Dementia

Dementia is not just one disease but it is a combination of brain diseases that result in the gradual decrease in the ability to think and to be able to function daily. The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s Disease and normally affects older adults rather than younger ones. Dementia can be split into four stages, which are: mild cognitive impairment (general forgetfulness), mild dementia (memory loss, confusion and difficulty doing certain tasks), moderate dementia (similar to mild dementia but increased) and severe dementia (no ability to communicate and full time care is needed). Dementia is caused when there is damage to the brain cells. The damage of the cells is normally linked to the abnormal build-up of proteins in the brain. It affects people differently depending on what part of the brain is damaged. Other causes that are thought to contribute to dementia are brain injuries, Huntington’s disease, genetics, stress throughout your life and down syndrome.

SYMPTOMS OF DEMENTIA

The symptoms of dementia differ depending on what stage of dementia people have. Some early symptoms, however, include memory loss (repeating yourself, asking the same question), losing things (forgetting where you have put things such as keys, phone etc.), mood changes, personality changes, getting lost in a familiar place, problems communicating (forgetting simple words) and difficulty completing simple and familiar tasks.

Treatments

Unfortunately, dementia cannot be cured but there are some ways to manage the symptoms

Medication

The medications used for dementia are to temporarily improve the dementia symptoms.

Cholinesterase inhibitors — these work by increasing the levels of the chemical messengers that are involved with judgement and memory. They come in the form of galantamine (Razadyne), rivastigmine (Exelon) and donepezil (Aricept). These medications can be prescribed for Parkinson’s disease dementia, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia and others.
Memantine — this works by regulating glutamate, a brain messenger that helps the functions of the brain like learning and memory. Memantine (Namenda) is sometimes given with a cholinesterase inhibitor.
Other medications — you might be prescribed medication for agitation, sleep disturbances and depression in order to treat other symptoms.

Therapy

Occupational therapy — these kinds of therapist help to make your house safer and can teach you some coping mechanisms and behaviour. This is used to try to prevent accidents, manage behaviour and make you ready for the progression of dementia.
Modify the environment — make your home safe by keep the house tidy and reducing clutter and noise which can make it easier to focus and to function. Hiding objects that could be dangerous such as keys and knives make it safer. You can also install a monitoring system just in case a dementia patient walks somewhere they shouldn’t or wanders away.
Modifying tasks — to reduce confusion in dementia patients put in place a structure and routine to the days. Try to focus on successes instead of failures and break tasks into little steps.

Things to do at Home

Caregivers can do the following to help with the progression of dementia.

Communication — try to maintain eye contract when talking to a dementia patient and speak slowly and simply, and don’t try to rush them to respond. Give them one idea or instruction at a time so they can process it and give gestures and clues like pointing at objects while speaking.
Exercise — to improve strength and cardiovascular health it’s a good idea for dementia patients to exercise and can protect the brain along with a healthy diet.
Activities — encourage them to do activities that they enjoy doing and are easy enough to achieve. Things like painting, gardening, cooking, dancing can be good fun and help them to reconnect with others and allows them to focus on what they love to do.
Nightime routines — going-to-bed routines can help their behaviour which can be worse at night. A calming routine away from noise, clean-up and people still awake can reduce confusion and frustration. Night lights are great to avoid disorientation. Also reducing caffeine intake, discouraging naps and exercising during the day can help nighttime restlessness.
Keep a calendar — this will help a dementia patient remember events, daily routines and activities and medication schedules.
Future planning — before the dementia progress, come up with a plan for the future while they are still lucid.

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