Dementia - umbrella term
100 known forms
All effect brain function
Progressive
3 broad categories - mild, moderate and severe
What does development of dementia depend on?
Age, diet, general health
What is dementia
- most commonly associated with memory problems
- attention and concentration
- processing
- perception - balance, time, distance
- language/word finding
Risk factors of dementia
Stress or aging can be incorrectly blamed for some memory loss:
- women more likely
- age +65 (some forms can even effect children though)
- family history
- alcohol - vascular dementia
- smoking
- education - more educate = reduced risk
- diet and exercise
Health inequality therefore has an impact
Types of dementia
Alzheimer’s - most common vvv
Vascular
Mixed - more than one type at once
Levy body
Frontotemporal
Parkinson’s
Other
Alzheimer’s disease symptoms, eitiology
- shrinking of brain
- gradual oprogression
- reduced reasoning skills
- short term memory effected first
Vascular dementia
- when brain cells are deprived of oxygen
- quicker progression
- processing difficulties
- usually more aware of their condition - emotional responses
Lewy body dementia
Similar to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
- gradual steady progression
- attention and alertness problems
- vivid cisual and auditory hallucinations
- stiff limbs, tremors, slow movement
Diagnosing dementia
- detailed history
- assessing abilities
- early and relevant support before during and after diagnosis
What physical health problems can dementia effect
47-90% will fall at least once a year
More likely to have 1 or more comorbidities - makes living with these more difficult
Mental health exacerbation
Infection may cause delirium
Pharmacological treatment:
- delaying symptoms onset
- underlying condition treatment
- antipsychotics for dementia behaviours - increased risk of stroke, death, can exacerbate forms of dementia - L and P,
Evolution of dementia care over time
Biomedical model
VV
Biopsychosocial model
VV
Person centred model - respond to persons needs:
- early diagnosis
- optimising health, cognition and wellbeing
- treating comorbidities
- detecting and treating behavioural and psychological symprons
- providing information and support to carers
Providing person centred care
- dignity and respect
- understanding history, culture, lifestyle, likes and dislikes
- looking at situations form the POV of the dementia care patient
Non-pharmacological treat,met
Cognitive stimulation therapy
Cognitive rehabilitation
Reminiscence and life story work
Councelling and systemic family therapy
Dementia in society:
- familiar situations, tasks, environments feel strange —> anxiety, agitation
- loss of abilities, roles, confidence —> loss of self/personhood
