The World Population Is Evolving Ageing And Cognitive Impairment ( Ci ) Is A Fast Growing Problem

Contrary to public belief, dementia is not one specific disease rather a range of symptoms that are associated with cognitive decline and a reduction in a person’s ability to remain active and independent. There was a time when dementia was referred to as “senility” or having “senior moments,” but these monikers suggest that dementia is a normal part of aging, and this concept simply isn’t accurate.

An estimated 47.5 million people suffer from dementia. Every 4 seconds one new case of dementia is diagnosed. Dementia is a term that describes certain symptoms such as impairment to memory, communication and thinking. It is a group of symptoms and not just one illness. Even though one‘s chance of getting dementia increase with age, it is not a part of aging. Dementia is usually diagnosed after a series of assessments that includes a physical evaluation, memory tests, imaging studies and blood work. It affects three aspects of one’s mental function, cognitive dysfunction (Problems with memory, language, thinking and problem solving), psychiatric behavior (changes in personality, emotional control, social behavior and delusions) and difficulties with daily living activities (driving, shopping, eating and dressing). “The median survival time in women is 4.6 years and in men 4.1 years” (Warren, 2016).

One of the most prominent and perhaps most feared condition associated with aging is dementia. The family of disorders can cause individuals to lose their mind, reducing one from being a complex, thinking, feeling human being to being confused and vegetative, unable to recognize their loved ones. Serious dementia affects nearly 37 million people globally, but predictions of how those numbers will change over the next few decades are conflicting (textbook). Although we know dementia as to do with damage to nerve cells in the brain, there are ongoing studies looking at correlations between other health issues and these types of diseases.

In times past many people thought that memory loss was a normal occurrence for elderly people. This thinking was major reason for why Alzheimer’s disease was not caught until very later in the stages. Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging. After heart disease, cancer, and strokes, Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of death in adults in the Western world. “It is estimated that 4.5 million Americans over the age of 65 are affected with this condition. After the age of 65, the incidence of the disease doubles every five years and, by age 85, it will affect nearly half of the population” (Robinson).

Throughout history there have been reports of decreased memory and mental deterioration that accompanied old age. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer who described the symptoms in a woman in Germany in the 1907 but it was not until the 1970’s that AD was considered to be a major disorder and AD continues to be a major health concern worldwide (Reger, 2002).

Dementia is a condition resulting from obtained brain disease and distinguished by progressive decay in memory and other cognitive fields such as judgment, abstract thinking, language, and executive functioning. This disease is usually caused by degeneration in the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for thoughts, memories, actions, and personality. Death of brain cells in this area leads to the impairments that distinguish dementia. Though the cognitive outline of single diagnosed with dementia vary somewhat by etiology, the degree of deterioration stands for a decrease from previous levels of cognitive functioning and is enough to impede with social and occupational functioning. This downfall is beyond what might be expected from normal aging in a person. It can cause impairment with everyday activities such as dressing, feeding, and bathing.

Dementia is a disease which causes mental debility and affects one’s way of intelligent, attentiveness, recollection and problem-solving (NHS, 2013). As a result of dysfunction of brain cells in some parts of the brain it affects the thinking process then dementia occurs and it usually comes with age (Ibid). It is estimated that 560

Dementia is a disease that has been characterized as a deficiency of permanent memory which leads to a decrease in recent memory that can interfere with the ability to engage in professional and social activities (Hamdy, Hamdy, Hudgins, & Piotrowski, 2014). Even recent studies have shown that dementia is not a part of the normal aging process, it has become a very serious and common condition among the older population. An estimated 35.6 million people, with 7.7 million cases diagnosed each year are affected with dementia according to the World Health Organization (WHO) (Hamdy, Hamdy, Hudgins, & Piotrowski, 2014).

The world population is aging and as this occurs, the prevalence of dementia will increase significantly (World Health Organization, 2012). Dementia is an illness in which a person’s memory and thinking decline, behavior changes increase, and the ability to perform everyday activities decline. Dementia mainly affects older people with 7.7 million new cases arising every year worldwide (World Health Organization, 2012). Currently, there are approximately 47.5 million people in the world with dementia and this is set to increase with the national ageing trends. According to World Health Organization (WHO) (2012), one of the most common types of dementia is Alzheimer 's disease which accounts for 60-70% of dementia cases. Increased disability and dependency is one of the major outcomes of dementia; it greatly impacts carers, families, and society physically, psychologically, socially, and economically. (World Health Organization, 2012).

Brain health is included and it is not uncommon for people to overlook the importance of feeding and exercising the brain properly, just as every other part of the body. There has been a sufficient amount of data to support techniques that will help in reducing the risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s in particular. Among these are increasing physical activity, receiving treatment for depression, quit smoking, control type two diabetes, have a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, fostering social engagement, control blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and participate in intellectually stimulating activities. The research currently documented does not necessarily state that these measures prevent Alzheimer’s directly, but rather enhance the overall health of people, which in return aids in preserving brain health as well. Research is continuously being conducted on Alzheimer’s and other related disorders of dementia, but for now the most widely accepted methods of prevention are becoming and staying healthy. Proper nutrition begins at an early age. It is easy for people to disregard the importance of their health when they are young since their choices are not typically directly affecting them. This is what needs to change. People need to be properly educated on the effects that their current life choices have on them in the future. The foods people eat, drugs people take, and overall lifestyle that people live will affect their overall

Dementia is “The loss of intellectual function, such as thinking and memory, which interferes with daily function. It is not a disease in itself, but a group of symptoms that may accompany a condition, all of which produce a gradual decline in intellectual function and almost always a significant deterioration of memory.”(Health Reference Center)

The dementia statistics Within the United States are not promising, there are at least 5 million people currently living with age-related dementias. As the population increases, these numbers are expected to rise. To put this into perspective, it’s

Over the centuries, the term dementia has evolved from one that described any change in intellect or judgement in the elderly, to a collection of cognitive and behavioral symptoms correlated with specific neuropathology. The aging process is thought to have three possible cognitive outcomes: (1) normal age related decline, which is often described as normal and healthy aging; (2) age associated memory impairment, which is not as severe and does not have all of the features of dementia; (3) dementia, for which there are many types (Christensen & O’Brien, 2000).

It is important to distinguish Alzheimer’s disease from mild cognitive impairment and normal dementia. There is a normal amount of forgetfulness that everyone experiences as their body and brain begin to age. However, the three disorders listed above are not part of the normal aging process. Dementia is a disorder of the mental processes caused by a brain disease or damage. It’s true that the most common form of dementia is because of Alzheimer’s disease, but it is important to note that this is not the only disease or illness that can cause dementia. Symptoms of dementia include, but are not limited to: loss of memory, impaired judgment, loss of communication skills, and disorientation. Many individuals with dementia also experience neuropsychiatric symptoms. In a study conducted by Lyketsos et al. (2002), they found that as many as 75% of the dementia participants

Cognitive aging is commonly labeled strictly as memory and only found in “some people”. However, this is not true. The knowledge of cognitive aging has grown immensely, but there is still much to be learned. The surface has only been scratched with many more questions to be answered. Cognitive aging is worthy of study and effects everyone, but there is also much more is still to be learned.