Definition Definition: Dementia, also known as senility, is not a disease; it is a term associated with a list of symptoms such as decline in memory and other thinking skills. These declines have to be serious enough to interfere with a person's everyday activities to be considered dementia. People with dementia have serious problems with two or more brain functions Common Types Of Dementia Alzheimer's is the most common form. It makes up 60 - 80 percent of cases. Other common types include: Vascular dementia, mixed dementia, frontotemporal dementia and normal pressure hydrocephalus.
Signs and Symptoms of Dementia Many dementias are progressive, meaning symptoms start out slowly and gradually get worse. Some signs and symptoms of dementia are:
Misplacing things-Anyone can temporarily misplace a wallet or keys, but a person with Alzheimer's disease may put things in inappropriate places: for example, an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.
Changes in personality People's personalities can change somewhat with age. But a person with Alzheimer's disease can become confused, suspicious or withdrawn. Memory loss that affects day-to-day function A person with Alzheimers disease may forget things more often and not remember them later, especially things that have happened more recently. Problems with language a person with Alzheimer's disease may forget simple words or substitute words, making her sentences difficult to understand. Changes in mood and behaviour You may find someone with Alzheimer's disease exhibiting varied mood swings -- from calm to tears to anger -- for no apparent reason. Causes of Dementia Dementia is caused by damages brain cells. The damaged brain cells lose the ability to communicate with each other properly. The brain has many regions, each responsible for different functions. Damage in different regions can cause different effects. Fun Facts About Dementia -Dementia is not a normal part of ageing -35.6 million people worldwide have dementia -58% of them live in developing countries -A new case of dementia is diagnosed every 4 seconds -The number of cases worldwide is expected to double every 20 years to 67.5 million Incidence Rate The incidence rate ratio is defined as the incidence rate of an age group divided by the incidence rate of the age group that is 5 years younger. Bilingualism A study in canada revealed that people who are fully bilingual and speak both languages everyday for most of their lives can delay the onset of dementia by up to 4 years. "The researchers determined that the mean age of onset of dementia symptoms in the monolingual group was 71.4 years, while the bilingual group was 75.5 years, This difference remained even after considering the possible effect of cultural differences, immigration, formal education, employment and even gender as [influences] in the results." Another study in India backed up these findings. This team compared the age that dementia symptoms appeared in some 650 people over 6 years.About half spoke at least two languages. This group's symptoms started on average four and a half years later than those in people who were monolingual. What's more, the same pattern appeared in three different types of dementia: Alzheimer's, frontotemporal and vascular. The results also held true for a group of people who were illiterate. Bibliography Unknown Author. What is Dementia? Alzheimer's Association. Alzheimers Association. Unknown date. Website. September 26 2014 Marry Ellen Ellis. Signs of Dementia Alzheimers Association. Alzheimers Association.Website. September 26 2014. Unknown Author. 10 Facts on Dementia. World Health Organization. World Health Organization. Website. September 27 2014.
The alzheimer's caregiver & families guide: Coping with alzheimers disease, through the stages, including prevention, diet, safety to conventional & alternative healthcare options