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Possible effects of Dementia on an individual’s health
Possible effects of Dementia on an individual’s health
Types of dementia and common signs and symptoms
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Understanding Dementia in Relation to Brain and Communication Disorders
It is well known that the elderly population in our society is growing larger. With this increase comes the awareness and prevalence of common health issues of the elderly. Dementia is an illness that is commonly associated with the geriatric population. To understand dementia, one would need to learn its symptoms, its causes, and its various treatment options. This study specifically focuses on the relationship that dementia holds with brain and communication disorders.
Defining Dementia
Butcher, Mineka, and Hooley (2013) described dementia as a progressive disorder that displays a deterioration of functioning and has a gradual onset. There are many different disorders that are known to cause dementia. Butcher et al. (2013) stated some of the causes to be strokes, infectious diseases, dietary deficiencies, head trauma, and degenerative brain diseases. The most common, and notable cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease (Butcher et. al., 2013).
“As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, neuro-fibrillary tangles spread throughout the brain” (National Institutes of Health, 2012). Plaques and tangles are major features of Alzheimer’s disease, along with nerve cell communication issues within the brain. By the final stage, damage is widespread and brain tissue has shrunk significantly (National Institutes of Health, 2012).
Early Signs and Symptoms
As dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (DAT) is frequently the cause of dementia in the geriatric population common symptoms, treatments and the efficacy of the treatments will be discussed. Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type is a cognitive impairment, resulting in the inability to learn and retain new inform...
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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,
Cox-Foster, D. L., Conlan, S., Holmes, E. C., Palacios, G., Evans, J. D., Moran, N. A.,…
There are lots of factors which could cause dementia. Those who have someone in the family with Dementia are at a higher risk of developing Dementia because Dementia can be in the genes and those genes are passed to the next generation. Someone with Downs Syndrome is also at high risk of developing Dementia in earlier years of life. Others factors which could cause dementia are: Stroke, Diabetes, High cholesterol, smoking and alcohol-Korsakoff’s Syndrome.
Forsyth, K., Taylor, R., Kramer, J., Prior, S., Richie, L., Whitehead, J., Owen, C., & Melton, M.
“Dementia is the progressive deterioration in cognitive function - the ability to process thought” (Nordqvist, 2009, para. 1) and can be separated into two main categories: cortical and subcortical, physically speaking; for example, Alzheimer’s disease is a type of cordical dimentia, while Parkinson’s disease is classified as subcortical in nature. Many of the people suffering from these afflictions, which are usually middle-aged and older, appear to lose the ability to recall particular events, time of day, or in more advanced stages, the identity of their friends and family. Other symptoms of this condition have been reported as difficulty with speech, depression, balance issues and general disorientation.
Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness that affects the brain tissue directly and undergoes gradual memory and behavioral changes which makes it difficult to diagnose. It is known to be the most common form of dementia and is irreversible. Over four million older Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to triple in the next twenty years as more people live into their eighties and nineties. (Johnson, 1989). There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but throughout the past few years a lot of progress has been made.
Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common cause of dementia. Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time. It can become severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. Allie Hamilton is suffering from dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease got its name from the German doctor, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, he noticed that there were abnormal clumps and bundles of fibers i...
degeneration 3 A nerve cell has numerous axons and dendrites coming out of it. A neurofibrillary tangle is when the neuron changes. A number of dendrites are missing and the nucleus is filled with protein filaments resembling steel wool. Although all elderly people have a few of these helix shaped bundles in their brain as they are normal indicators of aging, Alzheimer's patients have. more than usual.
Scientists believe that for most people, Alzheimer's results from a combination of genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors that affect the brain over time. Alzheimer's is caused by specific genetic changes that virtually guarantee a person will develop the disease. The causal effect for this disease is still unknown with fingers pointing to plaques and tangles in the brain. Although the causes of Alzheimer's are not yet fully understood, its effect on the brain is clear. Alzheimer's disease damages and kills brain cells. A brain affected by Alzheimer's disease has many fewer cells and many fewer connections among surviving cells than does a healthy brain. As more and more brain cells die, Alzheimer's leads to enormous brain shrinkage. When doctors examined an Alzheimer's brain tissue under the microscope, they saw two types of abnormalities that are considered the cause of the disease. One of these abnormalities is plaques that clump up, a protein called beta-amyloid which damages and destroys brain cells. In patients with Alzheimer’s the plaques created interfere with cell to cell communication. The other abnormality seen is tangles in the brain. Brain cells depend on an internal support and transport system to carry nutrients and other essential materials throughout their long extensions. This system requires the normal structure and functioning of a protein called tau. In an Alzheimer's patient, the threads of tau protein twist into abnormal tangles inside the brain cells, leading to failure of the transport system. (Alzheimer's Association) (National Institutes of Health, 2012)
Ornstein, R., Rosen, D., Mammel, K., Callahan, S., Forman, S., Jay, M., Fisher, M., Rome, E., &
Scientists know that Alzheimer disease is characterized by a gradual spread of sticky plaques and clumps of tangled fibers that disrupt the organization of nerve cells in the brain. However , a definite cause, prevention, or cause has not been found.
The functions of the human brain are extremely fascinating. Each brain structure is responsible for different functions. When these structures are damaged or tampered with, the ability of those functions decline. For example, the cerebellum is responsible for a person’s balance. This is how people are able to walk correctly and maintain proper balance. When a person drinks alcohol, the cerebellum is affected and is not able to function properly. This why people have horrible balance when they are intoxicated. As a person ages, different brain functions can decline. When an elderly person experiences a progressive decline in cognition from a brain disease, they are suffering from dementia. Dementia is commonly referred to incorrectly as a disease. Dementia is a syndrome because it is intertwined with other diseases that cause the decline in cognition. For example, the main cause for dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. This progressive and irreversible syndrome will cause impairments to a person’s personal and social life by impairing orientation, comprehension, calculating ability, and learning capacity. It will also impair language, judgment, reasoning, and information processing. (Ferrara 494) Dementia is a syndrome and not a disease because of the three main causes, the progressive stages, and the acceptable treatments available.
However, dementia is not a disease. The word dementia comes from two Latin words meaning away and mind (Mace and Rabins, 1991, p. 6). Dementia describes a group of symptoms that affect the mind, typically occurring in old age. Changes to the brain occur gradually over time and show no visible changes. Dementia causes impairment and loss of mental power, taking away the ability to complete activities necessary to survive. Dementia affects only about thirteen percent of people over the age of sixty-five, half of which are over the age of ninety (Berk, 2014, p. 582). Most forms of dementia are irreversible and become worse with time, but there are some that can be reversed. Many forms of dementia don’t cause any pain, while some
Dementia is an organic brain syndrome which results in global cognitive impairments. Dementia can occur as a result of a variety of neurological diseases. Some of the more well known dementing diseases include Alzheimer's disease (AD), multi-infarct dementia (MID), and Huntington's disease (HD). Throughout this essay the emphasis will be placed on AD (also known as dementia of the Alzheimer's type, and primary degenerative dementia), because statistically it is the most significant dementing disease occurring in over 50% of demented patients (see epidemiology).