Effects Of Dementia On The Brain Essay

However, modern America has become somewhat of a wasteland trashed with fast-food chains at every corner and tobacco companies luring unsuspecting customers into an unhealthy addiction, so keeping a healthy lifestyle can be somewhat troublesome. If we wish to change this, we have to show citizens first hand accounts of the life-altering effects of dementia. Take my grandfather for instance, after about 30+ years of his father running their family owned car business, he took it over and ran it for another 40+ years until he was afflicted with vascular dementia after a bypass surgery about ten years ago. Watkins Automobiles, the business, was his lively-hood, he cherished waking up every morning and going to work just so he could see another happy customer walk off the lot with a car. Little did he know, little did any of us know, that his world would come crashing down. I remember it clearly, I was in Hawaii around six years of age when my mom got the call. "Your grandfather just had a heart-attack," my heart sunk. Here I am eight or so hours away and all I could do was wait for a phone

Dementia is a weakening in the mental ability (a sign of this may be asking the same question frequently) which affects the memory and many other aspects of the brain which causes difficulty with thinking, problem solving and concentration it is also the result of the death of multiple brain cells.

Dementia is a term used to describe the symptoms of a number of illnesses which effect the function of the brain. It is an umbrella term describing the progressive decline in a person’s cognitive ability. The type and severity of symptoms varies with each type of dementia and is usually has a gradual onset, is progressive and irreversible. (1)

This assignment is going to outline possible effects of dementia on an individual’s health and quality of life. There are many different factors that having dementia will effect. As stated above some will affect the health of the person and others will affect the quality of life that the person will have.

Dementia describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. These changes are often small to start with, but for someone with dementia they have become severe enough to affect daily life.

The definition of Dementia is “a general term for loss of memory and other mental abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life. It is caused by physical changes in the brain.” (Common Types of Dementia, 2012). The first manifestations of Dementia

Dementia is a term used to describe symptoms associated with decline in memory or other

Doctors typically would find out about the patients medical history before diagnosing them with Dementia, finding any possible risks that would increase a patient’s chance of having

The nervous system is a multiplexed body system that controls most other body systems directly or indirectly by sending and receiving signals through a complex system of nerves. As a whole, the nervous system can be broken down into the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS is composed of the brain and spinal cord while the PNS is composed of peripheral nerves that branch off of the spinal cord and continue to branch to reach the most distal points of the limbs. The PNS can be further broken down into the afferent and efferent division. The afferent division deals with information brought to the CNS from the nerve receptors. Furthermore, the afferent division breaks down into somatic sensory receptors whose

Dementia is characterized as a condition where the mental processes of cognition and memory start to deteriorate. It is described as a syndrome that hinders the daily lives of those who have it and is characterized by memory and thinking impairment. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s Disease and the second most common is vascular dementia. Dementia is a syndrome occurring usually, but not limited, to people over the age of 40 and is due to brain damage caused by natural deteriorating, stroke or can be brought on by factors such as excessive drinking or drug abuse. Dementia is best cared for in its early stages and, therefore, an early diagnosis is essential. Recognizing the symptoms by both the dementia patient and the

Dementia was the leading cause of burden in older Australians in 2011 and the second leading cause of death in Australia in 2013, making it a national health priority (1, 2). Timely diagnosis of dementia is essential, as pertinent issues such as options for pharmacological management, prognosis and Advanced Care Planning (ACP) can be addressed (3, 4). Despite this, multiple barriers hinder timely dementia diagnosis, ranging from lack of knowledge in recognising dementia symptoms and time constraints among medical professionals, to fear of stigma, thus resulting in delayed diagnosis (5, 6).

One of the first rules of science is correlation is not causation. This simply means that finding the cause to an effect can be very difficult. Dementia is a group of symptoms not one disease that causes loss and impairment in memory, thinking, and social abilities that severely impacts quality of life1. The most common cause of progressive dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Because dementia covers so many symptoms, it is difficult to study in comparison to other psychological disorders. One link that seems to be lightly touched upon is the similarities of dementia and depression. Mayo Clinic would describe depression as “a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.”

This assignment critically discusses about dementia, a widespread disability among older adults today. It provides an introduction to dementia and analyses its prevalence in society. The various forms of dementias are elaborated with description about dysfunctions and symptoms. Nursing Assessment and Interventions are provided in the further sections which discusses about actions nurses should take on while evaluating patients and treating them. Finally, communication, an important Activity of Daily Living (ADL) is explored and patient/carer advice is presented so as to maintain good health conditions in the patient.

Delirium, Depression, and Dementia are some of the most common psychological diagnoses in the elderly today. The three D’s are difficult to differentiate between in older adults because they overlap with each other and can all exist in the same patient at once. Delirium, Dementia, and Depression all affect the elderly’s quality of life and often increase the risks for one another (Downing, Caprio & Lyness, 2013). For the purpose of this paper I will be focusing primarily on the diagnosis of Dementia, the prevention, and nursing measures associated with it, but first I would like to differentiate between Delirium and Depression because Dementia is often associated with the two in the older adult population.

Dementia is a "clinical syndrome, or condition that presents several different symptoms of which memory problems and impaired intellectual functioning are the hallmark" (Lillrank). Dementia is actually a term used to describe a wide range of symptoms. Two of the most common types of dementia are: Vascular dementia and Alzheimer's. Some symptoms of dementia include loss of short-term memory. Other initial manifestations can include confusion,