Dementia

In the last 30 years, research has greatly improved and it has led us in understanding dementia better. What is Dementia? Dementia is a loss of mental ability -- such as thinking, memory, and reasoning, that is severe enough to interfere with a person's daily functioning. For example, people with dementia may not be able to think well enough to get themselves dressed or even eating. Not only do they have impaired intellectual functioning, their normal activities and relationships are affected too. They may lose their ability to solve problems or control their emotions too. Their personalities may also change and they may become agitated easily or when they see things that are not around.

There are two main types of dementia : Alzheimer's disease and Multi-infarct dementia. Two conditions, senile dementia and pre-senile dementia or Alzheimer's disease, have similar symptoms and a similar progression -- closely connected to the normal process of growing old. They differ in degree and age at which the symptoms begin. The patient's intellect, personality and physical condition all deteriorate. This deterioration will be noticed to a slight degree in many normal healthy people over 60. If the symptoms become sever, the condition is known as senile dementia. In people under 60, the condition is known as pre-senile dementia, or Alzheimer's disease.

Dementia Symptoms

• Confusion, particularly in new surroundings or with new faces. Later on, this occurs in well-known places.
• Lack of initiative and loss of interest in life.
• Loss of sense of time. The patient may wander in the middle of the night, and not know what the day or date is.
• Inability to think clearly or understand complex ideas.
• Forgetting people's names -- even those of close members of the family.
• Loss of memory of recent events (although memory of distant events may be good). For example, events of 50 years alo may be quite clear in the person's mind, but he has no idea what he had for breakfast.
• The limbs may become stiff.
• Deterioration in the patient's ability to cope with the problems of normal life.
• Inability to carry on a conversation.

The dementia symptoms get worse over a period of years, and eventually the patient is bed-bound, talk little or not at all. The patient is incontinent of urine and faeces, and does not eat unless fed and is at risk of catching pneumonia because of moving about so little.

There are several things which could cause dementia. However, it is usually caused by a degeneration in the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for thoughts, memories, actions and personality. Death of brain cells in this region leads to the cognitive impairment that characterizes dementia. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease.

Dementia Treatment
Dementia usually progresses slowly. Care for a person with dementia can be difficult and complex. Patient may live with the condition for ten years or more, requiring increasing levels of support as they become less independent. With domestic support, a sufferer from mild dementia may live a normal life at home. In most cases, a true dementia cannot be cured. However, drugs such as cholinesterase inhibitors can play an important part in controlling symptoms and can enable a person with dementia to live independently in the community for longer -- they can improve symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.