Alzheimer’s Disease is One Kind of Dementia
If you think about automobiles, Dementia would be the general term, car, and Alzheimer’s disease would be a Ford, one kind of a car. Dementia is an umbrella term that embraces a number of symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, disorientation, lack of motivation, lack of impulse control, mood changes, change in personality, the inability to communicate.
Alzheimer’s disease is one kind of dementia that is caused by physical, non-reversible changes in the brain that cause the above symptons. Alzheimer’s disease is progressive, usually in a gradual, often slow decline. Initially people exhibit short term memory loss, the inability to accomplish familiar functions, confusion, later there may be communication problems, disorientation, incontinance, and late in the disease process, difficulty recognizing familiar faces, loss of long term memory, difficulty walking, eating, and finally difficulty breathing.
There are many other kinds of dementia besides Alzheimer’s Disease–Lewy Body disease, Pick’s disease, Vascular dementia (related to small strokes or TIAs.) There are some similar conditions (depression, thyroid disease, malnutrition, infections, symptoms caused by certain medications) known as pseudo-dementias that exhibit similar symptoms. These pseudo-dementias are often treatable, so when symptoms occur, a thorough medical evaluation is always a good first step.
The care for persons with memory loss, regardless of the particular kind, is much the same. Activities need to be adapted to the persons abilities, open-ended questions are often not comfortable for the person with memory loss, the more advanced the problem, the shorter the sentences, don’t argue with the person, just go along unless safety is an issue.
Help at home can be a gift to family members caring for a person with memory loss. One book about care giving is called, The 36-Hour Day. The days seem long for a caregiver. Orientation and ongoing coaching is part of working for Seniors’ Choice at Home. Marilyn Christenson, Client Relations, has cared for her Mom (who went through the stages of dementia) and Marilyn also was an educator, trainer and consultant with the Alzheimer’s Association. Marilyn is available to work with employees, and to be a resource for family members. Seniors’ Choice caregivers have a good understanding of how to make life better for clients and families dealing with memory loss. Check our our website, www.seniorschoicemn.com or call Marilyn @ 763-546-1599 for more information.
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