Dementia - Signs and Treatment
Dementia is a condition in which there is impairment of thinking due to a group of symptoms affecting the brain.
It includes the common symptom of memory loss.
Memory loss by itself, however, is not an absolute sign of dementia.
Alzheimer's disease is the common cause of dementia, and is particularly common in older people.
Senile Dementia: This refers to the mental deterioration that is associated with old age.
Common Signs of Dementia * Declining memory: All of us forget names or appointments once in a while, but we often remember them later.
Persons with dementia often forget things and never remember them.
They could pose a question over and over again, and yet they will not remember that they had already asked the question.
* Difficulty to perform routine tasks: Persons with dementia will find it difficult to complete familiar tasks.
* Disorientation of place and time: People with dementia may sometimes forget where they are and how to get back home even if they are in a familiar neighborhood.
* Problems with language: Quite often, persons who have dementia will experience difficulty in finding the right words, or use the wrong words.
As a result, they become frustrated.
* Changes in mood: Everyone experiences mood swing but a person with dementia may become unusually emotional and have fast mood swings for no apparent reason.
* Personality changes: It is not uncommon to see drastic personality changes in people with dementia.
They might become irritable, overly fearful or suspicious.
* Loss of initiative: Persons who have dementia often become passive and choose to be alone.
Dementia Treatment Although there is no known cure for dementia, a doctor should be a source of valuable information.
The objective is to control the symptoms of dementia.
Treatment options depend on the conditions of the sufferer.
If there is a need, the doctor should be the right person to refer the sufferer to a neurologist, psychiatrist, or gerontologist (a specialist in the elderly) for further investigation.
By: Anna Soh
It includes the common symptom of memory loss.
Memory loss by itself, however, is not an absolute sign of dementia.
Alzheimer's disease is the common cause of dementia, and is particularly common in older people.
Senile Dementia: This refers to the mental deterioration that is associated with old age.
Common Signs of Dementia * Declining memory: All of us forget names or appointments once in a while, but we often remember them later.
Persons with dementia often forget things and never remember them.
They could pose a question over and over again, and yet they will not remember that they had already asked the question.
* Difficulty to perform routine tasks: Persons with dementia will find it difficult to complete familiar tasks.
* Disorientation of place and time: People with dementia may sometimes forget where they are and how to get back home even if they are in a familiar neighborhood.
* Problems with language: Quite often, persons who have dementia will experience difficulty in finding the right words, or use the wrong words.
As a result, they become frustrated.
* Changes in mood: Everyone experiences mood swing but a person with dementia may become unusually emotional and have fast mood swings for no apparent reason.
* Personality changes: It is not uncommon to see drastic personality changes in people with dementia.
They might become irritable, overly fearful or suspicious.
* Loss of initiative: Persons who have dementia often become passive and choose to be alone.
Dementia Treatment Although there is no known cure for dementia, a doctor should be a source of valuable information.
The objective is to control the symptoms of dementia.
Treatment options depend on the conditions of the sufferer.
If there is a need, the doctor should be the right person to refer the sufferer to a neurologist, psychiatrist, or gerontologist (a specialist in the elderly) for further investigation.
By: Anna Soh
