Dementia

Witnessing a loved one struggle with his memory or experience personality changes can be heartbreaking. After all, our minds define who we are and how we interact with others. Understanding what dementia is can help shed light on what to expect when symptoms strike. Read on to learn more.

Definition of Dementia

Dementia is not a specific disease. It’s an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities.^[1]

Types of Dementia

There are two forms of dementia. With progressive, or degenerative, dementia the symptoms gets worse over time while with reversible dementia, some symptoms can be reversed if caught early enough.^[2]

Signs & Symptoms of Dementia

Memory loss generally occurs in dementia, but memory loss alone doesn’t mean a person has dementia. Dementia indicates problems with at least two of the following brain functions:^[1]

Memory
Communication and language
Ability to focus and pay attention
Reasoning and judgment
Visual perception

Symptoms vary depending on the cause, but common signs and symptoms include the following:^[1,2]

Memory loss
Difficulty communicating
Inability to learn or remember new information
Difficulty with planning and organizing
Difficulty with coordination and motor functions
Personality changes
Inability to reason
Inappropriate behavior
Paranoia
Agitation
Hallucinations

Causes of Dementia

Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, making up 60 to 80 percent of cases. The second most common cause of dementia is vascular dementia, which occurs after a stroke. The following medical conditions also can lead to dementia:^[1,2]

Lewy body disease
Huntington’s disease
Multiple sclerosis
Infections that can affect the brain, such as HIV /AIDS and Lyme disease
Parkinson’s disease
Pick’s disease
Progressive supranuclear palsy
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

The following causes of dementia may be stopped or reversed if caught soon enough:

Brain injury
Brain tumors
Heart and lung problems
Chronic alcohol abuse
Changes in blood sugar, sodium and calcium levels
Poisoning
Normal pressure hydrocephalus
Thyroid problems
Depression
Medication side effects
Vitamin deficiencies

Effects of Dementia

Complications brought on by dementia may include the following:^[3]

Abuse by an overstressed caregiver
Increased infections anywhere in the body
Loss of ability to function or care for self
Loss of ability to interact
Reduced lifespan
Side effects of medications

Treatments for Dementia

Treatment depends on what’s causing the dementia, but methods include the following:^[2,3]

Medication: Stopping or changing medications that make confusion worse may improve brain function. In addition, medications, such as antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and stimulants may help control behavior problems caused by a loss of judgment, increased impulsivity and confusion. Other drugs may help slow the symptoms from getting worse.

Treating co-existing conditions: Treating the following conditions can improve mental functioning.

Anemia
Congestive heart failure
Decreased blood oxygen (hypoxia)
Depression See Depression in the Elderly.
Heart failure
Infections
Nutritional disorders
Thyroid disorders

Mental exercise: There is growing evidence that some kinds of mental exercises can help dementia.^[2] For a list cognitive exercises, visit Cognitive Activities for the Elderly. Also visit Recreational Activities for the Elderly for ideas to keep seniors active.

References

Alzheimer’s Association. What is Dementia? Retrieved February 10, 2013, from http://www.alz.org/what-is-dementia.asp.
Mayo Clinic. Dementia Symptoms. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dementia/DS01131/DSECTION=symptoms.
US National Library of Medicine. Dementia. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001748/.

By C. J. Newton, MA, Therapists.com Editor