction of genes. This increase the quantity of b-amyloid peptide which is a type of abnormal polypeptide forming the distinctive element of dementia.

I’ve explained the genetic cause of
dementia. Next, Damien is going to give you some risk factors for dementia which are associated with lifestyle

Thank you, Damien. Moving on is the decrease of the ability of daily living, ADL in dementia patients.

Before the elaborating this cause, I would like to play a short quiz with you. First of all, please remember this three picture in order, an apple, a train, and a dong. Now let’s begin the test. First, what is the date of today? Which year are we in? Next, what is the current season? Where are we now? Finally, please tell me the three objects I mentioned before?

All correct, these questions are easy, right?
However, elderly with dementia cannot answer these questions.

From the test, we can notice that numbers of neuropsychiatric symptoms which cause stress to caregivers are associated with dementia. Symptoms and complication including, failing to make sensible judgements and decisions, a disorder of thought and behaviour, memory loss and delirium. Delirium is also known as the acute confusional state, it is a loss of direction, place and time, sometimes with speech abnormalities. These intellectual and cognitions decrease hinder patients to receive new information and communication in daily life. Consequently, their physical reliance on caregiver in personal care increases.

Putting into daily practice, dementia patient may fail to recognize their family and feel anxiety when approached by them. Therefore, caregivers may be beaten by the patient. Patients with delirium may also keep yelling at night and decrease the sleeping quality of their family. Extra care and attention are needed, some caregiver may need to give up their job to take care their elderly at home. Therefore, taking care of dementia patient is
challenging.

These are the causes of dementia and now I’m going to hand over to Patrick, who is going to give us a conclusion.