Dementia Literature Review

Literature Review: The Effectiveness of the use of Sensory Therapy for Elderly Adults Diagnosed with Dementia.

Participation in physical activity has been shown to have many health benefits for older adults; this study does not provide strong support that it protects against cognitive decline. Reports have been made that physical activity may help guard against stroke and coronary heart disease, both of which may be associated with the development of dementia. Some studies were either limited in their scope or had short follow-up times. In all they find that for older adults, physical activity alone may not protect against cognitive decline. (By Charnicia E. Huggins: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/exerciseforseniors.html)

Lifestyle changes to help prevent AD, according to The Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation International include ‘four pillars of building a better memory”; diet and vitamins, stress management, exercise and pharmaceutical drugs. Diet and vitamins: the brain requires nutrition, blood flow and energy that comes from a diet that is moderate in calories, high in good fats and clean proteins. Stress management: reducing depression and improving your ability to deal with stressful situations. Exercise: mental and physical exercise is essential for brain health. Effective workouts include brisk walking, swimming, and Tai chi mental exercise such as visiting museums, crossword puzzles, reading, taking educational classes, and socializing with friend’s arte all excellent ways to keep your brain in shape. Pharmaceutical drugs: medications such as Aricept, Exelon, Reminyl, and Namenda, taken with the supervision of a physician, can play an important role in delaying the progression of mild memory loss due to Alzheimer’s disease. Natural hormone replacement

I had done some searching for a topic and found one on CNN news. I chose the topic: Dementia. The definition of dementia is; a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning. It is not a specific disease because it varies a wide range of symptoms that deals with daily thinking or ability to do things with daily living. Alzheimer's is a part of dementia and accounts for 60 - 80 percent of cases. Vascular dementia is the second leading cause of dementia which occurs after a stroke. There are many other conditions of dementia which can be reversible, such as thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies. People with dementia have a

Forgetting loved ones, favorite foods, and even how to put on clothes in the morning. All are signs of people who go through some sort of dementia. These people will never fully regain the memory that once use to be so cherished and held onto. Dementia can happen fast and even without warning. One week a person could be mowing the lawn and having normal conversations, then have a stroke and forget his grandson’s name. Stroke and dementia result in both long and short term disability and worldwide both are major health and social care issues (Greenwood 2016). Dementia has a huge impact on people’s lives and even can cause people to do harm to one another. Not knowing is the scariest thing a human can feel.

Dementia is caused by loss of brain cells, and shrinkage of brain tissue. This damage leads to increased challenges the brain cells now have to overcome. Neural pathways are the ways our brain cells communicates with one another, so dementia interrupts and negatively affects this process.

“Dementia is not a specific disease. It's an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms”

Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning which affects an individual’s daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that slowly destroys memory and thinking and the ability to perform simple tasks. There is some research that suggests cognitive training may slow the progression of dementia. Cognitive training challenges a variety of cognitive functions such as attention, memory and speed, which is different to general brain training that people may come across in their daily life (Kanaan et al., 2014). Various limitations

Dementia is defined as a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning. However, what most of us do not know is that dementia is a general disorder that has a few subcategories. Those categories include Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and frontal-temporal dementia, to name a few. Although statistically dementia is experienced at a similar rate amongst Japanese-Americans and caucasian Americans, their rates in the subtypes are different. Japanese-American’s, most typically Japanese-American men, experience a higher rate in vascular dementia. Vascular dementia is attributed by a lack of blood supply to the brain. Although Japanese-Americans experience vascular dementia at a higher rate than others, the reasoning behind that is still unexplained.

Exercise may benefit the brain by increasing blood and oxygen flow due to its known cardiovascular benefits since the head and heart seem to have a connection when conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol have been linked to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). Furthermore, treatment is available as of today that may temporarily help memory and thinking problems, but this medications do not treat the origin of

Despite the number of lives Alzheimer’s disease has affected, it cannot be cured. An estimated five million Americans are affected by this disease (“Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet”); treatment trials are being conducted in addition to extensive research to learn more about lifestyle choices to support brain health. As a result, researchers are beginning to find ways to prevent this disease. Lifestyle choices including physical activity, social engagement, obtaining a healthy diet, and receiving a good night’s sleep may help counteract Alzheimer’s disease and support brain health. Although an innumerable amount of people across the United States are affected by Alzheimer's disease, it can be prevented.

There is ample evidence to demonstrate that through the normal ageing process alterations to the brain in structure and function are directly related to cognitive changes (Glisky, 2007). With an increasing ageing population strategies for prevention of disease and age related cognitive decline are necessary to improve quality of life and reduce the associated healthcare costs (Australian Government Productivity Commission [AGPC], 2013). Physical exercise is known to be crucial in maintaining physiological health; it can also be used as a means of neuroprotection and assist in modifiable risk factors for improved brain health and subsequent cognitive function. This review will critically analyse current research into the effects of exercise

As humans begin to get older, there is a strong association between age change and the decline of cognition. This a concern that many individuals have as they start to get older, especially with the media coverage that Alzheimer’s disease has been getting. There are many causes of this decline, and it often varies highly between individuals based on their lifestyle and physical activity level (Brown AK, Liu-Ambrose T, Tate R, Lord SR, 2009). Degenerate diseases such as Alzheimer’s can also be a major cause of cognitive decline and are common in elderly populations. There are many who are looking to improve or maintain their cognitive abilities or those of a loved one, as there is an expectation that even in old age, one should be as physically and mentally fit as they can be. The human brain is very adaptive and has the capability to improve functioning even if it has been impaired (Vas, A. K., Spence, J., & Chapman, S. B. ,2015). I am looking to see if cognitive training can improve these basic brain functions in the elderly.

In the previous chapters, we discussed the effects of different types of physical activity and exercise training on prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s’ disease. We will now discuss the effects of cognitive training on improving the general and specific cognitive abilities of Alzheimer’s disease patients by initially focusing on the studies using cognitive training alone as a therapeutic intervention, and subsequently, contrasting the efficacy of this intervention against the combined physical activity and cognitive training protocol.

The articles by Erikson et al., Gatz, Korol et al., and Draganski et al. explore the concept of increased physical activity and/or mental activity having effects on the cognitive function and development or deterioration of the brain as we age. Although I agree that physical exercise is critical in increasing cognitive function because of the health benefits it provides, as well as the increased blood flow and circulation throughout the body, I ultimately believe that a healthy brain is not achieved solely by physical exercise or mental exercise, but both. I think there is a link between physical and mental exercise, and that the combination of these two activities creates higher cognitive functioning of the mind as well as the body. The mind and body come together and meet to make an overall healthy individual.