DEMENTIA - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW By Dr Julie Taylor
normal daily function and routines. Dementia is diagnosed when your memory problems are so severe that they affect your daily life and ability to stick to your normal routine. You find it difficult to complete tasks that you are familiar with and others will notice that you are struggling. Why else might I have memory problems? There are other reasons why you may struggle with your memory. Emotional problems such as stress, anxiety or depression can make a person more forgetful. In older people, this is often mistaken for dementia. Thyroid problems, shortage of vitamin B12, drinking too much alcohol, head injuries and medication side effects are other causes of memory problems.
Dementia is an umbrella term given to around 200 different conditions that cause progressive problems with brain function. The most common types are Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy Body dementia, frontotemporal dementia and mixed dementia. Dementia can affect people at any age, but most commonly it affects people over 65 years. Everyone experiences dementia differently, but the most common symptoms are memory problems, difficulties processing information (cognitive impairment), problems with communicating and effects on mood and behaviour. Do I have dementia? Becoming forgetful can be a normal part of aging. As people get older, gradually changes occur in all parts of the body including the brain. You may find that you it takes
44
Can I prevent this from happening? Your brain is like any other part of you longer to learn new things, you the body – use it, stay physically might misplace things or you might and socially active and eat healthily not remember information as well to keep it healthy. as you used to. Every one of us ages differently. The extent to which we Use it or lose it. Exercising your experience these changes and the brain helps to keep it healthy. This point at which they become more could be something as simple as noticeable varies from person to using your non-dominant hand to person. About 40% of people over dial a phone number, playing games 65 years will have mild memory that challenge your brain, take up a problems. About 5-8% will develop new hobby or learn a new language. dementia. Even breaking your usual routine or Age-associated memory loss does not noticeably disrupt day to day living. You might have the occasional word finding problem but you can still hold a conversation. You might forget where you have put your keys on occasion. Mild cognitive impairment is a condition between normal aging and dementia. This means that you are experiencing problems with your memory, speaking and disorientation but not so severe to disrupt your
trying something you are not good at is a small challenge. Being physically active can reduce the risk of developing dementia, depression, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It doesn’t matter what you do to stay active; a walk in the park, dancing, swimming or something gentle like Tai Chi are all good choices. Go with someone to help keep yourself
