THANKS to everyone who wrote in with questions after my last article. As a result, in this month’s article we’ll spend some time on the main questions that everyone was asking. That is… “Isn’t it all the same thing?” and if not “What’s the difference?”
According to Dementia Australia, dementia is an umbrella term for a number of neurological conditions. Dementia is not just memory loss; dementia is a condition caused by disease and/or injury, and impacts a person’s thinking, behaviour and their ability to complete everyday tasks.
This may include their ability to walk, to be able to solve problems, to understand language, to properly digest food, to maintain body temperature and regular sleep patterns.
Dementia is not a normal part of ageing. An individual’s chance of developing dementia does increase as we age, but it is not caused by age. As outlined in the illustration, there are over 100 diseases that cause a dementia condition.
In Australia there are four common dementias. Although the symptoms of dementia may vary between individuals, some symptoms are characteristic of specific types of dementia as follows:-
Alzheimer’s Disease, symptoms may include
- Gradual changes over months/years
- Declined ability to form new memories
- Confusion
- Problems finding words
- Personality changes
Vascular Dementia, symptoms may include
- Sudden changes
- Insight/judgement/behaviour ‘not-the-same’
- May bounce back and have good/bad days
- Shifts in emotion and energy
Frontal-Temporal Dementias, symptoms may include
- Significant Personality/Behavioural Changes
- Impaired Planning/Judgement/Speech Production
- Loss in understanding language
- Loss of Empathy
Lewy Body Dementias, symptoms may include:
- Loss of Attention
- Problems with movement
- Fine motor skills problems - hands/swallowing
- Visual Hallucinations/Nightmares/Sleep disorders
- Episodes of rigidity and fainting
According to the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council, and the Australian National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling, dementia is a national health priority. But not enough people are paying attention to what this means for Australians. Through this column, I hope to increase awareness of dementia for the benefit of our community.
More information about dementia is also available from my YouTube channel ‘Ask a Dementia Champion’.
Please forward your questions and comments to www.dementiachampion.com/contact
Next month we will explore “Helping an older person whom appears lost and confused”
Disclosure - No Medical Advice: Information in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by a Medical Practitioner.
