Dementia is a condition that is distinct from the normal forgetfulness that can come with aging. It involves a decline in memory as well as deterioration in various cognitive functions such as language ability, spatial judgement, calculation ability, attention, and abstract thinking. Symptoms can also include changes in personality, hallucinations, and delusions. Unfortunately, many people underestimate the severity of dementia and may neglect the emotional burden on caregivers, delaying medical intervention.
Early symptoms of dementia include difficulty recalling recent events, getting lost easily in unfamiliar places, forgetting daily details such as the placement of objects, and difficulty in handling complex tasks such as shopping or planning a trip. Other early symptoms can include difficulty concentrating, low mood or irritability, and difficulty maintaining daily life on their own.
Middle-term symptoms can include memory loss of past and long-term events, loss of orientation in people, time, and place, urinary incontinence, irregular living routines, social withdrawal, repeatedly asking the same question, and needing assistance from others for daily living.
Late-term symptoms can include the loss of ability to recognize time, place, and people, loss of communication skills, incontinence of urine and feces, reduced activity levels, childlike behavior, inappropriate behavior such as swallowing foreign objects, and complete dependence on others for daily living.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for about 60-75% of all cases. It is a neurodegenerative disease with a slow onset and progressive worsening over time. The cause is still being researched, but genetics are believed to account for 70% of the risk factors. The average lifespan after diagnosis is about 3-9 years, but some patients can live for more than 20 years. The severity of the disease is related to the deposition of fibrillar amyloid protein and tau protein in the brain.
Doctors can determine whether to give antipsychotic medication to control abnormal behavior. Studies have shown that about 70% of patients can improve their abnormal behavior with medication. There are also drugs being researched abroad for cognitive impairment that have shown efficacy in about 60-70% of cases. Treatment can improve the quality of life for many patients and their families.
Vascular dementia is a type of dementia caused by cerebrovascular disease, mainly including cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage, which is commonly known as a stroke.
Treatment for Dementia
Treatment for dementia can be categorized into pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical. These are outlined below:
- Pharmaceutical Treatment
There are medications available to treat Alzheimer's disease, which can slow the progression of symptoms. However, they are only effective for patients with mild to moderate dementia. In the case of vascular dementia, low-dose aspirin can be used to prevent further strokes. Furthermore, the appropriate use of antidepressants, antipsychotics, or tranquilizers can help stabilize a patient's mood.
- Nostalgia Therapy
This therapy involves creating an environment for patients that includes items from their younger years in order to help stabilize their emotions and improve their memory.
- Sensory therapy
Providing appropriate sensory stimulation can help patients reduce excessive dullness or excitement.
