Dementia
Understanding Dementia could help us to offer and receive support if this may affect you, anyone in your family or your friends, either today or in future. There are around
800,000 people in the UK with dementia. One in three people over 65 will develop dementia,
and two-thirds of people with dementia are women. The number of people with dementia is
increasing because people are living longer and it is estimated that by 2021, the number of
people with dementia in the UK will have increased to around 1 million.
If you’re becoming increasingly forgetful, particularly if you’re over the age of 65, it
may be a good idea to talk to your family and your Doctor about dementia. As you get older,
you may find that memory loss can become a problem. It’s normal for your memory to be affected by age, stress, tiredness, or certain illnesses and medications. However if it happens
frequently and affects the daily routine, this can be annoying for you or someone you know;
they might need some specialist help.
Your risk of developing dementia increases as you get older, it also depends on your
Genetics structure, your life style that include drugs and alcohol misuse leading to brain
damage and in possible vascular risk client groups. Even though this condition usually occurs in people over the age of 65, recently we are seeing lots of people who are under 65
with Dementia; this state is generally called as pre-senile Dementia.
Dementia is a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) associated with an ongoing
decline of the brain and its abilities. Depending on the symptomology there are various types
of Dementia and there are various signs the individual can presents with, this includes:
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Memory loss
Thinking speed
Mental agility
Language
Understanding
Judgment and physical coordination
increasing difficulties with tasks and activities that require concentration and planning
Depression
Changes in personality and mood
Periods of mental confusion
Difficulty finding the right words
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