Dementia
By: Vicky Zakrzewski
M/F 9:25
Human Exceptionalities
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Statistics
S In 2008, there are currently 29.8 million people with
dementia, with the number expected to be 81.1
million by 2050.
S It is estimated there will be 4.6 million new cases of
dementia every year (one new case every 7 seconds).
The number of people affected will double every 20
years to 81.1 million by 2040.
What is Dementia
S Loss of mental skills that effect your daily life
S Causes problems with your memory and how well
you think and plan
S Most common forms are Alzheimer’s disease and
multi-infarct dementia
S Coined from the Latin words de – meaning apart
or away and mens meaning mind
Causes
S Strokes, tumors, head injuries
S Diseases such as Parkinson’s
S Underactive thyroid gland
S Not enough B12
S Fluid buildup in the brain
Symptoms
S Memory loss is the biggest factor and warning sign
S Getting lost in places you are familiar with
S For get people they know and their names
S Can’t control their moods often are depressed
S Trouble balancing a check book or calculating things
S Trouble bathing and grooming themselves
S Repeating the same question over again
S Loss of coordination and basic motor function
Diagnosed
S Doctor gives you a physical exam
S Mini mental state examination (MMSE)
S Abbreviated mental test score (AMTS)
S Series of blood tests
S MRI and CT scans
S Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination to distinguish it from
Alzheimer's disease
Types
S Most Common: Alzheimer’s disease, Binswanger’s
disease, Pick’s disease
S Less Common: Creutzfelt-Jakob disease, Huntington’s
disease, Parkinson’s disease
Effected Brain
Treatment
S Less than 10% of dementia cases are reversible
S Take vitamins such as B12
S Take medicine to treat depression
S When it can not be reversed the doctor will prescribe these
medications to make it easier for the patient:
S Aricept® (donepezil
S Cognex® (tacrine)
Challenges Caregivers Face
S If the loved one is able to continue driving
S Financial and Legal planning such as what they wish to
do with their medical plan, and will
S Whether it’s time their loved one should be placed in a
nursing home
Care Givers Need Breaks
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Local Resources
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Respite Care -Publicly or Privately paid temporary care (relieves primary
care giver to do errands or just "get away for a while"). -Friends and
relatives often provide this even when they are unable or unwilling to share
primary care responsibilities
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.Adult Day Care -Private programs that provide a safe, structured setting
that helps maintain functioning in the affected relative (also respite for the
care giver)
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Adult Foster Care -Private individuals or non-profit organizations
maintain houses and provide care for one or more impaired persons (person
must generally be able to perform most self-care functions).
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Meals on WheelsCase Manager and Service Coordinator -In recent years a
number of people, often social workers, assist the families of cognitively
and/or physically impaired persons with identifying and coordinating
needed services
Video
S http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=dementia&ei
=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-701&tnr=21&vid=0001806360170
Work Cited
S http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/what-is-dementia/
S http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/seniors/
mental-health/662.html
S http://www.pharmacy-and-
drugs.com/Neurological_disorder/Dementia.html
S http://www.ncpamd.com/dementia.htm