Dementia

The word dementia is generically used to represent set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, reasoning and problem solving or difficulty and use of language in communicating. These changes are often very insignificant to start with, but for someone with dementia they might become severe enough to affect their day to day living. A person with dementia may also experience changes in their mood and physical behaviour. A person experiencing dementia may feel confused, frustrated and frightened.
Dementia is caused when the part of brain is damaged by various diseases. Alzheimer's disease and Vascular Dementia are the two most common types of dementia. Every person has a different representation of dementia symptoms and these experiences will depend on the parts of the brain that are damaged and the specific causing factors.

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*Image taken from www.medicinenet.com
Symptoms of Dementia
Each person is unique and has an experience of going through dementia as an individual experience. The different types of dementia tend to have affected people in a different ways. Especially in the early stages and it also is dependant upon how others respond to that person, his surroundings and the support received in coping with diagnosis. All these factors greatly affect on quality of life for a person living with dementia.
When supporting a person with dementia, it is very useful and helpful for carers to have an understanding of the impact the condition has on that person. This includes understanding how the person might think and feel and also how they behave. The person may be experiencing a world that is very different to that of the people around them. It will help if the carer offers support while trying to see things from the perspective of the person with dementia, as far as possible. A person with dementia will have knock on effect on memory and cognition (problems with thinking or memory). There will bean influence on their...