Unit 533 Understand the Process and Experience of Dementia

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

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

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

Vascular dementia is the first form of dementia, which is caused by damage to the brain through deprivation of oxygenated blood. If areas of the brain are not getting oxygen then part of it will die causing the vascular dementia.

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.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a form of dementia which shares characteristics with both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. It accounts for around 10% of all cases of dementia in older people and tends to be under-diagnosed. 
Named after the doctor who first identified them in 1912, Lewy bodies are tiny, spherical protein deposits found in nerve cells. Their presence in the brain disrupts the brain’s normal functioning, interrupting the action of important chemical messengers. Lewy bodies are also found in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological disease that affects movement. 
Dementia with Lewy bodies is

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.

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:

This is the most common cause of dementia. During the course of the disease, the chemistry and structure of the brain changes, leading to the death of brain cells.

Receiving an early diagnosis is better for the Alzheimer’s patient. An early diagnosis helps families plan for the future, make arrangements, care of financial matters, and develop support networks. Developing the disease early provides a greater opportunity to get involved with clinical trials. Diagnosing the disease early prolongs the time a patient can be managed at home (“A Treatment Overview of Alzheimer’s Disease”). Early diagnosis can help retain function in the victim for months to years (“Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet” 4). With an early diagnosis, scientists can start finding the best treatment for the victim (“A Treatment Overview of Alzheimer’s Disease” 1). Doctors find the patients tolerance for medicines and therapies with an early diagnosis. Doctors also ask the patients opinions and preferences when the patients are first diagnosed.

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

Alzheimer’s disease is a very slowly progressive disease that occurs inside the brain in which is characterized by damage of memory. Also this type of disease can lead into interruption in language, problem solving, planning and perception. The chance of a person developing Alzheimer’s disease increases enormously after the age of 70 (Crystal, 2009). Also people who are over the age of 85 have over a 50 percent chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This type of disease is not at all normal in the aging process and is also not something that happens out of no where in a person’s life.

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:

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