Dementia: How to Help a Loved One

Dementia has caused challenges and heartache for many families I have met. A loved one who no longer recognizes you could be difficult to cope with. I have had clients who do not know their own children and are unaware of their surroundings. Even though they have lived in the same home for over 30 years; it is now a strange new place to explore. Closets, bedrooms, and garages that were once frequented are now entered with caution and wonder. Everyday items are puzzles just waiting to be solved. As the disease progresses the harder it is to grasp the present. The past, like an old friend, beckons and comes to life bringing former friends and relatives of long ago, to the surface. Stories of days gone by are repeated and relived over and over. Constantly searching while longing to understand what is happening. Not being able to piece together the answers is frustrating. With frustration comes irritability and sleeplessness turning days into nights and nights into days. Everyday tasks became impossible, confusing, and troublesome. Dementia sometimes goes for years undetected; it is one of the most difficult diseases to diagnose. Because Dementia is an incurable disease that progresses with time we need to be diligent in finding a cure to prevent more victims.

History

In the 17th and the 19th century dementia was synonymous with insanity. Still many knew that people with this disease suffered from permanent damage that was irreversible unlike mental disorders where the brain remains intact (2006). Dementia was often known as senile which is common with old age. Studies through the years have shown that it is much more serious and causes damage to areas of the brain. Alois Alzheimer in 1910 noticed tangles, plaques, and arterio...

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...ses with time we need to be diligent in finding a cure to prevent more victims. More Research is the key to find the answers to help our loved ones overcome this terrible mind altering disorder. Studies and trials are important to safeguard our future and future generations to come.

Works Cited

Alzheimer’s And Dementia. (2013). Signs and Symptoms Retrieved from https://alz.org

CHARACTERISTICS AND EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DEMENTIA. (2002). In Encyclopedia of the Human Brain. Retrieved from https://hodges.idm.oclc.org/login?

DEFINING AND DIAGNOSING DEMENTIA. (2005). In The Cambridge Handbook of Age and Ageing. Retrieved from https://hodges.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://www.credoreference.com.hodges.

Dementia. (2006). In The Encyclopedia of Aging. Retrieved from https://hodges.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://www.credoreference.com.hodges.idm.oclc.org/entry/spencage/dementia