Dementia Awareness.

Question 1

What is Dementia?

Answer 1

An umbrella term for a group of cognitive symptoms such as:
- Memory loss
- Difficulties with language, thinking, reasoning, & problem-solving
(To the extent where it interferes with a persons daily life & activities.

Question 2

What affects the experience of living with different types of Dementia?

Answer 2

• Co-existing health conditions
• Sensory and mobility impairments
• Personality
• Life experience to date
• The richness of social interactions and relationships

Question 3

How many people are believed in the UK are believed to have Dementia?

Answer 3

That dementia affects more than 800 000 people in the UK; a number expected to rise to 1 million by 2021

Question 4

What are the types of dementia?

Answer 4

• Alzheimer’s Disease (progressive condition, that affects memory, thinking and behaviour)
• Lewy body Dementia (associated with abnormal deposits of a protein, Lewy body, affect chemicals in the brain whose changes, in turn, can lead to problems with thinking, movement, behavior, and mood.)
• Vascular Dementia (brain is affected due to lack of blood to the brain)
• Mixed Dementia (more than one type pf dementia)
• Frontotemporal Dementia (nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain are lost, causes the lobes to shrink)
• Posterior cortical atrophy (degeneration in the cortex of the brain

Question 5

What factors affect the risk of getting Dementia?

Answer 5

• Age
• Genetics (greater risk if there’s a family history, but cant be determined on genetics alone)
• Medical conditions ( conditions like multiple sclerosis, HIV or Down’s syndrome, diabetes, obesity and head injuries can increase the risk of developing dementia)
• Lifestyle (poor diet, drinking excessively, smoking, sedentary lifestyle)

Question 6

Why is early diagnosis of Dementia good?

Answer 6

• Individual can understand the symptoms they are experiencing
• Access to support and advice
• Access to treatments that can slow down the progression of the condition
• Provides an opportunity for the individual to to prepare the future and plan ahead

Question 7

What are the common symptoms of Dementia?

Answer 7

• Memory loss
• Difficulty processing information
• Difficulty finding the right words
• Difficulty carrying out everyday tasks e.g. shopping, banking etc
• Sleep disruption
• Mood changes (anxiety, apathy, depression)
• Hallucinations
• Change in personality or behaviour
• Being confused about time or place