Later life Dementia
dementia? What is
According to the NHS there are thought to be more than 850,000 people currently living with dementia in the UK. But what is dementia exactly?
According to the charity Dementia UK, dementia is what happens when nerve cells in the brain become damaged. This means the nerve cells can’t communicate with each other effectively, which prevents the body from functioning normally. Dementia isn’t a single condition but an umbrella term for
a range of progressive neurological disorders that affect the brain and how it works. Indeed there are more than 200 different types of dementia: Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia make up the vast majority of cases, with dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia the next most common. Each person diagnosed will experience dementia in their
own way, but one of the most common symptoms is memory loss. And while dementia can affect anyone of any age, it’s more commonly diagnosed in people aged 65 and older. That’s why the NHS recommends that people over the age of 65 who are becoming increasingly forgetful should talk to their GP about the early signs of dementia.
Here are some of the symptoms for the four most common types of dementia:
Alzheimer’s disease • Progressive memory loss • Forgetting familiar names • Slow, muddled or repetitive speech • Confusion, difficulty following a conversation, mood swings and becoming withdrawn are other early symptoms
• Withdrawal from family and friends
Vascular dementia • Slowness of thought • Mood or behavioural changes • Difficulties with understanding • Inability to concentrate • Memory loss (although this isn’t always a common early symptom)
Frontotemporal dementia • Behaviour or personality changes • Problems with mental abilities • Language problems (such as speaking slowly or getting words mixed up)
• Problems with planning and organisation • Memory problems (though this tends to happen later on)
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) • Problems with understanding, thinking, memory and judgement
• Slow movement • Tremors (uncontrollable shaking) • Confusion or sleepiness alternating with periods of alertness
• Seeing things that aren’t there (visual hallucinations, often of people or animals)
• Fainting, falling, or having funny turns 42 All About health
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
