Pathophysiology Of Dementia Essay

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

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)

Dementia can be defined as a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life (alz.org). More than often, individuals affected by dementia are over the age of 65. In the United States, there are more than three million cases of dementia each year. According to World Health Organization, the number of people living with dementia is currently estimated at 47.5 million worldwide and is expected to increase to 75.6 million by 2030 (World Health Organization 2015). Dementia is caused by physical modifications in the brain and is known for loss of memory and mental abilities. It’s a progressive disease which means it gets worse over time. If diagnosed early on, the quality of life for people with dementia as well as their family members can be significantly improved. There are many different types of dementias although some are far more reciprocal than others. One of the most common types of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Other few types of dementias are “Vascular dementia, Mixed dementia, Parkinson 's disease and Frontotemporal dementia (Krishnan, D. S)”. All of the various forms of dementia tend to have similar symptoms which consequently makes it hard to determine the type of dementia a patient may be suffering from.

There are many reasons that Mrs. Yowell may have impaired mental functioning (see Table 1). The first and easiest reason to rule out would be a urinary tract infection (UTI). A urine sample can show if there are white blood cells (indicating infection) present in the urine. The increased levels of bacteria in an elderly person’s body can cause toxicity which leads to the altered mental status (Midthun, 2004). Most noted changes are confusion, agitation and lethargy.

This essay will aim to introduce the term dementia including the types, causes, prevalence, young onset and models of care. This essay will continue to address what skill could be implemented to provide person centred care with understanding of health promotion and recovery concepts.

The primary audience for this article is those affected by Alzheimer’s Syndrome, their family members that are seeking more detailed information, care takers, neurosurgeons, cardiovascular physicians, nursing professionals, nursing students, college professors and educators. The secondary audience would consist of hospital staff that did not attend presentation. According to the National institute of Health, “Age is the primary risk factor for developing dementia. For that reason the number of people living with dementia could double in the next 40 years with an increase in the number of Americans who are age 65 or older- from 40 million today to more than 88 million in 2050. Regardless of the form of dementia, the personal economic and societal demands can be devastating”

It is truly amazing how such simple things can drastically change the life of an individual suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia. Who would have thought something so simple as a doll could benefit in so many different ways. What a wonderful idea to give them a sense of responsibility and make them once again feel needed .The pet is also a great idea to allow them to reminisce about their past memories of an animal they may have had in their past. Allowing them to participate in simple chores is a great way for them to become engaged and allow them to feel independent, helpful, and needed. They must love being able to tend to household chores as they once did before the onset of the disease. You are blessed to have experience in this field

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

Alzheimer disorder is an major nervous condition that present in irreparable loss of neuron in the cortex and hippocampus of the brain. The recurrence of the disease is 7% of people above 65 years old and 40% of individual above 80 years old. Patients commonly have issues in decision making, remembrance, and judgment. Pathological lineaments are specified as loss of neuron, extracellular senile plaques include peptide β-amyloid. Diagnosis is established on neurological feedback to rule out other reasons by using autopsy. Dopamine as neurotransmitter has an important part in etiology of Alzheimer disease and it is reduced in this disease.[3]

Dementia is a disease that does not discriminate against gender, race, or nationality. It affects individuals, their families, and caregivers each day by testing their strength and patience. Within the category of dementia there is a subtype called Multi-Infarct Dementia. MID is a disease that affects around 30% of individuals over the age of sixty-five (Al-Adawi, 2014). The individuals with MID have damage to their brain which causes many different symptoms to occur. When the symptoms are noticed, the specific type of dementia may be hard to diagnose, and the treatments cannot reverse brain damage. As MID progresses, the individual’s cognitive functions deteriorate, so the care and patience these individuals once shared with others will have

Due to the inconsistency between studies there is no definitive exercise dosage or type that can aid in protection against dementia. However, from the evidence provided it suggests that higher levels of exercise can be used as a neuroprotective mechanism to prevent the onset of

Most of the patients with Alzheimer’s disease are people of age 65 years and above. It is therefore, believed that age is an environmental factor that increases the risk of Alzheimer’s development. Even though it is not proven scientifically, the statisticians have reported half of the people over the age of 80 having Alzheimer’s disease (Causes and Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease., n.d.). Other risk factors that may lead to the disease development are; smoking, Hypertension, accumulation of cholesterol in the body, poorly controlled diabetes, lack of social engagement, lack of exercise and mild cognitive impairment.

Today, with the researched help of different organizations and hospitals that I will use and site throughout this paper, I am exploring the broad subject of Dementia and the different categories that come with having this detrimental disease.

The disease that I have chosen to research related to elder health is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is particularly interesting to me because my grandpa is currently suffering from this disease. I have seen how the disease completely takes over the person and how rapidly the patient declines over time. It is heartbreaking and I hope someone finds a cure for this horrible disease soon. Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be caused by a mixture of environmental, lifestyle, and genetic factors. In a patient with Alzheimer’s, the brain has abnormal areas with clumps and bundles of abnormal proteins, which damage connections between the brain cells. (Alzheimer’s Disease)

Dementia is a broad term used to describe a various amount of diseases that are associated with the decline in the mental state. One of the most common forms of dementia is Alzheimers. It is the main culprit for almost half the cases of dementia seen in patients (O’ Shea, 2007). Other common forms of dementia include vascular dementia, mixed dementia and lewy body dementia. The more uncommon forms of dementia include picks disease, creutzfeldt-jacob disease, parkinsons and huntington disease. There is no specific cause for dementia. There have been more cases each year of younger patients below the age of 65 years old with the disease which shows that old age is not the only factor in the deteriation of the human