The greatest ¶²¤ì¤ë for people is that they may end their days slipping into dementia
What ´Ø¿´s you most about your ̤Íè health??
Chances are it is not the ¾ò·ï of your heart or even the ´í¸± of ´â.?
Today, the greatest ¶²¤ì¤ë for people is that they may end their days slipping into dementia.
The idea of losing »ÙÇۡʤ¹¤ë¡Ë¡¿ÅýÀ©¤¹¤ë of one¡Çs thoughts or ¸ºß unable to remember loved ones ¸¶°ø¡Ê¤È¤Ê¤ë¡Ës Íý²ò¤Ç¤¤ë ¶ìǺ, and it happens to an Áý²Ã¤¹¤ëing number of people.
¤Ë¤è¤ì¤Ð the Alzheimer¡Çs Society there are already more than 800,000 people with dementia in the UK and that number is »Ï¤á¤ë¡¤·è¤á¤ë to ÆóÎÝÂÇ over the next 35 years.
¶²¤ì¤ës about becoming one of them has led to a »¦Åþ¤¹¤ë of people turning up at dementia clinics.?
¿Íʪ¡¿»Ñ¡¿¿ô»ús published by the ²¦¼¼¤Î College of Æâ²Ê°ås earlier this month show there¡Çs been a four-ÇܤΠrise in the number of ´µ¼Ôs Áܤ·½Ð¤¹ing help at these specialist centres.
They¡Çre anxious about their forgetfulness and ¼«¿®¤Î¤Ê¤¤ of what it means.
So how can you tell if you ¡½ or someone ¤Î¶á¤¯¤Ë to you ¡½ is just a bit forgetful or in the Áá´ü¤Ë ¹Ô¤¦¡¿³«ºÅ¤¹¤ë¡¿Ãʳ¬s of dementia? And what can you do to ºï¸º¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë your ´í¸± of developing the ɵ¤ in the first place?
Over the coming weeks, these questions and many more will be answered in this major Good Health series, helping you understand everything you need to know about this ɵ¤, its diagnosis and how best to °·¤¦¡¿¼£ÎŤ¹¤ë it.
We¡Çll also look at other ¾ò·ïs, from ÉԷʵ¤ to ¹Ã¾õÁ£ problems, that are often wrongly ¿ÇÃǤ¹¤ëd as dementia.
And if you¡Çre one of the legion of silent heroes caring for someone with dementia, we¡Çll also ¾ÇÅÀ¡Ê¤ò¹ç¤ï¤»¤ë¡Ë on how to Âн褹¤ë with the challenges you ľÌ̤¹¤ë.
As dementia becomes ¤Þ¤¹¤Þ¤¹ ¤¢¤ê¤Õ¤ì¤¿, we all need to know how to live °æ¸Í¡¿ÊÛ¸î»ÎÀÊ with this ɵ¤...we hope to help you find the way.
THERE ARE 200 TYPES OF DEMENTIA?
Dementia is not a Áª¤Ó½Ð¤¹¡¿ÆÈ¿È ɵ¤, but is an umbrella ¾Î¤¹¤ë¡¤¸Æ¤Ö¡¿´ü´Ö¡¿ÍѸì for a group of ¾ò·ïs that »¼º the brain.?
In fact, there are more than 200 types of dementia. Alzheimer¡Çs ɵ¤, which accounts for 60 to 70 per cent of »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ôs, is the most ¤¢¤ê¤Õ¤ì¤¿ form.
One of the main features of Alzheimer¡Çs ¡½ and all forms of dementia ¡½ is that the brain ½Ì¤às. ºÇ½é this ±Æ¶Á¤¹¤ë¡¿´¶¾ðs the hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with memory.
There is also an overproduction of tau, the protein made by ¿À·Ð ÆÈ˼s in the brain to »ý³¤¹¤ë their ·ÁÂÖ¡¿Ä´À°.
One of the main features of Alzheimer's is that the brain ½Ì¤às, ¸¶°ø¡Ê¤È¤Ê¤ë¡Ëing memory loss, º®Íð and personality changes. This image shows CT ¤¶¤Ã¤ÈÌܤòÄ̤¹s of an ǯÇڤΠ´µ¼Ô with the ¾ò·ï
The Ͳá tau forms ¡ÆÍí¤Þ¤ës¡Ç, which ±Æ¶Á¤¹¤ë¡¿´¶¾ð the normal ´Ø·¸s between ÎÙ¿Íing ÆÈ˼s.
In ¿·µ¬²ÃÆþ, there is a ¸º¾¯¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë in acetylcholine, a ²½³ØÀ½ÉÊ messenger ·èÄêŪ¤Ê for memory.?
Structures called amyloid plaques, clumps of a protein produced by ¿À·Ð ÆÈ˼s, are also ÀßΩ¤¹¤ë in the brains of those with Alzheimer¡Çs.
After Alzheimer¡Çs, the next most ¤¢¤ê¤Õ¤ì¤¿ form of the ¾ò·ï is vascular dementia, which accounts for 20 per cent of »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ôs and is linked to lifestyle ¡½ it¡Çs a bit like heart ɵ¤ of the brain.?
It occurs ¤Ë°ú¤Â³¤¤¤Æ a °ìÂÇ¡¿ÂÇ·â or when the ·ì Âç·¿Á¥s ¶¡µë¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëing the brain become furred up or Éõº¿¤¹¤ëd.?
If ·ì ¶¡µë¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë is ºï¸º¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë off to a part of the brain, the brain ÆÈ˼s die off within just six minutes.
With this, as with some other forms, there may be no memory loss at all ¡½ ´µ¼Ôs may, for example, have problems finding the ¸¢Íø words to ɽÌÀ¤¹¤ë themselves or have balance problems,
making them ·¹¸þ¤¬¤¢¤ë to Íî¤Á¤ës.
Some people ¤òÈѤ¦ ¡Æmixed pattern¡Ç dementia, a combination of Alzheimer¡Çs and vascular dementia.
È¿¤·¤Æ all forms of dementia ȼ¤¦¡¿´Ø¤ï¤ë some form of »¼º to the brain, what differentiates them is where that »¼º occurs.
DO WE ALL GET IT EVENTUALLY??
Genetics can play a part in dementia ¡½ but only in a small ɴʬΨ of »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ôs
Dementia is not a normal part of ageing.?
It¡Çs true that as we age, even healthy brains ½Ì¤à from the age of 50.
Between the ages of 50 to 65 the ÉáÄ̤Ρ¿Ê¿¶Ñ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë brain may lose 4oz or 5oz in Éé¤ï¤»¤ë.?
The levels of ²½³ØÀ½ÉÊ messengers, called neurotransmitters, also ¸º¾¯¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë and the brain¡Çs ability to µÛ¼ý¤¹¤ë glucose, which it needs to µ¡Ç½¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë¡¿¹Ô»ö, is ¸º¤º¤ëd.
This is why some notice a slowing É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄÆ¤¹¤ë of their mental µ¡Ç½¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë¡¿¹Ô»ös or they can¡Çt do things as quickly as they used to.
This can lead to the ¡Ætip of the tongue¡Ç problem when you can¡Çt remember a word or »ØÌ¾¤¹¤ë.?
This is incredibly ¤¢¤ê¤Õ¤ì¤¿ and in most »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ôs does not mean that person is developing dementia.
In dementia, the brain ÆÈ˼s die off faster than they ÉáÄÌ¤Ï would and there will be greater shrinkage of the brain. This leads to a far more extreme °²½¡¿Äã²¼ than simple ageing.
Why some people go on to develop dementia while many others don¡Çt is not known for sure.?
Lifestyle factors such as having high ·ì °µÎÏ or raised cholesterol Áý²Ã¤¹¤ë the ´í¸±, as does ¸ºß a woman ¡½ two-thirds of people with dementia are ½÷À¡Ê¤Î¡Ë.?
Genetics can play a part ¡½ but only in a small ɴʬΨ of »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ôs.?
We will cover the ¤µ¤Þ¤¶¤Þ¤Ê ¸¶°ø¡Ê¤È¤Ê¤ë¡Ës in more ¾ÜºÙ¡Ê¤Ë½Ò¤Ù¤ë¡Ë in the weeks to come.
HOW CAN I TELL I'VE DEFINITELY GOT IT??
This is the ½ÅÍ×¤Ê question. There is no ºÇ½ªÅª¤Ê ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë for dementia.?
The only way to know for sure if someone has had it is after death, in an ¸¡»ë.
But doctors do use memory ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës as a basic ¿³ºº ÁõÃÖ to identify those who may be at ´í¸±.
The ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë your GP is most likely to use is the Six Item Cognitive I
mpairment ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë, developed in the U.S. in 1983 and updated as the 6CIT- Kingshill ¸«²ò¡¿ËÝÌõ¡¿ÈÇ by Dr Patrick Brooke, a British GP.
Here we ºÆÀ¸¤¹¤ë the ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë, with the caveat that you should always see your GP with any ´Ø¿´s.
Ask someone to put these questions to you and then ÆÀÅÀ¤¹¤ë¡¿ÈóÆñ¤¹¤ë¡¿£²£° each answer to give a possible total out of 28.
There is no ºÇ½ªÅª¤Ê ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë for dementia, but doctors do use memory ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë to ¿³ºº¤¹¤ë people who may be at ´í¸±?
1. WHAT YEAR IS IT?
(ÆÀÅÀ¤¹¤ë¡¿ÈóÆñ¤¹¤ë¡¿£²£° 0 if you answer Àµ³Î¤Ë, 4 if incorrect )
2. WHAT MONTH IS IT?
(ÄûÀµ¤¹¤ë: 0; incorrect: 3)
At this point in the ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë, a »ØÌ¾¤¹¤ë and ±éÀâ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë¡¿½»½ê is given and the person is asked to remember it. It should have five ¹½À®Í×ÁÇs, for example: Peter Smith, 56 High Street, Luton.
3. WITHOUT L
OOKING AT A CLOCK, WHAT TIME IS IT TO THE NEAREST HOUR?
(ÄûÀµ¤¹¤ë 0; incorrect 3)
4. COUNT BACK FROM 20 TO 1
(ÄûÀµ¤¹¤ë 0; error 2; more than one error, 4)
5.SAY THE MONTHS OF THE YEAR IN REVERSE ORDER
(ÄûÀµ¤¹¤ë 0; one error 2; two or more errors 4)
6.TELL ME THE NAME AND ADDRESS I GAVE YOU EARLIER
(ÄûÀµ¤¹¤ë: 0; one error: 2; two errors: 4; three errors: 6; four errors: 8; all wrong: 10)
ÆÀÅÀ¤¹¤ë¡¿ÈóÆñ¤¹¤ë¡¿£²£°
0-7 No Ä´°õ¤¹¤ë of memory problems.
8-9 Some ¾Úµò of memory problems ¡½ see your GP.
10-28 High ¾Úµò of memory impairment that needs ¤½¤Î¾å¤Î Ä´ºº.
WHY DIAGNOSIS IS SO IMPORTANT
As most people know, there is no cure for dementia. But you shouldn¡Çt think that this means getting ¿ÇÃǤ¹¤ëd doesn¡Çt »öÊÁ.
The ÀìÌç²È ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ë is that it¡Çs ·èÄêŪ¤Ê to get a diagnosis ¡¼¤¹¤ë¤¿¤á¤Ë start getting support in place, ÆÃ¤Ë as ³µÎ¬¤Ç a third of people with dementia live on their own.
Also, there are ËãÌôs such as Aricept that can help to slow É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄÆ¤¹¤ë the progression of Alzheimer¡Çs ɵ¤.
It¡Çs ·èÄêŪ¤Ê for someone with dementia to get a diagnosis ¡¼¤¹¤ë¤¿¤á¤Ë start getting support in place, ÆÃ¤Ë as ³µÎ¬¤Ç a third of people with dementia live on their own
Getting the ¸¢Íø diagnosis also »öÊÁs if other ¾ò·ïs such as ÉԷʵ¤ are ¹½Æâ¡¿²½¹çʪing the underlying dementia ¡½ ¼£ÎÅ for the ÉԷʵ¤, for instance, can make a big difference.
Diagnosis also µö¤¹s help ¡½ practical or ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î ¡½ to be put in place.
To get a diagnosis, the first port of call is your GP, who may carry out the Six Item Cognitive Impairment ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë.
After this, the GP may order ·ì ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë
s to »ÙÇÛ¤¹¤ë out other ¾ò·ïs such as a ¥Ó¥¿¥ß¥ó B12 ·ç´Ù¡¿ÉÔÂ, as the ÃÄÂΡ¿»àÂÎ needs this ¥Ó¥¿¥ß¥ó to make ·èÄêŪ¤Ê brain ²½³ØÀ½ÉÊs.
You may then be referred to a dementia or memory clinic; a co-ordinating centre with a ½½Ê¬¤Ê ÈÏ°Ï of ººÄ꡿ɾ²Á, diagnostic, ¼£ÎÅÎϤΤ¢¤ë and rehabilitation services able to Í»Ä̤¹¤ë the different types and the different severities.
Here, ¤½¤Î¾å¤Î ººÄ꡿ɾ²Ás will be done, and ¤«¤â¤·¤ì¤Ê¤¤ also a brain ¤¶¤Ã¤ÈÌܤòÄ̤¹ that can »ÙÇÛ¤¹¤ë out other ¸¶°ø¡Ê¤È¤Ê¤ë¡Ës of the symptoms and °ÌÃÖ¡¿±øÅÀ¡¿¸«¤Ä¤±½Ð¤¹ Ä´°õ¤¹¤ës of shrinkage.?
This, however, may not be conclusive as in the Áá´ü¤Ë ¹Ô¤¦¡¿³«ºÅ¤¹¤ë¡¿Ãʳ¬s this shrinkage may not be obvious. So diagnosis may be ±ä´ü¤¹¤ëd by months as doctors wait to see if the memory gets worse.
ISN'T THERE A BLOOD TEST??
Scientists are now working on new ways to try to ²þÁ±¤¹¤ë the way dementia is ¿ÇÃǤ¹¤ëd.
Already in some European countries doctors are using lumbar ·ê¤ò¤¢¤±¤ës, where cerobrospinal fluid is ½üµî¤¹¤ëd from around the spinal column and ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd.?
In this »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ô, it is for the presence of two proteins ¡½ amyloid and tau ¡½ which are associated with Alzheimer¡Çs, says Professor Simon Lovestone, professor of translational neuroscience at the University of Oxford, who is ¼çÍ×¤Ê the ºÛȽ¡¤¸øÈ½.
Scientists are working on a simple ·ì ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë to ³Îǧ¤¹¤ë if memory lapses are Áá´ü¤Ë Ä´°õ¤¹¤ës of dementia
He Äɲ乤ës that the ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës are used in the UK but not ¹ÈϰϤˤ錄¤Ã¤Æ.
Professor Lovestone is Ĺ¡¤Î¨¤¤¤ëing an international ¶¦Æ± ´ð¶âd by Alzheimer¡Çs UK working on a simple ·ì ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë to ³Îǧ¤¹¤ë if memory lapses are Áá´ü¤Ë Ä´°õ¤¹¤ës of dementia.
¸¦µæ°÷s have already identified proteins that if ¸½ºß¤Î in a ·ì ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë could ͽÊ󤹤ë those with memory problems most likely to develop dementia.
¡ÆWe now know that there is a »Ï¤á¤ë¡¤·è¤á¤ë of ten proteins that can ͽÊ󤹤ë whether someone with Áá´ü¤Ë symptoms of memory loss, or ²º¤ä¤«¤Ê cognitive impairment, will develop dementia within a year, with a high level of Àµ³Î of around 85 per cent,¡Ç says Professor Lovestone.
¡ÆOur next step will be to ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë our findings in even larger ¸«ËÜ »Ï¤á¤ë¡¤·è¤á¤ës, to ¤½¤Î¾å¤Î ²þÁ±¤¹¤ë Àµ³Î and ¸º¤º¤ë the ´í¸± of misdiagnosis, before we can develop a reliable ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë suitable to be used by doctors.¡Ç?
It is not known when it will be ÍøÍѤǤ¤ë.?
A Æ÷¤¤¤ò¤«¤° ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë could also be on the horizon, as Alzheimer's ±Æ¶Á¤¹¤ë¡¿´¶¾ðs a person's ability to smell
Finding a new reliable ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë that can pinpoint the ɵ¤ Áá´ü¤Ë could change the way the ɵ¤ ¿ÊÊâs.
¡ÆAlzheimer¡Çs begins to ±Æ¶Á¤¹¤ë¡¿´¶¾ð the brain many years before ´µ¼Ôs are ¿ÇÃǤ¹¤ëd with the ɵ¤. Many of our ËãÌô ºÛȽ¡¤¸øÈ½s fail because by the time ´µ¼Ôs are given the ËãÌôs, the brain has already been too ¸·¤·¤¯ ±Æ¶Á¤¹¤ë¡¿´¶¾ðd,¡Ç says Professor Lovestone.
He ͽÊ󤹤ës that simple phone apps could be used in the ̤Íè. ¡ÆApple has recently ³«»Ï¤¹¤ë¡¤ÂǤÁ¾å¤²¤ëd the M ÎÏ¡¿¶¯ÎϤˤ¹¤ë, which can help ¿ÇÃǤ¹¤ë Parkinson¡Çs ɵ¤ by the way ´µ¼Ôs pronounce ¡ÆAah¡Ç [changes in speech patterns can be a symptom of Parkinson¡Çs ɵ¤].
¡ÆIt¡Çs possible a Îà»÷¤Î sort of ¿³ºº Æ»¶ñ could be developed for dementia, ´Þ¤àing Alzheimer¡Çs.¡Ç
A Æ÷¤¤¤ò¤«¤° ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë could also be on the horizon. It has been shown that the part of the brain ȼ¤¦¡¿´Ø¤ï¤ëd in smell is one of the earliest areas to be ±Æ¶Á¤¹¤ë¡¿´¶¾ðd in those with Alzheimer¡Çs.
¸¦µæ°÷s have run a ºÛȽ¡¤¸øÈ½ comparing how °æ¸Í¡¿ÊÛ¸î»ÎÀÊ people with ²º¤ä¤«¤Ê to ²º·ò¤Ê Alzheimer¡Çs ɵ¤ and people without the ɵ¤ identify 12 aromas ´Þ¤àing Çò¿Í»ØÆ³¼Ô¤Ù¤Ã¤¿¤ê¤ÎÅìÍοÍ, apple and ¥â¡¼¥¿¡¼ oil on.
The ¸¦µæ°÷s, from the University of Leicester, ÀßΩ¤¹¤ë that those with Alzheimer¡Çs were ¤¤¤Ã¤½¤¦¾¯¤Ê¤¯ able to identify the smells ¡½ and that the ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë could distinguish between those who had Alzheimer¡Çs and those who did not with an Àµ³Î of 86.7 per cent, ¤Ë¤è¤ì¤Ð data
published in the Äê´ü´©¹Ôʪ of Alzheimer¡Çs ɵ¤.
The ¸¦µæ°÷s say it may, in combination with other diagnostic ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës, help to ²þÁ±¤¹¤ë Áá´ü¤Ë ¡ÊÈȺᡤɵ¤¤Ê¤É¤Î¡Ëȯ¸« of Alzheimer¡Çs in the ̤Íè.
Dr Souter is a retired GP and fellow of the ²¦¼¼¤Î College of General Practitioners.?
Adapted by LUCY ELKINS from Your Guide To Understanding And ¼è°ú¡¤¶¨Äêing With Dementia by Dr Keith Souter, published by Summersdale, ¡ò8.99. Order at mailbookshop.co.uk, or call 0808 272 0808. p&p is ²òÊü¤¹¤ë¡¿¼«Í³¤Ê for a ¸Â¤é¤ì¤¿¡¿Î©·ûŪ¤Ê time only.
Éղà Êó¹ð¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë¡¿²±Â¬ing: JO WATERS and ROGER DOBSON
?
I WAS ONLY 58 WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED
Dementia is ¤Þ¤¹¤Þ¤¹ ¸ºß ¿ÇÃǤ¹¤ëd in younger adults.?
Some ÀìÌç²Ès believe up to 100,000 people in their 30s, 40s and 50s may have it.?
Former adult educator Gail Morgan, 63, who lives in Cwmbran, South ¤à¤Á¤ÎÀ×s, was 58 when she was ¿ÇÃǤ¹¤ëd:
'·è¤Þ¤ê¤¤Ã¤¿»Å»ö is ·èÄêŪ¤Ê. I have a calendar to put all my Ǥ̿s on,' said Gail Morgan, who was 58 when she was ¿ÇÃǤ¹¤ëd with dementia (pictured with daughter Debbie)
When a psychiatrist told me I had Alzheimer¡Çs I cried for an eternity. I kept Àâ, ¡ÆWhy me?¡Ç It was a total shock. I mean, I wasn¡Çt an "old" person.
But looking »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë, I can see that I was having problems long before I was ¿ÇÃǤ¹¤ëd.
My boss had started pulling me up on minor things, such as grammatical errors, about six years before that.
Three years later my GP ¿ÇÃǤ¹¤ëd me with dysthymia ¡½ a form of ÉԷʵ¤. I thought it was just the ¶¯Ä´¤¹¤ë¡¿¥¹¥È¥ì¥¹s and ¶ÛÄ¥¤¹¤ës of my life.
My daughters Debbie, who¡Çs 38, and Katy, who is 35, ·ùµ¿¼Ô¡¤ÍƵ¿¼Ô¡¿µ¿¤¦ I was ´Êñ¤Ë misdi
agnosed.
At the time, I was aware I was becoming forgetful. I¡Çd go upstairs, then forget what I¡Çd gone up for.?
After my diagnosis of ÉԷʵ¤, I started going to my GP about my forgetfulness.
Two years later, I was referred to a neurologist. I had memory ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës, and ¤¶¤Ã¤ÈÌܤòÄ̤¹s that showed my brain had shrunk and the ·ì Âç·¿Á¥s ¼çÍ×¤Ê to it had ¶¹¤¯¤¹¤ëd, which was ¹âÅÙ¤Ë °Û¾ï¤Ê for somebody my age. That was the main ¿äÏÀ¤¹¤ë¡¿Íýͳ for my diagnosis of Alzheimer¡Çs.
They don¡Çt know why I got it. I might just have unlucky °äÅÁ»Òs.
I¡Çve been on Aricept tablets since 2009 to try to ±ä´ü¤¹¤ë the ¿ÊÊâ of the illness, but over the past five years my health has °²½¤¹¤ëd noticeably.
Dementia ±Æ¶Á¤¹¤ë¡¿´¶¾ðs short ¾Î¤¹¤ë¡¤¸Æ¤Ö¡¿´ü´Ö¡¿ÍѸì memory, while long ¾Î¤¹¤ë¡¤¸Æ¤Ö¡¿´ü´Ö¡¿ÍѸì memory ÉáÄÌ¤Ï remains »¤Ê¤ï¤ì¤Æ¤¤¤Ê¤¤
Just over a year ago my daughters got carers to come in to help with my meals after they started noticing that I would put things in the oven and forget about them.
I also don¡Çt go out by myself. A year ago, I went to the supermarket. I paid for the groceries, but just couldn¡Çt work out how to get out of the Ãߤ¨¤ë¡¿Å¹. I got terribly upset.
·è¤Þ¤ê¤¤Ã¤¿»Å»ö is ·èÄêŪ¤Ê. I have a calendar to put all my Ǥ̿s on. When I get up I circle that day, and ¸ø¼°Ê¸½ñ¡¤Ç§¤á¤ës remind me to take my purse and ½ÅÍפÊs if I am leaving the house.
I don¡Çt want to sit at home feeling °¥¤ì¤Ê. I have a bucket ̾Êí¡Ê¤ËºÜ¤»¤ë¡Ë¡¿É½¡Ê¤Ë¤¢¤²¤ë¡Ë that ´Þ¤às trips away, seeing musicals and going to the cinema. My mantra is to enjoy life while I can.
Interview: SHELLEY MARSDEN?
THE TELL-TALE WARNINGS
Symptoms depend on the type of dementia and the area of the brain that is ±Æ¶Á¤¹¤ë¡¿´¶¾ðd, but typical Ä´°õ¤¹¤ës ´Þ¤à:
MEMORY PROBLEMS: When we talk about memory problems and dementia we ´ðËÜŪ¤Ë mean short-¾Î¤¹¤ë¡¤¸Æ¤Ö¡¿´ü´Ö¡¿ÍѸì memory ¡½ that is, memory for ºÇ¶á¤Î events. Long-¾Î¤¹¤ë¡¤¸Æ¤Ö¡¿´ü´Ö¡¿ÍѸì memory ¡½ ²òǤ¤¹¤ëing something that happened 20 years ago with clarity ¡½ is the last to remain »¤Ê¤ï¤ì¤Æ¤¤¤Ê¤¤.
This ÉÔÊ¿Åù comes about because when something gets committed to memory it gets imprinted on the ²óÏ©¡¦Ï¢ÌÁs of the brain ÆÈ˼s. The longer ago it is, the more it gets Áý¶¯¤¹¤ëd and imprinted. That¡
Çs why people with dementia can remember things from the past, even their childhood, but won¡Çt ²òǤ¤¹¤ë what someone has just told them.
Short-¾Î¤¹¤ë¡¤¸Æ¤Ö¡¿´ü´Ö¡¿ÍѸì memories by Á¯ÌÀÅÙ¡¿ÄêµÁ have not been imprinted, so when brain ÆÈ˼s die off the most ºÇ¶á¤Î memories are lost because they are in the ÆÈ˼s that go first.
Not all memory problems are a Ä´°õ¤¹¤ë of dementia. ÌäÂ꡿ȯ¹Ô¤¹¤ës with day-to-day memory can be a Ä´°õ¤¹¤ë of ²º¤ä¤«¤Ê cognitive impairment (MCI). This is not a diagnosis in itself ¡½ it can come about for a variety of ¿äÏÀ¤¹¤ë¡¿Íýͳs such as heart ¼ºÇÔ or ÅüÇ¢ÉÂ, and only a small ɴʬΨ of those with MCI will go on to develop ½½Ê¬¤Ê-blown dementia.
To ·èÄꤹ¤ë if someone has Áá´ü¤Ë dementia or MCI there needs to be a referral to a memory clinic for memory ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës that will be repeated at a later date to see if there has been any °²½¡¿Äã²¼ ¡½ which might signify dementia.
Another of the tell tale Ä´°õ¤¹¤ës of dementia is struggling with everyday »Å»ös. As the ¾ò·ï ¤è¤ê°¤¯¤¹¤ës, simple things such as ÂǤÁÌÀ¤±¤ëing a door or cooking a meal may become º®Í𤵤»¤ëing
DIFFICULTY COMMUNICATING: Another possible Ä´°õ¤¹¤ë of dementia is struggling to
find the ¸¢Íø word or finding conversations hard to follow. As a result, those ±Æ¶Á¤¹¤ë¡¿´¶¾ðd ÂàµÑ¡¿ÊÝÍÜÃÏ from conversations with family and friends. This occurs because the temporal ¹â¤¯µÝ·Á¤ËÂǤÁÊÖ¤¹, the part of the brain which ¼è°ú¡¤¶¨Äês with language understanding, is °ìÈÌŪ¤Ë ±Æ¶Á¤¹¤ë¡¿´¶¾ðd by the »¼º of dementia.
STRUGGLING WITH EVERYDAY TASKS: ¤¢¤ê¤Õ¤ì¤¿ ³èư¡¿ÀïÆ®s such as ±¿Æ°ing can become difficult. It¡Çs as if they forget the steps needed. As the ¾ò·ï ¤è¤ê°¤¯¤¹¤ës, even simple things such as ÂǤÁÌÀ¤±¤ëing a door may become º®Í𤵤»¤ëing and ¶ì¤·¤ó¤Ç¤¤¤ë¿Ís may, for instance, put a meal in the fridge or milk in the oven.
NOT KNOWING WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK IT IS: Losing a sense of time or place is another ¤¢¤ê¤Õ¤ì¤¿ symptom. People may lose Àפò¤Ä¤±¤ë of the day, date month or even the year. They may also get disorientated, so that they can be º®Í𤵤»¤ëd about where they are, even when they are somewhere familiar to them.
Not knowing what day it is and losing a sense of time or place is another ¤¢¤ê¤Õ¤ì¤¿ symptom of dementia
UNABLE TO CONCENTRATE: People with dementia often stop long-¿´¤Ë¤¤¤À¤¯d hobbies that ¼ûÍס¦Í׵᤹¤ë ½¸Ãæ, such as reading, crosswords, or even cooking, as they may find it hard to ¾ÇÅÀ¡Ê¤ò¹ç¤ï¤»¤ë¡Ë or concentrate.
EMOTIONAL CHANGES: ¤¤¤Ä¤«s dementia can change people¡Çs personality, making stoical types weepy and tearful, and placid characters irritable. ͽ¬¤Ç¤¤Ê¤¤ mood swings are another problem. ÉԷʵ¤ and ¶ìǺ are also ¤¢¤ê¤Õ¤ì¤¿.
REPETITIVE QUESTIONS: Some people get caught in the ¡ÆÃèÊÖ¤êÈô¹Ô ¸½¾Ý¡Ç, where they ask the same question or do the same ³èư¡¿ÀïÆ® over and over again. ÉÔŬÀÚ¤Ê behaviour can also occur. The person may shout, ¶«¤ÓÀ¼¤ò¤¢¤²¤ë or become ÀѶËŪ¤Ê and suspiciousness is ¤¢¤ê¤Õ¤ì¤¿.
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