Dementia & Alzheimer’s

Dementia patients need proper care and attention more than anything else. Drugs can only slow down the mental degradation process. If proper care is not given, a cure may already be impossible as the condition progresses to an irreversible state.

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The patient’s family, as always, is the best source of help. Family members can give the much needed care and emotional support to the patient. They can best help the patient by trying to tell stories and happy memories to make the patient remember things. This can give the patient relief and hope for a cure and a better future.

If family members are not able to cope with the demands of the patient with Dementia, nurses and caregivers can be hired to look after the patient. These health practitioners are knowledgeable about the condition and can definitely help the patient go through the daily activities required to cope with the disease.

Know How It Feels to have Dementia

It will be easier for a person to properly deal with a Dementia patient when the nature of the condition is perfectly understood. This is much more applicable for those providing care and treatment to Dementia patients. Here are seven ways to gain some understanding about Dementia:

1. Books written by Dementia patients.

A Dementia patient is the only one who experiences all the trouble caused by this condition; and there is no better person to tell the stories of Dementia other than the patient themselves. Thus, books about the condition authored by a Dementia patient are a good source of information about Dementia.

New researches about Dementia

Medical research and investigation are in full swing to develop innovative methods to cure Dementia. It is certain that, without extensive research and investigation, there is no certain way to cure this fatal disease. There are some interesting outputs generated after several researches. Here are some excerpts given below:

1) Recently, it was found by the scientists that Dementia has a relation with physical activity. Decreased physical activity can cause Dementia. Though, it is not sure if it can cause Dementia in its initial stage or may already lead to the advanced stage. It is clear from this information that social lifestyle is an important factor for developing Dementia. Leading a healthy life is always good and it is true for Dementia. Leisure activities are also important as well as regular physical exercises.

Safety Tips for Households with Dementia Patients

It is a challenge to any ordinary person to take care of a family member that is suffering from a medical condition. One has to know important things about the condition, its treatment, medications and safety measures. It gets more difficult if the patient being cared for has some cognitive disabilities as there are a lot of changes that can possibly happen.

Dementia is a condition that affects mental ability and a person’s memory. Dementia patients easily forget things, even their own names. Their emotions, attitudes and personality tend to change from time to time. Even their movements, at times, are not coordinated. Thus, these people need extra care and attention preferably from their family members.

The fact that there is a Dementia patient at home should not be taken for granted. When Dementia patients are left alone, accidents may possibly happen if no precautionary measures are taken.

Dementia & Alzheimer’s

Dementia is a medical condition that requires a lot of help and support for the patient. A dementia patient and his family may have difficulty dealing with the situation by themselves. The existence of support groups and institutions is definitely a big help for them.

There are day hospitals and care centers in most communities that specialize in this mental disorder. Generally, these institutions provide therapies for the patient. Some techniques are also applied by caregivers and nurses to help the patient improve their gradually decreasing memory.

These techniques include reminding the patient the time of the day, naming a familiar person, and remembering some of the patient’s personal background.

Dementia & Alzheimer’s

Taking care of a Dementia sufferer brings a new challenge everyday. It is often difficult, and may sometimes seem overwhelming. You should know, however, that there are support services available. The first step to getting support is obtaining any information you can on the topic of Dementia.

There are many organizations spread the world over that can help you on this. Support services include:

Counseling: This can be especially useful for the patient as well as the caregiver. They can learn about new developments and also learn about ways to take care.

Health Services: These services also provide valuable services -

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1. The family doctor is the first to respond. He/she prescribes medicines and refers you to further specialists.

2. The CDAMSC or Cognitive Dementia and Memory Service Clinic can help in early diagnosis and identification. It is also especially helpful in prescribing medicines.

3. ACAS or Aged Care Assessment Service.

4. District Nursing Services.

5. Other health services including speech therapy, podiatry, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Top 10 Things You Need to Know about Dementia

1. Dementia is a disorder of the brain where the person who contracts the disease loses brain cells more often than regular people. It is NOT a sign that your brain is dying and is generally associated with fewer symptoms in the beginning, then progressing to more problems later on.

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2. Dementia can be treated IF detected early. Contrary to general belief, there is a medicine that can slow the process of Dementia symptoms.

3. Dementia can be cured only if detected early. So be sure to treat every sign of forgetfulness very seriously.

4. Dementia is NOT a sign of old age. Any person can contract it, though scientists are not very clear as how it is caused.

Treatment for dementia

There are certain types of treatment prescribed by doctors for patients suffering from dementia. Treatment normally differs from patient to patient and it depends on the extent to which the disease has progressed, the reactions of the patients to the treatment, etc.

1. Dementia Drugs

Cholinergic drugs have proven to be administered by doctors to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and it accounts for 80% of the cases of dementia in patients. Acetylcholine is important in transmitting messages properly between the brain cells, particularly in the areas of the brain which carry out memory functions.

Dementia & Alzheimer’s

One cause of Dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. This disease has been known to attack elderly people and cause them to forget things about themselves. Alzheimer’s disease does not pick on whom to inflict. If it is bound to happen, it will happen. Even famous people can have Alzheimer’s. Here are some known personalities who had this disease and short stories about how they went on with their life having Alzheimer’s:

President Ronald Reagan

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The late President Reagan was one of those people who suffered from this fatal memory loss. Though the symptoms were realized years after his term had ended, he might had some hints of waning mental abilities when he was still in the White House. He once joked to his doctor on one of his regular checkups, “I have three things that I want to tell you today. The first is that I seem to be having a little problem with my memory. I cannot remember the other two.” People with Alzheimer’s disease seem to know that something is not right even during the early stages.

Dementia & Alzheimer’s

Dementia is a problem related to the brain. So, it may require several types of doctors to diagnose, treat or manage dementia. They are listed below:

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Allopathic Physician – This doctor is a first level physician who deals with the musculoskeletal system. He/she generally deals with physical or internal injuries to the brain.

This kind of physician can help find the cause of Dementia through various kinds of tests including Access CT Scans, ultrasounds, Electrocardiogram and Physical examinations. He/she can then cure basic Dementia through spinal manipulation, minor surgeries, etc. He/she can also provide medication and counsel.