What is dementia, how does it occur and how to treat it: Elixir✓

Dementia is a term used to describe the process of declining mental abilities, which is severe enough to interfere with daily life. Memory loss, or Alzheimer's disease, is the most common type of dementia.

If you want a more in-depth explanation of what dementia is, how dementia develops, and how dementia treatment looks, as well as care for a person with dementia – we will try to bring this condition closer to you in the following sections and present everything that may be of interest to you regarding dementia.

What is dementia?

Dementia is not a disease but a term that describes a group of symptoms related to memory loss and other skills important for thinking, which impair a person's ability to perform daily activities. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia (60 to 80% of dementia cases are Alzheimer's).

Vascular dementia, which is a result of a stroke, is the second most common type of dementia. There are also other conditions responsible for the appearance of dementia symptoms, such as vitamin deficiencies in the body or thyroid problems. However, dementia most commonly appears as a condition typical of Alzheimer's disease and after a stroke.

What are the symptoms of dementia?

Dementia symptoms can vary significantly from person to person and from condition to condition. However, to conclude that a person has dementia, they must have at least two symptoms from the following list:

• Memory loss
• Disorders in communication and language skills
• Impaired ability to focus and pay attention
• Disorders in reasoning and judgment
• Changes in visual perception

Demented individuals may have short-term memory problems, issues with caring for items such as a bag and wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing food, remembering scheduled times, and losing things.

Many dementias are progressive, meaning that symptoms manifest slowly and become worse and more frequent over time. Therefore, it is important to visit a doctor at the first signs of symptoms, rather than ignoring them. Early diagnosis can greatly impact the treatment of dementia, which we will discuss in detail in later sections.

Causes of dementia – how does dementia develop?

Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells. This damage causes problems with the communication between neurons (brain cells). When neurons cannot communicate normally with each other – thinking, behavior, and feelings can become problematic.

The brain has many distinct regions, each responsible for different functions (e.g., memory, judgment, and motor skills). When a neuron suffers damage in a particular region, that region cannot perform its function normally.

Different types of dementia are associated with different types of damage to cells in various brain regions. For example, in Alzheimer's disease, high levels of certain proteins inside and outside neurons make it difficult for brain cells to communicate with each other. The brain region responsible for memory is usually the first to be damaged. Therefore, memory loss is one of the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's.

While most brain changes are immediate and worsen over time, memory and reasoning problems caused by these conditions can improve over time, especially when their cause is:

• Depression
• Side effects
• Alcoholism
• Thyroid problems
• Vitamin deficiencies

Risks and prevention of dementia

Some risk factors, such as age and genetics, cannot be changed. Research continues to explore the extent to which other factors affect brain health and dementia prevention. Results from some studies suggest that prevention can be effective through care of cardiovascular and physical health, as well as improving diet.

It has also been shown that prevention through regular physical activity, avoiding active and passive smoking, and alcohol consumption can be effective. Risk factors also include: depression, social isolation, cognitive inactivity, and exposure to stressful situations.

Dementia diagnosis

Before we explore how dementia treatment works, it is important to understand how a dementia diagnosis is made. There is no test that can show someone has dementia. Doctors diagnose dementia based on a thorough examination, medical history, laboratory tests, and the characteristics of symptoms.

Doctors can determine with high certainty whether a person has dementia. However, it is difficult to diagnose the exact type of dementia, as symptoms and brain changes can vary and change.

In some cases, doctors may diagnose “dementia” but not specify the exact type. Therefore, a demented person should also see a specialist – a neurologist.

Dementia treatment and care for a person with dementia

When it comes to treatment, dementia is a very complex condition. Dementia treatment depends on its cause and type. In the case of the most progressive dementias, including Alzheimer's disease, there is no medication or treatment that can slow down or stop its progression. However, there are medications that can temporarily improve symptoms.

Generally, the same medications used for treating Alzheimer's are also used to alleviate symptoms of various types of dementia. Non-medication therapies can also help in treating dementia in certain cases.

Effective dementia treatment and progress in this field come from increasing research funding and participation in clinical trials. Therefore, we advise that every person with dementia should consider participating in verified, official clinical trials if the opportunity arises. This is the only way to advance in the treatment of dementia.

Care for a person with dementia – assistance for a person with dementia is usually necessary

As demented individuals gradually lose many abilities necessary for performing daily activities, it is important to care for them and dedicate adequate attention.

Care for a person with dementia involves various activities. It can be simple when it is enough to spend quality time with the person with dementia. However, if dementia has progressed and there are more severe symptoms, assistance for a person with dementia may include activities such as: changing clothes, preparing and serving food, monitoring prescribed medications, and not leaving the person with dementia “to themselves” in general.

Today, it is rare for people to have enough time to fully devote themselves to caring for a person with dementia due to daily responsibilities, and living with a person with dementia can be challenging.

Therefore, it is important to educate yourself about dementia and understand it better. The Eliksir team offers professional home care for elderly and demented individuals and is here to provide all the necessary care for your loved ones.