Dementia is a syndrome (generally can be of chronic or progressive nature). The disorder results in the deterioration in cognitive function of the patient. It leaves a serious negative impact on the life of the patient and degrades the quality of life. The patient is generally not able to process thoughts and this is something that is often more serious than what normal aging looks like. If any of your near and dear ones has been showing signs of dementia, it is high time you help them get in touch with a qualified private Dementia consultant.
Dementia leaves an impact on the memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgment capabilities of the patient. However, the patient remains fully conscious of the surroundings, but again they are unable to process information, especially like how a normal person of their age would do.
Talking about the impact Dementia leaves on the patient, it is also observed that the patient feels uneasy emotionally, socially and loses confidence. The impairment in cognitive function also results in a serious lack of motivation or the will to live.
Dementia can be a result of a lot of injuries or diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or stroke. It is one of the leading causes of disability and dependency among senior citizens around the globe. The disease often takes an overwhelming shape and can be difficult to manage. The consequences are serious as far as the normal day-to-day life or the career of a person is concerned. Add to it the stigma that prevails around the condition! There is a lot of lack of awareness and people generally think that the disease is not curable, leading to some serious physical, psychological, social and personal effects on the life of the patient. Now that we have an overview of what Dementia looks like, let’s dig further and understand what the causes of the condition are, what the symptoms are and what the treatment options are.
Signs and Symptoms of Dementia
Dementia is a disorder that leaves a different impact on different kinds of patients. The severity of the impact depends on the personality of the patient before the disorder kicks in. The signs and symptoms of the disease vary over the stages. Going through these may help you understand if you need a private Dementia consultant or not.
Early-stage: The onset of the disease is gradual and the symptoms can even be overlooked because they are difficult to notice.
Common symptoms in the early stage are –
- Becoming increasingly forgetful.
- Not being able to keep track of time.
- Losing track of surroundings.
Middle stage: As the disorder keeps progressing, the second stage a.k.a the middle stage sets in. The signs and symptoms for this stage are generally more clear and distinct and are thus easy to address.
- Feeling increasingly forgetful of recent events and not being able to remember names
- Feeling lost at home
- Finding it difficult to communicate
- Not being able to take care of self and demanding care for person stuff
- Experiencing sudden changes in behavior; can be wandering and repeated questioning.
Late-stage: The last stage of Dementia is generally the most disturbing and painful. The physical disturbances are too prominent to ignore and the patient often becomes completely inactive or dependent. The following can be the symptoms generally -n
- Feeling unaware about time and place
- Finding it difficult to recognize relatives and friends
- Being totally dependent and not being able to survive without assisted self-care
- Finding increasingly difficult to walk
- Experiencing behavioral changes that may keep escalating and may possibly include aggression.
Possible Causes of Dementia
Although Dementia is a disease that has a lot of possible causes, here we have listed some of the most common causes.
- Dementia caused due to degenerative neurological diseases – These diseases possibly may include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and some other kinds of multiple sclerosis. These diseases keep worsening over time and need to be addressed immediately.
- Dementia caused due to Vascular disorders – These are the disorders that affecting the blood circulation in the brain of the patient.
- Dementia may also be caused by traumatic brain injuries that the patient may suffer during any serious car accidents, falls, concussions, etc.
- Another reason for Dementia can be the Infections of the central nervous system. These further include meningitis, HIV, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
- Patients using alcohol or drugs over long periods of time stand a higher chance of falling prey to Dementia.
- Dementia may be a result of some given types of hydrocephalus, which is nothing but a buildup of fluid in the brain.
Are There Treatments for Dementia?
Since it is a fact that we cannot reverse brain cell death, there is no known cure for degenerative dementia. However, in order to treat Dementia (about 20% of the causes are reversible), doctors generally address the underlying cause. For more insights on whether a kind of Dementia is treatable or not, a private Dementia consultant is the best resource. They will judge your symptoms and inform you what the future course of action should be.