The chosen mental disorder is Dementia. Reading and learning about this disorder has helps me to understand some of the symptoms and problems patients and their family members go through when faced with this challenging and progressive disease. It will also help me in the future when working with individuals with various types of dementia. Dementia is not a specific disease. It is a general term describing the decline in mental ability that is severe enough to interfere with someone daily life. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia. It accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. The second most common dementia is vascular dementia. It occurs after a person had a stroke. There are other conditions that could cause symptoms of …show more content…
Each type of dementia have their own symptoms and cause. I will elaborate on the symptoms and causes for Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. Alzheimer’s is considered as a slowly progressive brain disease that begins well before symptoms emerges. The cause of Alzheimer is the “brain changes that occur where abnormal deposits of the protein fragment (plaques) and twisted strands of the protein which leads to damage nerve cell and death of different cells within the brain” (Alzheimer's and Dementia, n.d.). The symptoms for Alzheimer’s are difficulty of remembering recent conversations, names or events, apathy and depression are often early symptoms. Late symptoms are impaired communication, trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships, poor judgment, disorientation, confusion, and behavior / personality changes, difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure, challenges in planning or solving problems, withdrawal from work or social activities, and difficulty speaking, swallowing and …show more content…
Occurs from blood vessel blockage or damage leading to infarcts (strokes) or bleeding in the brain. The location, number and size of the brain injury determines how the individual's thinking and physical functioning are affected. Vascular dementia symptoms are most obvious when they happen right after a major stroke. Patients with post-stroke changes in thinking and perception may include the following: confusion, disorientation, trouble speaking and / or understanding speech, and vision loss. These changes may happen at the same time as more familiar physical stroke symptoms, such as a sudden headache, difficulty walking, or numbness or paralysis on one side of the face or the body. Multiple small strokes or other conditions that “affect blood vessels and nerve fibers deep inside the brain may cause more gradual thinking changes as damage accumulates” (Alzheimer's and Dementia, n.d.). Common early signs of widespread small vessel disease include impaired planning and judgment; uncontrolled laughing and crying; declining ability to pay attention; impaired function in social situations; and difficulty finding the right
Dementia is a long-term condition that normally affects people aged 65 and over, younger people can be affected. Having dementia can cause loss of key functions to the brain, such as; loss of memory; confusion; speech and language problems; loss of ability to make judgements; loss of concentration; difficulty in processing information; changes in behaviour and personality. These all lead to a person not been able to function properly. The person’s ability to function deteriorates over a period of time and is usually at least 6 months before positive diagnosis of dementia can be made. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases such as Alzheimer’s which is the most common of dementia, vascular which is a series of mini strokes,
If brain cells die or are damaged because of a stroke, symptoms of that damage start to show in the parts of the body controlled by those brain cells.
A stroke is the acute neurologic injury that come as a result of an effect of ischemia or haemorrhage of the encephalon. Ischemia is caused by diminished supply of arterial blood which carries sugar and oxygen to brain tissue. Haemorrhagic stroke is due to intracerebral or subarachnoid bleeding and it damages the brain directly at the site of the bleeding by compressing the encircling tissue. Ischemic strokes can be embolic or thrombotic. Thrombotic stroke consequences from clot formation in the arterial blood vessel that provides blood to the encephalon, and can bear upon either large vessel or small vessel.
Stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is blocked or condensed. Blood works to transport oxygen and other beneficial substances to the body’s cells and organs, as well as the brain. There are two main types of strokes that are known as Ischemic strokes and Hemorrhagic strokes. When the blood vessels that provides for the brain becomes congested, is it referred to as ischemic stroke, the most common stroke within adults. Blood clots, a cluster of blood that sticks together, are the cause of Ischemic strokes. Ischemic strokes also takes place when arteries become backed up with plague, leaving less blood to flow. Plague is cholesterol, calcium and fibrous and connective tissue that sticks to the walls of blood vessels. Ischemic strokes eternally damage the brain and cause a person's body to no longer function habitually.Some risk factors that may increase stroke are high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. Some stroke factors are also due to old age or having a family that has a history of strokes. Men are more likely to have a stroke but the most st...
There are two major stroke sub groups, those resulting from infarction (ischemic stroke) and those resulting from haemorrhage (intracerebral and subarachnoid). Each of the types can produce clinical symptoms that fulfil the definition of stroke. The types often differ with respect to survival and long-term disability, from recovery in a day to incomplete recovery, severe disability and death (Warlow et al, 2001).
Strokes are not only the leading cause of mentally disabling adults, but they are also the third most common reason for deaths worldwide (Jarvis, 2012). In general, a stroke, also called a “cerebrovascular accident,” occurs when blood flow of the vascular system is blocked from reaching parts of the brain (Jarvis, 2012). There are two types of stroke, an ischemic stroke or a hemorrhagic stroke, and they differ in the way they affect the vascular system. An ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke, accounting for 80 percent of all strokes, and it is due to a thrombus or embolus blocking blood vessels supplying the brain (Durukan & Tatlisumak, 2007). A hemorrhagic stroke is less common, but is caused by the rupturing of a blood vessel in the brain and causes bleeding (Jarvis, 2012).
The human brain is extraordinary organ. It stores our memories, vision, hearing, speech, and capable of executing executive higher reasoning and functions setting us apart from animals. Today we know more about the human brain because of medical advances and the development of technology. These brain disorders have been studied for years and many others would classify dementia as a mental illness because it causes cognitive impairments. The following paragraphs will discuss what dementia is, what the types of dementia are, perspectives of patients with dementia as well as the perspective of a caregiver to a dementia patient.
Cognitive deficits resulting from stroke include perceptual disorders, speech problems, dementia, and problems with attention and memory. A stroke sufferer may be unaware of his or her own disabilities, a condition called anosognosia. In a condition called hemi spatial neglect, a patient is unable to attend to anything on the side of space opposite to the damaged hemisphere.
Settings: The first setting is in a knight school where Gawaine is taught how to be a knight. It also takes place in the forest where he beheads all the dragons and is almost fooled into being eaten.
Cerebral Vascular Accident also known as a stroke occurs when part of the brain loses its blood supply and the part of the body that the blood-deprived brain cells control stops working. Blood loss supply can be ischemic because of lack of blood flow, or hemorrhagic because of bleeding into brain tissue. When an artery in the brain is being obstructed or blocked preventing oxygen rich blood from being delivered to brain cells, an ischemic stroke can occur (Wedro, 2013).
Stephens, S., Kenny, R.A., Rowan, E., Allan, L., Kalaria, R.N., Bradbury, M., & Ballard, C.G. (2004). Neuropsychological characteristics of mild vascular cognitive impairment and dementia after stroke. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 19(11), 1053-1057.
Approximately twenty percent of strokes occur while the person is asleep and they do not realize they are having or have had a stroke until they awake. The reason for this is that the brain itself is incapable of feeling pain. One in three patients having a stroke will lose consciousness while they are having a stroke and a majority of the time these are the most severe cases. One half of these patients become confused and drowsy. It is normal to feel confused in this circumstance and it is hard to differentiate when there is clinical confusion. Medical tests must be done in order to confirm the patient has had a stroke and why they had a stroke, to find out what was the severity of the stroke, and what treatment is required to prevent another stroke. Within the first year, ten percent of these patients will have another stroke.
I realized it was a stroke,” –Fred, a stroke survivor. Some of the most common symptoms indicating that a stroke is occurring include sudden numbness or loss of movement in the limbs on one side of your body or face, sudden vision changes, sudden trouble speaking, sudden confusion, a very intense headache, or sudden balance issues. Stroke is simply acquired when the blood supply to the brain is suspended, but to get to the roots of what causes it, a stroke is triggered by the slowly forming plaque buildup over time. The plaque is made up of calcium, fat, cholesterol, cellular waste, and fibrin, a material involved in blood clotting. The plaque existing in an artery can grow big enough to block the supply of blood to the brain, resulting in a stroke. A stroke can also be caused by high blood pressure breaking a blood vessel in the brain causing internal bleeding. Although there is no cure, as damage the brain is usually irreversible if not cared for quickly; there are different treatments available for both types of stroke. For an ischemic stroke, a tissue called plasminogen activator can be injected into an artery to break up
A stroke is a serious occurrence that is considered to be a medical emergency, according to CDC.gov. Strokes happen when either a blood clot in the brain blocks blood flow carrying vital oxygen, or a blood vessel breaks within the brain and oxygen does not arrive at specified locations. (CDC.gov/Stroke Fact Sheet) Oxygen is imperative for brain function. According to CDC.gov, the brain utilizes approximately twenty percent of the body’s oxygen intake; without a continuous intake of oxygen, brain cells begin to die. According to stroke.org, every single minute before a stroke can be treated, an estimated 1.9 million neurons are lost, which is why it is important to know the signs and symptoms of
It was a pleasant day at the Dementia unit and I was assigned to care for a lady whom we can call Miss K. She is a lovely, warm and nice lady who was recently admitted to the Dementia unit two weeks ago. I went to her room to meet her, I introduced myself, greeted her and gave her a hand shake for me to establish rapport. She was very cooperative, participative and independent with her cares. From my observation, I noticed that she is very organised and very particular when it comes to cleanliness. She also wakes up early in the morning and makes sure that all of the things that she needs for morning care are neatly arrange in the bathroom. When having a shower, she cleans her body very well. She also brushes her teeth and cleans her dentures very well. She always likes to wear red coloured clothes and red floral nighties. Before leaving her room, she makes sure that her glasses are clean before wearing it, her used clothes are neatly kept in the empty drawer and she wants to have a handkerchief in her pocket. I also noticed that there is always a glass