What you Should Know about Dementia

Dementia is very common in adults over 65, and it affects not just the person with the condition, but also the people close to them. It is infamous in the way it affects so many seniors in their twilight years, and sometimes even earlier. Despite its normal severity and the lack of a complete cure, early diagnosis and proper care are often enough to mitigate its effects to a manageable level, to the point where affected seniors can lead happy and fulfilling lives. This is possible not just in their own homes, but also in our very own assisted living home.

What is Dementia?

The term generally refers to any mental decline sufficient to impair daily living. Dementia is chiefly seen in older adults, and is a result of brain cells incurring damage and not being able to communicate with one another. Dementia is a wide canopy covering a variety of diseases and memory loss types. A doctor can help you diagnose through tests, physical examination, medical history, and behavioral studies.

Signs and Symptoms

Dementia symptoms can vary with each person, based on which part of their brain is affected by the condition. Several signs allow for early detection, so that you can be warned if your loved one is ever affected, even when living at one of the several options for assisted living Long Beach has to offer. The Alzheimer’s Association has made a list of symptoms that are easy to check, which includes the following.

  • Confusion or disorientation
  • Memory loss
  • Social isolation
  • Difficulty picking the right words while writing or speaking
  • Vision problems
  • Changes in personality
  • Losing or misplacing objects
  • Having trouble with simple activities
  • Difficulty finishing daily tasks
  • Impaired judgment

Conditions That Cause Dementia

Brain diseases are one of the most common causes or dementia, destroying brain cells which are vital to reasoning, language, emotion, and memory. The following three conditions are the most prevalent roots of dementia.

  • Alzheimer’s Disease: Here, protein forms clumps among the person’s brain cells, preventing them from functioning in the right way. The cells are then destroyed, beginning at the reasoning and memory centers of the brain, and then moving on into the cerebral cortex, or the “thinking” part.
  • Lewy Body Dementia: Although a leading cause of dementia, LBD is a relatively new and unknown classification of dementia. Here too, protein clusters displace, disrupt, and destroy brain cells.
  • Vascular Dementia: Also called multi infarct dementia, this condition involves brain cell damage caused by arteries getting narrowed or blocked. The damage is irreversible, but with proper treatment, further progression can be halted.

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