The Effect Of Dementia On Memory, Thinking, Language And Behavior

Dementia often includes symptoms such as memory loss, trouble doing normal everyday activities, and problem solving. Once the symptoms come, they will most likely stay. They will only become worse and worse over time, so it’s necessary to try and come to terms with the disease. Caregivers can try to make the person affected as comfortable as possible as their body is slowly transitioning. Because there is a loss of blood flow to the brain, signals that are necessary in order to keep the body functioning properly eventually stop being sent. The muscles will stop being sent signals to move, and sometimes the signal to breathe can even be stopped.

As a carer it is important how you come across to a person with dementia, they still have emotions and feelings. Your body language and facial expressions can be picked up on by the individual, if you let out a long sigh or raise your eyebrows or have a nasty look on your face then this will be abusive to them and they won’t trust you. Talk to them in a calm manner, hold their hand and smile at them, this will show the individual that you have a caring attitude and they will be better for it. If there are other people in the room who are maybe shouting or talking and laughing then this could cause a problem communicating with the person with dementia, too much noise will only frustrate the individual as they won’t be able to concentrate on any conversation.

Individuals with dementia have loss of communication or memory so they can be treated unfairly by carers or relatives because they may not have the capacity to challenge abuses or to report what has occurred. For example they can use offensive or insulting language.

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)

1.4 The impact the behaviours of carers and others may have on an individual with dementia include becoming more confused and frustrated as they do not understand what you are telling, are using body language that suggests something different to what you are saying. They may feel you are telling them off or

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.

Reckless behavior early in life can affect the rest of your life dramatically. Whether it is drinking too much, use of illegal drugs, or even just a simple vehicle accident, it can cause brain damage which can lead to dementia. Dementia isn’t necessarily a disease but rather terminology to describe a set of symptoms. “Severe impairment in intellectual capacity and personality, often due to damage to the brain” (Gazzaniga, Grison, & Heatherton, 2015). In other words, dementia comes with an inability to process surroundings, a difference in character, and, depending in severity, complete memory loss. This loss is because nerve cells in the parts of the brain that are responsible for cognition, like the cerebellum (Molinari, 2002), have been damaged and can no longer function normally. There are many types of dementia, such as, Alzheimer’s, the most common, as well as many others that differ in symptoms. Though many kinds of dementia normally end in pain, suffering and often death, there is no cure. Dementia is a neurocognitive disorder that can affects one’s life drastically, because of memory loss, an inability to preform everyday activities, and personality changes.

The impact of dementia is a mounting global health problem and through worldwide education the incidence and prevalence can be diminished. Global education is critical with the projected dementia incidence, the lack awareness and understanding of dementia, no dementia cure and the associated stigma. These factors combined have a major impact on the person with dementia and society. No solo country, sector or organisation can encounter this global health problem by themselves.

Dementia is a syndrome, which is usually of a chronic or progressive nature, which causes deterioration in cognitive function. It goes beyond what is expected from normal aging. It causes changes in what you remember, like appointments, or phone numbers. It may cause you to get lost in a familiar setting like driving to the grocery store. You may not be able to balance your checkbook or add up your points in a card game. Communication becomes difficult; as you cannot find the words you want to say. Your personality may change, you may become paranoid, be crabby or short tempered, and you may say or do inappropriate things or laugh when nothing is funny. Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people

A major issue for caregivers is that neither the patient nor the caregiver can pinpoint the exact symptoms of the disease. For instance, the patient will experience common lapses in memory and thus will not be able to carry out the everyday tasks like he used to. As stated earlier, many caregivers overlook these mild signs and do not realize that the disease is present until it gets worse.It should also be noted that many people fear the fact that they might have dementia. The people who have remarkable social skills therefore are very well at hiding their memory loss. (Powers, 2003) Being fearful about one's situation can cause restlessness and feeling of despair. If the caregivers are too blunt about the disease, the patient can even go on to commit suicide because of his condition.

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.

Agitation is often managed with the use of medications or restraints. The implementation of these methods can cause both psychological and physiological problems. Medications given to a person with brain damage can lead to unpredictable responses. It has been found that specifically, Benzodiazepine medications, which often result in sedation or relaxation can cause agitation, insomnia or aggression in those patients with Dementia. The treatment then for these behaviors is usually more sedative drugs; thus continuing a vicious cycle of unresolved behavior. Other side effects common in sedatives are confusion, disorientation, and blurred vision; resulting in safety concerns for the individual. Improvement in communication and modification in

This will affect their day-to-day life and they may have to adapt how they do things or relay on other people to complete everyday tasks and activities. When treating a patient with dementia it is often necessary to approach the situation in such a way to reduce the impact of these practical difficulties which will help the patient maintain a sense of normality. This will also help the patient feel independent and maintain their self-esteem. An example of this would be: contacting the patients doctor and organising a home visit from the patient. It could also be helpful to document when the doctor is attending so the patient will be reminded in case they forget the

While caregiving for an older adult may be demanding in general, caring for a loved one with dementia potentially can be even more strenuous due to the nature of the illness. Dementia is “associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person 's ability to perform everyday