Unit 533 Understand the Process and Experience of Dementia

There are several causes of dementia some of them are; a stroke, brain disease, MS, certain medications, shrinkage of the brain, too many opiates over a long period of time and severe alcoholism

However early diagnosis can give access to treatment and allow planning of future care. It helps families to come to terms with the prognosis. However it can produce fear or even denial. The individual and family will require a good source of information and support emotionally, physically and financially.

There are many different forms of dementia and each has its own cause. Some of the main type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia affecting 50%-70% of dementia patients (Alzheimer's australia, 2005). This is a degenerative illness which attacks the brain, this is achieved buy tangles which are in the middle of shrunken brain cells and plaques which eventually cause the brain cells to die meaning information can no longer be recalled or assimilated. There are also other types of dementia which include vascular dementia which is caused by circulation of the blood to the brain, Parkinson’s disease which is a disorder of the

Dementia syndrome is a combination of conditions, which are sometimes called a mixed dementia. Causes of dementia are:

If the oxygen supply to the brain fails, brain cells may die. The symptoms of vascular dementia can occur either suddenly, following a stroke, or over time, through a series of small strokes.

The difference between these types depends on what has caused the damage in the brain and which part of the brain has been damaged.
Common signs and symptoms of vascular dementia may include:

If one of our service users are diagnosed early enough it can give them a lot more options in the way of treatments and medication, it can

Dementia affects the brain by stopping communication between the nerve cells causing them to die which will have an impact in the way the brain works.

Scientists do not know exactly what causes Alzheimer’s, but scientists say the disease develops a complex series of events that take place in the brain over a long period of time (3). Alzheimer’s is known to cause dementia with older people. Dementia is the loss of thinking, remembering, and reasoning.

Vascular Dementia can occur after a person has a stroke due to major blood vessels being blocked.

Having an immediate family member who has this form of dementia may increase your risk of getting it.

I have found that each patient has innate wisdom and a sense of readiness for certain experiences. What inspires readiness for treatment is deep listening, appreciation, and empathy.

Although some kinds of memory loss are very normal in the aging process, the changes that are caused by aging are not that extreme enough to conflict with it. A number of certain diseases and conditions can cause dementia. These conditions and diseases consist of Parkinson’s disease, strokes, brain tumors, blood clots and Multiple Sclerosis, but the most common disease to cause this is Alzheimer’s disease (Crystal, 2009).

Here, patients experience isolation from their own families, peers and eventually, their community.”3 I personally had a colleague before that had acquired this disease unknowingly, and due to this “shame” that she carries, she hid under the declaration that her sickness was cancer. She was forced to resign the moment that rumors spread and reached top management, for fear that

Participants mentioned the support of colleagues, appreciation from patients as well as past experiences and previous education seems to help in order for them to cope. They say: