Dementia is a mental disorder found commonly in people after the age of 65 years. People suffering with dementia might forget things, may get mood swings and also there might be adverse personality changes in that person.

1) Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of Dementia. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for almost 60% of all cases of Dementia in people. Alzheimer’s disease slowly destroys the brain cells and nerves severely disrupting them from sending messages from the brain to the other parts of the body. Some parts of the brain begin to shrink as gaps begin to develop in the hippocampus and the temporal lobe.

These two regions are responsible for storing and retrieving information. The production of certain chemicals in the brain is also hampered. The most common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease is loss of memory, loss of language and sudden changes in mood. A person may also forget past events like the places he or she went to and the things that he or she had done in their life.

2) Vascular Dementia

This is the second most common cause of Dementia. Vascular Dementia accounts for 20% of the total cases of Dementia in people. Vascular Dementia results when the blood vessels of the brain begin to deteriorate. As a result the brain might not be provided with enough oxygen. Due to the short supply of oxygen to the brain cells the brain cells begin to die. The symptoms range from sudden mood changes to severe depression to epilepsy.

3) Dementia with Lewy bodies

Dementia with Lewy bodies assumes the third rank for the most common causes of Dementia. It may occur in 20% of the cases of Dementia. Dementia with Lewy bodies results due to the death of nerve cells in the brain. Dementia with Lewy bodies affects the concentration of the person and also may result in frequent memory lapses.

4) Fronto-temporal Dementias

These types of Dementias are relatively rare in comparisons to other causes of Dementia. Fronto-temporal Dementias normally occur in people of 50 years of age when the frontal lobe in the brain becomes affected. As a result the brain cells get damaged gradually and it results in sudden mood changes.

5) Consumption of too much alcohol

This is also a common cause of Dementia. Excessive drinking affects memory adversely.

6) HIV Virus

The HIV virus which often leads to AIDS can also be a cause of Dementia. The disease has been found in people suffering from HIV in the early stages of contracting HIV.

Initial indications of Dementia are not always apparent. There are some vague ideas around, but it can vary from person to person. Usually, the early signs of this deadly disease can be understood from memory loss and forgetfulness. There are some common symptoms which clearly indicates Dementia and they are discussed below:

1) Memory Loss (Recent/Present): People tend to forget recent happenings in their present day to day life. Most people forget their daily scheduled work and important appointments. If this occurs most frequently, it is a clear sign of memory loss ultimately resulting in Dementia.

2) Forgetting the familiar daily work: It is also an important symptom of Dementia. In most cases, people tend to forget the step by step process of any familiar work, which they used to do in normal conditions. People not only forget the related steps of a work practice, they can also totally forget about their work altogether. They behave like novices.

3) Problem in perfect communication: It is also one of the most common indications of Dementia. In most cases, people find it extremely difficult to carry on a conversation as they don’t get the right word at the right time. They even use inappropriate words as a substitute making the sentence difficult to make out.

4) Inability to coordinate time and location: In many cases, people completely become forgetful of the address of their own house or office. They forget the right direction to get to their own destination. In advanced stages, they even fail to differentiate between day and night.

5) Indecisiveness: Sometimes, Dementia patients fail to take the right decision and always suffer from indecisiveness. They always gets confused to make a perfect choice amongst a number of choices, though they did it perfectly many times in normal condition.

6) Difficulties in maintaining a proper track record: It is also a very common signs in Dementia patients. They always find it extremely hard to keep track of things in an organized manner causing problems to maintain their financial transactions for example.

7) Inability to make judgment: In most cases, people fail to judge the perfect combination. They may even wear a worn coat in the scorching heat of summer.

8 ) Fluctuated mood: In many cases, patients are in fluctuated mood. They tend to have mood swings without any clear reason.

9) Mismatch and misplaced things: Dementia patients always keep things in the wrong place and forget about that. They always lose their own important things.

10) Swings in personality: People who are suffering from Dementia experience a drastic change of their personality. Their personality can change considerably and they may become more fearful, outgrowing, or over friendly than previously. This change may occur all of a sudden or it can change over a long period of time.

11) Lack of motivation: In many cases, Dementia patients lack self motivation. They no longer get motivated to do a specific work and become very idle, even pessimistic .In advanced stages, they don’t find many things positive.

Dementia is a condition that primarily affects one’s cognitive abilities. It is common in older people and the most common symptom is memory loss. Dementia has no specified risk factors as discovered by scientists. However, recent studies link the disease to various factors like age, family history, head injuries and stroke risk factors:

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Age: Increasing age is often a risk factor for many maladies. Dementia is one of the first in the list. This is because, as people grow older, they tend to have a worse memory as they had when they were younger. Also, the body has lower disease resisting capability when it gets older, and also fills cuts or injuries slower than usual.

Dementia has been associated with old age and indeed, most cases of Dementia are with older people. Though there are some inflicted at a young age, but this occurrence rarely happens.

Family History: Family history is a very important factor. If a family member has had a Dementia-related or Dementia-type disease, a person is much more susceptible to get the disease.

Stroke risks: This is another serious condition. This happens when a part of the brain suddenly has a different blood supply from previously. This happens when a blood supply vein or artery bursts and the brain receives a lower supply of blood. This change in the supply of blood can damage the brain with varying intensities. It may then lead to one type of Dementia.

Head Injuries: This is another high risk factor. When a person has a head injury, any part of the brain may be affected and lead to Dementia. Otherwise, an injury can also lead to the rupturing of an artery or vein, therefore leading to stroke.

As much as it has been proved, Dementia can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. It may occur no matter how much we protect ourselves. But knowing these risk factors will help keep one from acquiring this condition.

As the adage goes, “prevention is better than cure”. So, even if you cannot remove the risks, you can try to minimize them as much as possible.

Dementia is a very serious disease and if not detected during the early stages, can be very dangerous. Here is a list of the stages and their corresponding characteristics:

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Stage 1> No Cognitive Impairment

This stage is the basis of Dementia, and people with a strong memory may not even notice a problem.

Stage 2> Mild Cognitive Decline

This stage sees the individual suffer mild forgetfulness stages, where sometimes, the names of familiar objects might be forgotten. This stage can also not be determined clearly.

Stage 3> Comparatively Higher Cognitive Decline

Some deficiencies might come to notice. Loss of ability to remember common names, phrases and also lower organizing ability are some characteristics.

Stage 4> Moderate Cognitive Decline

Decreased knowledge of common everyday events, decreased mathematical ability, reduced memory, inability to do difficult tasks and depression form the basic characteristics of this stage.

Stage 5> High Cognitive Decline

This stage forms the beginning of severe stages. It is very good if the disease is noticed anytime before this stage, as this stage proves to be very difficult for treatment. The patient may now require help with everyday tasks. They do not require help, however, with eating or using the toilet. There is decreased mathematical ability, inability to retain knowledge of date or time, and there may also be severe memory lapses.

Stage 6> Severe Cognitive Decline

In this stage, people begin to lose sight of everyday events. They have generally big memory lapses. They may read a paragraph five times without retaining anything at all. Even though the individuals in this stage can recall their own name, they have lesser recollection of their personal history. The person may need help with dressing, going to the toilet and eating properly among other similar things. They may also wander and become lost.

Stage 7> Very Severe Cognitive Decline

This is the final stage of this dreaded disease, and there can be generally no hope for people entering this stage. The individual may lose his ability to form recognizable words in his speech. The person may not be able to control their muscles, may need help with sitting, laying down, standing up and walking. They may not even be able to smile or frown. This person usually forgets their own name.

Dementia is a mental disorder that commonly affects older people between the ages of 65 and 85 years. The chances of developing Dementia gets higher as one grows older. Since Dementia is an impairment affecting the brain, the most common symptom associated with Dementia is memory loss.

However, it doesn’t mean that when an old person has memory lapses, the person already has Dementia. There are other areas that are also affected by Dementia, such as speech, personality and confidence levels of a person. Below are more detailed information on the most common symptoms of Dementia.

1. Memory Loss

This is one of the most common symptom of Dementia. A person might forget people’s names, phone numbers, past events, places visited, and even their own name.

2. Language problems

A person suffering from Dementia might face language problems. It might happen many times that the Dementia patient may not be able to find the right words to express their thoughts and feelings normally.

3. Difficulty in performing tasks

There might be difficulty in performing common tasks like taking a bath, picking up things, holding a cup, etc.

4. Forgetting the date, time and place

People suffering from Dementia often seem to forget the day of the week or time of the day. In many cases they may also forget where they are going or where they had gone earlier.

5. The numbers game

People also suffer the inability to do calculations, settling bank accounts and writing checks.

6. Poor judgment

The patient might end up doing odd things like wearing other people’s clothes or maybe wearing their shirt inside out.

7. Misplacing things

A Dementia patient might forget where they have kept their car keys or may put things in the wrong place like cutlery in cupboards and not in draws for example.

8. Mood swings

A Dementia patient commonly suffers from sudden changes in mood. The patient may have mood swings for no reason at all.

9. Loss of initiative

A person with Dementia may not like getting involved in business matters and other normal day to day activities. They may gradually lose interest in doing even just simple things.

10. Personality changes

There might be adverse changes in the personality of a Dementia patient. They might get totally confused sometimes and also become fearful of certain things that are not feared before.

A person suffering from Dementia may exhibit one or more of these symptoms. As soon as any of these symptoms are realized and a person is diagnosed with Dementia, immediate treatment should be given.

Dementia is a mental disorder often found in elder people aged over 65 years. The major symptoms of dementia include lapses of memory, difficulty in language, difficulty in doing things like bathing and picking up things, etc. In the case of dementia it is necessary to detect the disease early so that treatment can be started immediately.

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Diagnosis of dementia can be done with the help of medical history, some laboratory tests and physical examinations. Medical history includes obtaining medical information about the patient regarding the beginning and the gradual progression of symptoms and also finding out if any of the members of the family have in the past suffered from the disease.

The doctors may also look for signs in the patient like inability to use appropriate words to express things, unable to do common things like bathing and picking up things, unable to recognize objects and unable to think abstractly.

1. Delirium

The physician must be able to recognize the difference between dementia and delirium. Delirium is a condition where the patient suffers from disorganized thinking and also the inability to pay attention to certain things. Delirium maybe caused due to certain seizures, mood swings, drug and alcohol abuse, etc. Symptoms of delirium include reduced level of consciousness and memory lapses.

2. Pseudodementia

Some people maybe suffering from Pseudodementia. Pseudodementia is a type of depression that is generally suffered by elder people. Pseudodementia is also characterized by slow movements of the arms and legs and also may lead to poor eyesight.

3. Neuropsychological tests

Doctors may introduce these types of tests to the patients to study their language skills and their problem solving skills. These tests also help the doctors in testing the patient’s perception skills.

4. Lab Tests

Doctors may conduct laboratory tests on the patients to identify if the patient is indeed suffering from dementia and also the tests are continued to find out the exact cause of dementia.

5. Blood Tests

Blood tests are conducted by doctors to find out if there are any infectious or toxic conditions in the patients. The results also help the doctors to rule out Alzheimer’s disease and also help the doctors in devising an effective treatment plan.

6. Imaging Tests

Imaging tests like MRI and CT scan will also be conducted by doctors to detect any structural or physical changes in the brain caused be a variety of factors like blood clots, tumors and head injury.

7. Electroencephalography

Electroencephalography popularly known as EEG is used to check the brain wave activity of the patient. An EEG can help to sort out the difference between a patient suffering from depression whose brain waves are normal from a patient with some degenerative neurological disease.

Dementia is a health condition that is actually an illness of the brain. It is not, as is generally believed, an illness where the brain stops functioning. Instead, brain cells are damaged and therefore, die earlier than they should, thereby causing the brain to work with decreased efficiency.

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Over a long period of time, the efficiency of the brain is lowered to an extent, which causes a patient to not be able to do even the most general jobs.

Dementia first affects the memory part of the brain, causing a person to first forget names and then even forget who they are or where they are. Dementia patients may become almost lifeless in the later stages and then may require help with washing, eating, etc. They tend to lose interest in all activities and may repeat a question over and over again.

Contrary to general belief, Dementia is not a part of growing old. The only relation with age is increased risk. It affects 5% of the people aged 65 and about 20% with ages over 80.

Also, Dementia is not related to stress or the level of mental activity. This means it is not caused due to stress or more mental activity. It is also not infectious.

There are mainly four types of Dementia-related illnesses -

1. The most common type of Dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. This is caused by a loss of brain cells and is probably related to an imbalance in the brain fluids.
2. The second most common form of Dementia is Vascular Dementia. This type of Dementia is caused by a poor supply of blood to the brain.
3. The next form of Dementia is Lewy Body Dementia. Its effects include hallucinations, unsteadiness and bouts of abnormal behavior.
4. The last form is Alcohol-related Dementia, which as the name suggests, is caused by drinking too much alcohol.

Even though it is necessary to contact a neurologist for any and all symptoms, their occurring is not necessarily the onset of Dementia. Forgetting the day and date is not at all unusual and can happen to almost everyone.

It must be remembered that not everyone has a perfect memory and therefore, usual forgetfulness is not a cause of worry. Also, not every elderly person suffers from this disease and even in those who do, the symptoms may remain minor for a number of years.

Dementia can be one of the most difficult diseases to live with and to cure. Scientists have always been researching new methods that one day may or may not prevent Dementia. As the adage goes – prevention is the best form of cure at the moment, however.

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Some preliminary evidence suggests that estrogen, a hormone produced by women in their ovaries, can help prevent Dementia. Though it has not been proven, if this finding is true, it may be a great boon to medicine.

The best methods suggested to prevent Dementia have been given as to prevent any form of injury or harm to the brain. This is especially true because Dementia can only be caused due to an injury directly to the brain cells, or any infraction that stops the flow of blood to the brain. Alcohol should not be drunk excessively to prevent Alcohol-related Dementia.

Scientists say that the long-term prevention for Dementia is keeping the memory sharp. This is because then Dementia has to affect a lot of Brain area to cause irreversible effects. Also, scientists suggest that keeping in strong physical shape and participating in hobbies that stimulate the body and the mind can keep the mind in tip-top shape, thereby making it more difficult for a Dementia attack.

Many Dementia stricken people can find it useful to plan their day and make notes. This can serve as a memory aid to prevent Dementia.

Elderly people are more susceptible to damages by Dementia, so they should be very careful and should treat every symptom as a Dementia symptom. They should contact a neurologist at the first sign of Dementia.

Even though Dementia is found to have not many prevention measures, new study suggests that mentally active people may never have Dementia. They say this is because they build up a brain reserve, which prevents Dementia.

Physical health has a direct effect on mental health. This is because physical health builds up brain cells and also releases a substance that protects them. Study also shows that there is a relation between the heart and the mind. So doing things from the heart can also be beneficial for the mind.

At the end, though it is not very clear as to how and why Dementia is caused or prevented, all we can do is our best to prevent it. As given above, preventing injuries, good physical and cardiovascular health, a mentally alert life and not treating every symptom lightly is the only preventive measure you can take.

Caring for a person with any disease is never easy. It is especially difficult when a person tends to not understand things and forget common things, as is the case with Dementia.

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The first step towards caring for such patients is providing them with a sense of well-being and physical safety. Things that were taken for granted before may require planning now. Intensive planning must be undertaken for home-safety and social life.

The patient must be communicated to properly with each and every phase of this disease. They also should be allowed fun and socializing with people even if they may not recognize them. Visitors should be scheduled to prevent surprises and to have something to look forward to.

The next step is planning. First of all, the caregiver must be careful as to how the news of the diagnosis is broken. The caregiver may need to explain to the patient why he/she cannot do something that other people can do. Sometimes, the patient may not even remember that he/she has Dementia, and in this case, he/she should always be told that they have a memory problem.

Then the caregiver should develop a positive attitude. This is because we can only try to cure a person when they have hope that they can be cured. This hope comes directly from the caregiver. The caregiver themselves should have emotional support as it may be sometimes impossible to take care of the patient. The caregiver should always be affectionate to the patient. All requests should be acknowledged.

The next step is scheduling the day. This step should involve training of the patient, milestones that the patient can look forward to including fun and also a time when the patient can go outdoors.

The caregivers should remember the essential human worth of the patient. They should remember that the patient is an actual person who has just had a terrible calamity. Taking the patient to see other Dementia patients may help relieve them that there are others similar to them.

The last but most necessary step is patience. The patient should be dealt with patiently and it should be remembered that his or her behavior abnormalities are not purposeful. The caregiver should try to help the patient in every possible way and sending the patient to an institution should be considered as the last resort.

In the end, the caregiver must remember that managing a Dementia patient is a difficult work and may be overwhelming at times. Every day may bring new challenges that the caregiver might find difficult to face. The caregiver should learn to cope with changing levels of ability and new patterns of behavior.

Dementia is characterized by several symptoms with the main sign being in the form of forgetfulness. Other symptoms of Dementia are due to head injury, depression, and stroke. Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Pick’s diseases are well-known health conditions that cause Dementia.

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It is common among people over the age of 65 but it can also be seen among younger age groups. For this reason, it is suggested to know some tips in coping with this deadly disease. Unfortunately, there are no specific medications or treatment known for Dementia. Healthy lifestyle does help, though, in avoiding this. As the old adage goes, “prevention is better than cure.”

There are some drugs available in the market, like Reminyl, Exelon, Aricept and Ebixa, which can only slow down the process of memory loss and other symptoms in the early stages of Dementia. Others use non-steroidal and anti-inflammatory drugs but they are not recommended for they tend to create unlikely effects on the human body.

These drugs have adverse results on the patient and so it is advised to consult the doctor first. Several types of therapies such as Hormone Replacement Therapy, Stains and alternative drugs are also used to cope with Dementia.

Foods rich in antioxidants, vitamins C and E are always recommended for they help in reducing memory loss and preventing the human brain cells from damaging. Precaution must also be taken, though, as too much Vitamin E can cause some ill effects on the patient.

Oily fish is also helpful if taken properly. Acupuncture treatment may also produce some good results. Bright light treatment is also performed with acupuncture, which suppresses a hormone called melatonin.

It is believed that a good environment and proper caring creates better response on a Dementia patient. Thus, it is advised to always have them eat well, let them have improved sleeping habits and keep their room well-ventilated with stimulated atmosphere.

Genetic theory has also a major part for developing Dementia, thus, persons having family history of this condition should take initial precautions and live a healthy lifestyle while they are still young.