Pathophysiology and Early Symptoms of Dementia

Pathophysiology and Early Symptoms of Dementia

Dementia is not a specific disease. Dementia is a term used to describe a collection of symptoms that can be caused by a variety of disorders that affect the brain. A person with dementia have impaired intellectual functioning and causes disruption in daily activities or relationships with people around. People with dementia also lose the ability to solve problems, control emotions, and can even experience personality changes and behavioral problems such as irritability and hallucinations. A person diagnosed with dementia when two or more brain functions, such as memory and language skills, decreased significantly without loss of consciousness.

Pathophysiology of dementia usually begins gradually and increasingly worse, so that this situation did not at first realize. A decline in memory, the ability to remember the time and the ability to recognize people, places and objects. Patients have difficulty in finding and using the right words and the abstract thinking (eg in the use of numbers). Frequent changes in personality and behavior disorders.

Early symptoms usually are oblivious to what just happened but it could also begin as depression, fear, anxiety, decreased emotion, or other personality changes. There is a change in the pattern of speaking lightly so people use words more simple, using words that are not appropriate or not being able to find the right words. Inability to interpret the signs could pose difficulties in driving. In the end, patients are unable to perform their social functions.

Some people can hide their deficiencies well. They avoid complex activities (such as reading or working). Patients who do not succeed in changing his life may experience frustration because of inability to perform everyday tasks. Patients forget to perform the essential duties or wrong in doing the task.

Dementia is quite common in the elderly, afflicts about 16% of the age group above 65 years of age and 32-50% in the age group above 85 years. In about 10-20% of cases of dementia are reversible or treatable. The most frequent cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. Causes of Alzheimer's disease is unknown, but is thought to involve genetic factors, because the disease seems to be found in some families and are caused or influenced by several specific gene abnormalities. In Alzheimer's disease, some parts of the brain decline, resulting in cell damage and reduced response to a chemical that transmits signals in the brain. In the brain found abnormal tissue (called senile plaques and irregular nerve fibers) and abnormal proteins, which can be seen at autopsy. Lewy Body dementia closely resembles Alzheimer's disease, but have differences in microscopic changes that occur in the brain.

The Role of the Family in the Treatment of Elderly Patients with Dementia

The Role of the Family in the Treatment of Elderly Patients with Dementia

Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. It affects memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior.

Many different diseases can cause dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and stroke. Drugs are available to treat some of these diseases. While these drugs cannot cure dementia or repair brain damage, they may improve symptoms or slow down the disease.

Dementia symptoms include difficulty with many areas of mental function, including:

• Language
• Memory
• Perception
• Emotional behavior or personality
• Cognitive skills (such as calculation, abstract thinking, or judgment)

Dementia usually first appears as forgetfulness.

The family has a very important role in the treatment of elderly patients with dementia who live at home. Living together with people with dementia is not easy, but it needs special preparation both mentally and environment. In the early stages of dementia patients can be actively involved in the process of self-care. Make note of daily activities and take medication regularly. This is very helpful in reducing the rate of cognitive decline will be experienced by people with dementia.

The family does not mean having to help all the daily needs of Elderly, so the elderly tend to be quiet and rely on the environment. All family members are also expected to actively help the elderly, in order to optimally perform daily activities independently safely. Perform daily activities on a regular basis as the general elderly without dementia may reduce depression in elderly people with dementia.

Caring for patients with dementia is full of dilemmas, although every day for almost 24 hours we take care of them, they probably will never know and remember who we are, not even a thank you after what we did to them. Patience is a requirement in the care of family members with dementia.

Instill in the hearts, that people with dementia do not know what happened to him. And they are trying so hard to fight the symptoms of dementia.

Reinforcing fellow members of the family and always take the time to self-relax and socialize with other friends to avoid the stress that can be experienced by family members caring for elderly with dementia.