Dementia comprises a series of symptoms that affect memory, thinking, problem-solving, language, and perception. People suffering from it can experience impaired day-to-day functioning. Dementia treatment entails a body of steps. Including medication and therapy. Alzheimer’s majorly backs the existence of dementia in a person.
A loss of nerve cells results in dementia. And the symptoms are on the rise with progressing age. Nerve cells are irreplaceable and hence starting dementia treatment at the right time is indispensable. A person suffering from dementia has insufficient nerve cells to send messages from the brain.
They may become dependent on other people for basic survival. The first-ever dementia patient detected was in 1850, who started manifesting crucial symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s.
HISTORY
In ancient times, they associated a mental malaise with aging. But with medical advancements made by the 1800s, the medical community discerned an array of mental diseases.
The most commonly sighted disease was dementia, a term coined in 1910. A German psychiatrist named Alois Alzheimer conducted in-depth studies on this topic and came up with the term.
He would analyze human post-mortem brains. In one of his studies, the subject was a 50-year-old woman. The brain under the microscope displayed plaques and tangles. These are popularly discerned as the hallmarks of dementia now. A popular psychiatrist, Emil Kraepelin, named Alzheimer’s disease.
WHAT IS DEMENTIA?
Dementia is an umbrella of diseases that disables a person’s routinely functioning. It can prohibit and restrain their cognitive functioning. It tampers with abilities like driving, decoding, language skills, visual perception, memory, attention, and so on.
People with this disease have a hard time subjugating their emotions and can spiral out of control. Its gravity can differ. At a preliminary stage, it may impact very fundamental functioning which works its way up to more severe challenges.
When a nerve cell becomes redundant, it loses connections to the other cells and dies. Gradual and more severe loss of nerve cells is a ramification of dementia. It is more commonly found in older people. However, it is not a part of aging.
TYPES OF DEMENTIA
1) Alzheimer’s disease is the most commonly possessed disease among dementia patients. It is popularly associated with it and entails symptoms like memory loss and difficulties with routine tasks. People may get confused about their whereabouts, or experience impaired speech or written skills. They may often get forgetful about the location of things, manifest poor judgment, and have multiple mood swings.
2) Brain strokes trigger vascular dementia. The most distinct symptoms include memory loss, impaired speech, trouble recognizing familiar sounds, agitation, irritability, mood swings, and lack of composure.
3) Dementia with Lewy bodies witnesses a growth of protein deposits on a person’s brain. They are primarily present over the cortex. Their symptoms are lack of attention, poor ability to decide, memory problems, hallucinations, excessive sleepiness at odd hours, trembling, trouble walking, and vivid dreams. They may enact these dreams through gestures.
4) Parkinson’s Disease is a popular kind of dementia. Their symptoms are like those with Lewy bodies.
5) Mixed dementia is a combination of two kinds. The most recurrent combination is Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.
TREATMENT
The course of treatment depends on the stage of dementia. The diagnosis further clarifies an effective mode of treatment. By reviewing the medical history and conducting a physical evaluation, the doctor can devise an apt plan to treat the patient.
They use medications like Cholinesterase inhibitors. These medicines boost chemicals that stimulate memory and judgment. It prescribes them to patients suffering the ordeals of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, vascular dementia, and Lewy body dementia.
Memantine and other medications help with brain functioning such as memory and learning. Added with hallucinations, depression, sleep disturbances, and so on. Therapy plays a huge role in helping patients cope up with dementia.
They speed up a person’s performance level by improving their condition and preparing them for everyday life. Modifying the environment might also help. By accommodating a sick person’s needs and keeping a space less cluttered and free of unsafe objects, it might be a useful step.
CONCLUSION
People suffering from dementia highly depend on others and lead very complicated life. Newer treatments are easing up this journey for them. They have an affinity to recover when they see other people who are suffering the same way as them.
These patients have fragile minds, who should receive utmost empathy and compassion. Realizing that these symptoms are unlike the regular symptoms of aging and gaining professional help for those in need is important.