news
Dementia needs
to be redefined
Professionals and the community urged
to stop describing the experiences of
people with dementia as ‘memory loss’.
D
ementia experts are challenging the way those with
dementia are treated, and raising awareness of how they
could be better supported in their everyday lives.
Neuropsychologist Professor Steven Sabat delivered a
presentation during an Alzheimer’s Australia tour recently, and
called on carers, professionals and the community to stop using
the phrase ‘memory loss’ to define the experiences of those living
with dementia. While speaking at the event, Sabat stressed the
importance of helping those with dementia make new memories
and learn new things.
“It is really memory dysfunction rather than loss, and therefore
what we do around people living with dementia, how we treat them,
can enable them to function, can support them and build, rather
than erode, their confidence,” he said.
“If we assume someone is experiencing something called
‘memory loss’, then we may well be assuming incorrectly that they
cannot make new memories and assume that they cannot be
affected by what happens to them in the here and now.
“Memory dysfunction is a defining symptom of dementia, but how
we treat people living with dementia can disempower their ability to
remain engaged and involved in their day to day lives and activities.
Our tone of voice or the way we ask a question can create anxiety
for the person diagnosed and lead to that person not wanting to
interact with us.”
Alzheimer’s Australia chief executive Maree McCabe said it was
important to erase negative stereotypes and create a community
where those with dementia could focus on their strengths and feel
empowered to take control of their lives.
“The way we respond as a community can leave people with
dementia and their carers feeling socially embarrassed and
uncomfortable, but small actions can make a big difference,” she
said. “If a person encounters challenges in their everyday activities,
they are naturally more likely to withdraw socially and become less
engaged with their friends, family and their community.
“As a community, we have the opportunity to support people with
dementia by increasing our understanding of the disease and the
experience of the person living with dementia.” ■
REM sleep linked
to dementia risk
People who spend less time
in REM sleep, or who take
longer to reach the REM
sleep stage, are more likely
to develop dementia.
A
6
lack of rapid eye movement (REM)
sleep has been tied to greater risk
of dementia in new research.
agedcareinsite.com.au
REM is the last of five phases the brain
cycles through during sleep. The first two
include light sleep and the body preparing
for deep sleep, and the next two are deep
sleep stages. During the REM sleep stage,
the eyes move more rapidly and there
is increased brain activity along with a
quicker pulse and faster breathing.
Study lead and Swinburne University
researcher Dr Matthew Pase found that
for every 1 per cent that REM sleep was
reduced in an elderly person, there
was a 9 per cent increase in the risk of
developing dementia.
The research team looked at 321 people
with an average age of 67 who participated
in the US-based Framingham Heart Study,
during which their sleep cycles were
measured. Those who developed dementia
spent an average of 17 per cent of their
sleep time in REM sleep, compared to 20
per cent for those who did not develop
dementia. After adjusting for age and sex,
researchers found that a lower percentage
of REM sleep and a longer time to get to
the REM sleep stage were both linked to a
greater risk of dementia.
The results were similar after researchers
adjusted for other factors that could affect
dementia risk or sleep.
Pase said this points to REM sleep being
a predictor of dementia.
“The next step will be to determine
which mechanisms of REM sleep lead to
the greater risk of dementia,” Pase said. “By
clarifying the role of sleep in the onset of
dementia, the hope is to eventually identify
possible ways to intervene so that dementia
can be delayed or even prevented.”
The researchers did not find a link
between dementia and the other stages
of sleep. ■