A dementing illness is characterized by a change and deterioration in brain function, particularly in memory and intellectual ability, loss of interest and initiative, and changes in daily personal behavior. Dementia causes a significant disturbance in the person's regular way of life because of forgetfulness, poor judgement capacity and disorientation in time and unfamiliar places. Sometimes early on and often in later stages, there is impairement of vocabulary, and because of difficulty remembering and recalling words the person finds it difficult to conduct or take part in normal conversation.many old people experience a certain amount of difficultyin remembering and learning new information, and tend to do things more slowly then previously. This is merely a slowing-down process but not an actual loss of intellectual capacity or the ability to learn and assimilate information. Dementia is therefore not an essential part of aging, but comprises a group of well-defined diseases caused by organic and structural changes in the brain.
Although the prevalence of dementia increases from the age of 65, many elderly people live out their days without being afflicted with the disease. The accepted definition of dementia emphasizes the significant impairement in memory, thinking processes and judgment, in speech mechanisms and perception, and changes in personality and behavior, with associated social difficulties because of these constraints. Work capacity and efficiency diminish progressively, as do interpersonal relationships with family, colleagues, and friends.
There are a number of types of dementing diseases, each caused by a different pathological process.
The various types and causes of dementia
The majority of patients with dementia are to be found in the first three groups:
- Alzheimer's disease and other primary degenrative dementias.
- Vascular dementia, or multi-infarct dementia
- A combination of both types of the above diseases
- Parkinsonism
- Chronic alchoholism
- Various disease of the central nervous system, in which one of the characteristics is a deterioration in cognitive skills.
Deficits in dementia occur gradually and progressively over a period of months or years, in a setting of clear consciousness.A condition that starts suddenly, is associated with disturbances of consciousness or stupor or with disease in other body systems, should prompt medical investigation, since the cause of themental deterioration may be due to changes other than a primary brain disease. These may require specific and different treatment.
Someone who may be having any of the symptoms mentioned above should be assessed in a memory clinic. They may also call Melabev to find out about other services to improve the quality of life of the person with dementia and their family such as day care, home care or family support groups.
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