Unit 40 Dementia Care
Describe the different form of dementia and the signs and symptoms.
Dementia
Dementia is the name for a group of symptoms which arise from different disease that affect the brain. The brain is made up of millions of brain cells which send messages to each other. These messages tell the individual everything they need to know to cope with everyday life, such as how to move, what they are seeing, how to speak. They also store memories and control emotions - such as laughing and crying. In someone with dementia, some of these brain cells become damaged and die, as a result their brain doesn’t work as well as it used to, simple messages do not get through. The typical early signs of dementia are someone becoming forgetful and confused, forgetting people’s names or how to get home. Later, people are likely to find everyday tasks such as shopping or cooking difficult. They may also find social situations hard to manage.
The symptoms of dementia grow worse over time. It is gradual, and everyone experiences the changes at different speeds. There is no cure but there are treatments that help slow it down or help people cope with certain symptoms. And there are lots of ways of helping people live a full and happy life. These range from simple adaptations in the home to support from health and social care professionals, to financial help.
I am now going to look at each of these diseases and look at the signs and symptoms of each type.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear after age 65. During the preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease, people are free of symptoms but toxic changes are taking place in the brain. Abnormal deposits of proteins form amyloid plaques and tau tangles throughout the brain, and once-healthy neurons begin to work less efficiently.
Dementia
Dementia is the name for a group of symptoms which arise from different disease that affect the brain. The brain is made up of millions of brain cells which send messages to each other. These messages tell the individual everything they need to know to cope with everyday life, such as how to move, what they are seeing, how to speak. They also store memories and control emotions - such as laughing and crying. In someone with dementia, some of these brain cells become damaged and die, as a result their brain doesn’t work as well as it used to, simple messages do not get through. The typical early signs of dementia are someone becoming forgetful and confused, forgetting people’s names or how to get home. Later, people are likely to find everyday tasks such as shopping or cooking difficult. They may also find social situations hard to manage.
The symptoms of dementia grow worse over time. It is gradual, and everyone experiences the changes at different speeds. There is no cure but there are treatments that help slow it down or help people cope with certain symptoms. And there are lots of ways of helping people live a full and happy life. These range from simple adaptations in the home to support from health and social care professionals, to financial help.
I am now going to look at each of these diseases and look at the signs and symptoms of each type.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear after age 65. During the preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease, people are free of symptoms but toxic changes are taking place in the brain. Abnormal deposits of proteins form amyloid plaques and tau tangles throughout the brain, and once-healthy neurons begin to work less efficiently.