Dementia, a disease that causes the brain to deteriorate over time, is no longer an inevitable part of aging. It can be prevented, slowed, and even reversed. There are at least 4 types of dementia: Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, mixed dementia, and Lewy body dementia. Each type differs in its symptoms as well as how they are treated.
Types of Dementia
As mentioned, there are different types of dementia. The first is Alzheimer’s disease. The second one is Vascular dementia. The third is mixed dementia. Lastly, there is Lewy body dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by memory loss. It’s a type of progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the brain and makes it difficult for someone to carry out daily tasks.
Vascular dementia is caused by diseases that block or damage blood vessels leading to the brain. This can lead to a stroke which causes vascular dementia-like symptoms such as cognitive impairment and impaired judgment.
Mixed dementia is when there are two types of conditions that cause symptoms like Alzheimer’s, vascular, or Lewy body dementia. The symptoms depend on what type you have. And lastly, Lewy body dementia causes changes in mood including depression or psychosis as well as visual hallucinations.
Causes of Dementia
Before knowing how to monitor dementia patients, you have to know that dementia can be caused by a head injury, stroke, and even heavy alcohol use. Additionally, a common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. In this case, the brain will gradually shrink until it begins to die. The process of death in the brain is known as neurodegeneration.
Symptoms of Dementia
To be able to monitor dementia accurately, you have to know that it is a progressive disease that becomes more and more disabling with time. The most common symptom of dementia is memory loss, which can be specific to certain activities, such as forgetting how to cook or how to drive.
Other symptoms include difficulty performing routine tasks, difficulty communicating and understanding others, hallucinations and delusions, mood swings, personality changes, and apathy.
Treatments for Dementia
It’s important to know that there is no cure for dementia. However, many symptoms can be treated and managed. If a patient has vascular dementia, it may be treated with medications to control high blood pressure or if they have Parkinson’s, it may be treated with medication to control tremors.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia, doesn’t have any treatments that can cure it. However, some medications and therapies may help relieve symptoms of the disease temporarily if you want to know how to monitor alzheimer’s disease well.
Treatment for dementia is a lifelong commitment and caregiving should also be a lifelong commitment. It’s helpful to get an understanding before anything happens and caretaker(s) will already know what they’ll need to prepare for their role in the person’s life.
In addition to that, it’s important to educate yourself on how the disease progresses over time so you’re better prepared for the changes ahead of time. With education and preparation, you’ll be able to better provide care when needed without worrying about how you’ll feel or handle each change as it comes along.
