Dementia. One of the most heartbreaking diseases to ever exist. If you’ve ever had to deal with it firsthand, you’ll understand why. Last December, I lost my granny who had Alzheimer’s Disease; a form of dementia, distinguished by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline.
Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of Dementia, about 2 out of 3 people in the UK living with Dementia, have Alzheimer’s disease. The first sign is typically minor memory loss, like forgetting recent conversations, events, or names. However, minor memory loss is often disregarded as something that simply comes with age. But Alzheimer’s disease is not a ‘normal’ part of ageing. As the condition develops, there is more damage done to the brain, causing memory problems to become more severe and other symptoms to become more apparent. Things like, confusion, anxiety, speech problems, personality changes, and difficulty moving or carrying out everyday tasks.
For most people, Alzheimer’s disease starts in and around the part of the brain involved in memory. However, in some rarer cases the disease starts in a different part of the brain and causes a different set of symptoms. This is called ‘Atypical Alzheimer’s’ which affects 1 in 20 people with the disease. For example, posterior cortical atrophy is caused by Alzheimer’s in the back of the brain and mostly causes problems with vision. The cause of Dementia is rather complex, Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells. One of the proteins involved is called amyloid, deposits of which form plaques around brain cells. The other protein is called tau, which form tangles within brain cells. As these proteins build, the brain cells and neurotransmitters get severely damaged, until eventually the brain begins to shrink.
The other most common type of dementia is Vascular dementia which is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, which damages and kills off brain cells. This usually occurs after the narrowing of small blood vessels deep inside the brain, or it can happen after a stroke. Vascular dementia becomes more of a risk if a person smokes, drinks too much alcohol, has high blood pressure and/or cholesterol, or has diabetes (along with other things.)
With any type of dementia, age and genetic history plays a huge part on whether a person will develop the disease. People over the age of 65 are the most at risk for things like Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia, but it can happen much earlier. This is called early-onset dementia.
Understanding dementia is crucial for fostering a more compassionate and informed approach to this complex condition. It is vital that we understand that dementia isn’t just forgetting the odd thing here or there, but it can be a very frightening and disorienting thing for the person experiencing the disease. It can cause changes in the person’s personality and social behaviour, which can heighten tension and misunderstandings between themselves and loved ones. This is incredibly heartbreaking as a person with dementia may fail to recognise their own friends and family, which can cause them to be distressed in their company. Hence why it is strongly advised to seek help and advice from professional nurses and healthcare workers.
Back in February I raised money for Dementia UK, which is a charity that provide guidance and support to families that are caring for loved ones with dementia. Right now, in the UK there are only around 400 specialist nurses to support these families, however that is not enough to go around the 944,000 people living with Dementia. And with the diagnosis rates increasing annually, much more support is needed.
Sources:
https://www.nhs.uk/search/results?q=dementia
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/difference-between-dementia-alzheimers-disease#:~:text=Alzheimer’s%20disease%20is%20the%20most%20common%20cause%20of%20dementia.&text=Alzheimer’s%20disease%20starts%20in%20the,to%20be%20called%20’dementia’.
https://www.dementiauk.org/about-us/what-we-do/?_gl=1tce06c_up*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIg_D33fW6iAMVn5hQBh1lAB0yEAAYASAAEgIDWPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds