Question: What are some other types of Dementia? Answer: Parkinson's Disease, Lewy Body, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus.
Question: Isn't memory loss normal when someone gets older? Answer: It depends on the loss of a particular item's function or way to use it, or no longer recognizing a personal relationship or face.
Question: What is Dementia? Answer: It is the loss of function in several areas of the brain particularly that of Language and Memory.
Question: What is Alzheimer's Disease? Answer: It is the gradual loss of brain cells as a result of the presence of plaques and tangles . It is a degerative , progressive illness without a cure-as it stands today.
Isn't memory loss normal when someone gets older? Some memory loss is normal. It depends on the cause, nature and extent of the memory loss, and the impact it has on an individual's daily activities and functioning.
If someone has problems with their memory, does that mean they have Alzheimer's disease? Not necessarily. A diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease requires a thorough evaluation of symptomes and a physical and mental health assessment and input from the patient's significant others and caregivers
What is dementia? Dementia is a disturbance, disruption and deterioration in normal mental functions that include: memory, judgment, use and comprehension of language, ability to comprehend and interpret external stimuli, performance of routine tasks, orientation to time, place and person, and general personality patterns. What is Alzheimer's disease? Alzheimer's Disease is a form of dementia that destroys cells in the brain. It usually starts with gradual memory loss but is followed by inability to communicate or understand thoughts and information, disorientation, confusion, and the inability to perform routine tasks and activities of daily living (eating, bathing, toileting oneself, dressing oneself).
What happens in the brain of someone with Alzheimer's disease? Abnormal structures in the brain known now as plaques and tangles interfer with the transmission of vital messages and information at the brain's synapses. This results in physical, mental, mood, and behavioral disturbances. Eventually brain cells deteriorate and are destroyed
What are some other types of dementia? Huntington's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Multi-Infarct Dementia, Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, Pick's Disease, and Lewy Body Disease.
Is there a cure for Alzheimer's disease? Not at the present time.
What happens over time when someone has Alzheimer's disease? Over the course of time, a person with Alzheimers Disease will experience increasing deterioration in vital mental functions such as memory, judgment, ability to use and comprehend verbal communication, increasing disorientation, difficulty in some physical movement, disturbance in mood and the performance of simple activities of daily living. He/she will require increasing supervision and care and may require skilled nursing and personal care in an institution, and possible end-of-life services such as in-home or residential hospice care.
o Isn't memory loss normal when someone gets older?
Some memory loss is normal as the brain ages, but dementia is not "normal".
o If someone has problems with their memory, does that mean they have Alzheimer's disease?
No, "problems with memory" can mean a lot of different things, not necessarily Alzheimer's disease. Forgetting someone's name, for example, is common as we age, and not necessarily Alzheimer's disease. Not recognizing your own daughter could be associated with Alzheimer's disease.
o Is there a cure for Alzheimer's disease?
Currently,there is no cure, although there is a lot of work towards a cure. There are a few medications to help slow the course of the disease. Some experts believe that they have programs to help stimulate the brain and improve functioning.
Dementia is like saying that someone has CANCER, it is a word that covers several types of cancer, DEMENTIA is like an umbrella, that has several different types of memory loss diseases. Some are reversable,ie(UTI) and more are non reversable. Speaking to someone with Dementia in simple sentences, and repeating it the same way as the first time, is the way one can understand and possibly understand. Fear of catching this diesease is not likely, understanding the causes and symtoms is understanding the first step. Knowing about it and educating others is the best way of sharing the knowledge of Dementia.
