Unit 13. Dementia awareness

by staceymartin87 (student)

Unit 13. Dementia Awareness

Explain what is meant by the term 'Dementia'.

Dementia, meaning “deprived of mind” is a serious cognitive disorder, It is the result of a unique global brain injury or progressive disease, resulting in long-term damage or disease in the body beyond what might be expected from normal ageing. It is a common condition. In England alone there are currently 570,000 people living with dementia.

Although dementia is far more common in the elderly, it can happen in any stage of adulthood.

The decline is the result of damage caused to the brain by specific brain diseases, or by a trauma within the brain such as a stroke. Memory loss is the most common feature of dementia, and it is the memory of recent events that is affected first. Disorientation and confusion regarding time, place and direction. A person with dementia may not be aware of the time, date or day, they can be lost in familiar places such as their own home or street. Difficulties in performing familiar tasks such as the steps involved in getting dressed can be lost. Verbal communication can also become difficult, as a person with dementia may frequently forget simple words or substitute inappropriate words in their place. Difficulties with perception, abstract thinking, judgement and changes in behaviour are all experienced by a person with dementia.

Describe the key functions of the brain that are affected by dementia.

Temporal lobe is responsible for vision, memory, language, hearing, and learning.

Frontal lobe is responsible for decision making, problem solving, control behaviour and emotions.

Parietal lobe is responsible for sensory information from the body, also where letters are formed, putting things in order and spatial awareness.

Occipital lobe is responsible for processing information related to vision.

Cerebrum lobe is the biggest part of the brain, its role is memory, attention, thought, and our consciousness, senses and movement.

Hippocampus is responsible for memory forming, organizing, storing and emotions.

1. Explain why depression, delirium and age related memory impairment may be mistaken for dementia.

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Occipital lobe is responsible for processing information related to vision.

Cerebrum lobe is the biggest part of the brain, its role is memory, attention, thought, and our consciousness, senses and movement.

Hippocampus is responsible for memory forming, organizing, storing and emotions.

1. Explain why depression, delirium and age related memory impairment may be mistaken for dementia.

Depression can cause a person to be unable to retain any new information, they can become aggressive or withdrawn, as does a person with Alzheimer's, but with antidepressants and time they may be able to use their recall in time. Delirium can look like dementia as it can affect the way a person thinks and rationalises things. They can lose their ability to function and communicate properly. Age related impairment can usually be noticed between the ages of 50 and 70 years. A person can become confused with a minor complaint or infection, plus the memory naturally grows tired with age.

1. Outline the medical model of dementia.

The medical model focuses on the impairment as the problem and focuses on a cure, these may be dependency, restriction of choice, dis-empowering and devaluing individuals.

Outline the social model of dementia.

This is personal centred, focusing on the rights of the individual, in turn empowering the individual, promoting independence, giving choice and looking at what the individual is able to do.

Explain why dementia should be viewed as a disability.

Individuals who have dementia are not aware of requirements for living. They can forget to do the essential things that are vital. Taking medicines, hygiene and even eating are often forgotten.

They can get lost or hurt and not understand what is necessary to correct a situation. Individuals cannot act in the manner of a responsible adult which is why dementia should be viewed as a disability.

List the most common causes of dementia.

The most common causes of dementia are:

1. Alzheimer disease

2. Vascular dementia

3. Parkinson disease

4. Lewy body dementia

Describe the likely signs and symptoms of the most common causes of dementia.

The most likely signs and symptoms are:

1. Memory loss

2. Disorientation to time and place

3. Neglect of personal care and safety

4. Inappropriate behaviour

5. Loss of communication skills

Explain the risk factors for the most common causes of dementia.

Age is the greatest risk factor for dementia. Dementia affects one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in six over the age of 80. However, Alzheimer's is not restricted to elderly people: im the UK, there are estimated 16,000 people under the age of 65 with dementia.

Having a parent or other close relative with dementia can make your own chance or developing it slightly higher than someone who does not have a relative with dementia. This risk is minor. In some extremely rare cases, dementia is actually caused by an inherited genetic defect. This includes some early-onset types of Alzheimer's disease.

High blood pressure increases the risk of developing both vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

People who have Down's syndrome are at particular risk of developing Alzheimer's disease as the grow older. This risk increases with age. Approximately one third of people with Down's syndrome in their 50's have Alzheimer's disease, and over half of people with Down's syndrome in their 60's.

High blood cholesterol levels increase alcohol-related dementia and korsafoff's syndrome can result directly from excessive consumption of alcohol (more than three to five units per day) over a long period of time. Furthermore, heavy drinking can increase the risk of vascular dementia.

Identify prevalence rates for different types of dementia.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting around 417,000 people in the UK. Approximately 98% of people with Alzheimer's disease are over the age of 65, and the risk or developing Alzheimer's disease increases with age. Alzheimer's disease can also develop in younger people, although this is quite rare, it affects approximately 5,000 people under the age of 65 in the UK.

Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia, affecting approximately 112,000 people in the UK. The risk of vascular dementia increases with age, but it's one of the most common types of dementia among the 15,000 younger people with dementia in the UK.

Dementia with Lewy bodies affects approximately 25,000 people in the UK, as with all forms of dementia it is more prevalent in people over the age of 65, but in rare cases people under 65 may also develop Lewy body dementia.

Fronto-temporal dementia is a relatively rare type of dementia, affecting approximately 11,000 people in the UK. Fronto-temporal dementia is more likely to affect people under the age of 65.

Parkinson's dementia affects approximately 12,000 people in the UK, while most people with Parkinson's disease do not develop dementia, 15-30% of people with Parkinson's disease will develop a type of dementia closely resembling dementia with Lewy bodies.

Although Parkinson's disease is more common in older people, 1 out of every 20 people diagnosed in the UK are under 40. Studies indicate that the longer a person has lived with Parkinson's disease, the more likely it is they will experience some form of cognitive impairment.

Describe how different individuals may experience living with dementia depending on age, type of dementia and level of ability or disability.

People who are living with dementia in earlier age such as 60's-70's are less dependable than people living with dementia at the age of over 70's or 80's. People have different stamina in different ages, so the ability and disability fluctuated and level of support are varied as well.

Outline the impact that the attitudes and behaviours of others may have on an individual with dementia.

Individuals with dementia need routine in their life, if their routine is disrupted by others it could affect how they live. It could also effect their self esteem and if the carer did not understand that the individual needs routine and structure in place it can be dangerous which can the lead to the carer shouting at the person or other forms of abuse, also without support mechanisms in place the individual with dementia would lose the ability to function and could therefore speed up their deterioration of the disease.