With the growing lifespan and decrease in the fertility rate have led to the increasing number of older adults across the world. An increase in the number of the elderly population is one of the most common things commonly found among older adults above the age of 55 years. It is always confusing the understand dementia disease. If we look biologically, dementia is characterized by a decline in cognitive function to the previous level.
If you want to know more in-depth information about dementia disease. The comprehensive guide about dementia will help you in doing so.
What is Dementia?
Dementia is a major mental problem that is usually found among the elders. It is a severe problem usually caused by brain disease or injury, which results in the ability to think and remember. It is a loss of cognitive function which involves thinking, remembering and reasoning to the extent that it obstructs the person’s daily life and activities.
A variety of symptoms can be found among the patient. It has also been found that people who have dementia find themselves changing in their personalities and cannot control their emotions. The stage of dementia starts from the basic mild stage to the severe stage when the person begins entirely depending on others for its day-to-day activities.
You will find different forms of dementia, one of the most common other names of dementia is Alzheimer’s. It accounts for 60-80 percent of the cases of dementia which occurs because of blood vessel blockage and microscopic bleeding in the brain. Apart from all this, some dementia symptoms such as vitamin deficiencies and thyroid problems, are reversible.
Signs and Symptoms of Dementia.
The Signs of dementia vary from person to person, which differs from the person’s age. Below we have discussed some of the most common symptoms which you might find in the initial stage of dementia.
Cognitive Symptoms
- Facing difficulty regarding the short term memory loss
- Difficulty in communicating, finding and understanding the words.
- Find problems with spatial and visual abilities. Ex- Getting lost while driving the car.
- Difficulty with problem-solving and reasoning abilities.
- Difficulty with organizing and planning of day-to-day activities.
- Confusion and having lost with the time, place and identity.
Psychological Changes
Here are some of the psychological symptoms which occur on the initial stages of the psychological changes.
- Change in personality
- Getting Anxiety
- Feeling Depressed
- Inappropriateness in behavior
- Felling Paranoia
- Hallucinations
- Agitations
All these symptoms appear at the initial stage. At first, the symptoms might seem to be mild. But gradually with time, these might worsen; therefore, you must start taking preventive measures. It is essential to take a doctor’s consultation, which helps get a professional evaluation that may help you detect the treatable conditions.
Diagnosis in Dementia
It is always hard to determine from the diagnostic test if someone is suffering from dementia. A specialized doctor may identify the symptoms of dementia by knowing their medical history. Apart from this, a variety of examinations is done by the doctor such as physical body checks, laboratory tests and understanding the characteristics and behaviors of the patients.
To understand a patient is suffering from which kind of dementia some doctors all suggest taking specialists consultation from the psychiatrist, neurologist, psychologist or geriatrician.
Prevention of Dementia
- Exercise and Diet- Some Research has suggested that continuous exercise and a good diet help reduce the risk of dementia. It is recommended to follow the Mediterranean style diet such as fruits, whole grains and nuts.
- Use of Excessive Alcohol- Several studies and research have found that taking an excessive amount of alcohol is resultant in the symptoms of dementia.
- Cardiovascular Risk Factors- It included risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, hypertension which could be reasons for dementia symptoms.
- Depression- It is said that getting late-life depression might develop dementia disease.
- Head trauma- People going through severe head trauma have a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Therefore, you must choose the proper dementia home care for yourself. If you are also among those looking forward to home care for your loved one. The dignity lifestyle is one the best retirement home in India with all the modern care facilities. Elder with a similar age gets the chance to socialize with the people for their age.
