Question

What is Dementia?What are commin indicators and symptoms that characterize the disease.

Please write in words because this is for my class.

Thank you!

Answer 1

HI Answer:

Dementia is not a disease infect it is syndrome having a group of symptoms which affects mental ability such as memory and reasoning capabilities. Dementia is counted as a brain disorder which leads to the long term memory loss and even some time person start losing its ability to think. The most common type of dementia is the Alzheimer's disease which occurs in 50 to 70% of the dementia patients.

Types of dementia: Three main types of dementia i.e. Vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. It is observed that more than one type of dementia can affect a single person.

1. Vascular dementia: In this condition the thinking capabilities of patient is decreased up to a remarkable level due to the reduced or blocked blood flow in the brain. The main symptoms are confusion, Disorientation, Trouble speaking or understanding speech, and Vision loss.
2. Lewy body dementia: is the second most common type of progressive dementia. It took place due to the deposition of protein named as Lewy bodies in the nerve cells of the brain region which are mainly associated with thinking, movement and memory. The main symptoms are difficulties in thinking and reasoning, confusion, Parkinson's symptoms, balance problems and rigid muscles
3. Frontotemporal dementia: In this type of dementia the nerve cells of frontal and temporal lobes of the brain are lost. The common symptoms are loss of speech, asking the meaning of familiar words, loss of recognition of familiar faces etc.

The general symptoms of dementia

The most common and general symptoms of dementia is listed below in details.

(i) Short term memory loss: The person who is in the initial stage of dementia faces the short term memory loss. This happens repeatability after a short interval of time. In this condition an older person may be able to remember the things which happened several year back but unable to remember recent things.

(ii) Difficulty to find right words: The second symptom of early stage of dementia is the difficulty to express thoughts. Person is unable to find out the suitable words to express his common feelings. The conversation with a dementia patient is difficult and it took longer time to understand what he want to speak.

(iii) Mood swings:The mood of dementia patient is always remain changing. He may be happy in few minute earlier and after few minute he may start weeping. Dementia also leads to depression.

(iv) Apathy:Is a listlessness and commonly took place in the early stage of dementia. A person sufferings from dementia could lose interest in his hobbies or activities. He start remaining self-centred and alone and start avoiding family and Friends Company.

(v) Difficulty in completing normal tasks:The difficulty in completing normal tasks is the early symptoms of dementia. It usually start with facing difficulties the complex tasks and with the passage of time person is unable to perform most simple task too.

(vi) Confusion:The person suffering with dementia is always remain confused and unable to take even small decisions and face difficulty to interact with society.

(vii) Loss of direction sense:In dementia patient’s normal direction sense start deteriorate. He is unable to recognize the familiar land mark and start forgetting regular using direction such as forget the way to return home from market etc.

(viii) Being repetitive:The person start repeating the things which he perform or speaking continually.

(ix) Difficulty to adapt changes:Person may start afraiding from normal things, and suddenly forget the most familiar person, forget the way to store etc. and difficulty to adapt these all changes are the symptoms of dementia.