Dementia is a broad category of brain diseases that cause a long-term and often gradual decrease in the ability to think and remember, that is great enough to affect a person’s daily functioning. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, accounting for 60-80% of cases.
Common symptoms of dementia include memory loss, difficulty communicating, mood swings, and loss of motivation. Alzheimer’s disease specifically targets the hippocampus in the brain, which is responsible for organizing memories.
Currently, there is no cure for dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. However, there are medications that can help manage symptoms and slow down the progression of the disease. In addition, lifestyle changes such as exercise, a healthy diet, and social engagement have been shown to have a positive impact on brain health.
Signs and Symptoms:
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition, which means the symptoms develop gradually over many years and eventually become more severe. It affects multiple brain functions.
The first sign of Alzheimer’s disease is usually minor memory problems.
For example, this could be forgetting about recent conversations or events, and forgetting the names of places and objects.
As the condition develops, memory problems become more severe and further symptoms can develop, such as:
– confusion, disorientation and getting lost in familiar places
– difficulty planning or making decisions
– problems with speech and language
– problems moving around without assistance or performing self-care tasks
– personality changes, such as becoming aggressive, demanding and suspicious of others
– hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there) and delusions (believing things that are untrue)
– low mood or anxiety
Treatment:
There’s currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but medicines are available that can help relieve some of the symptoms.
Various other types of support are also available to help people with Alzheimer’s live as independently as possible, such as making changes to your home environment so it’s easier to move around and remember daily tasks.
Psychological treatments such as cognitive stimulation therapy may also be offered to help support your memory, problem solving skills and language ability.
