Dementia is Deeper Than I Thought

I moved into a house where the landlady is an elderly woman, and she forgets things a lot. She will ask you about something this minute, and before you know it, she's coming back to ask the same question within a few minutes or days. It was annoying at first, but then again, I thought it could just be a problem with old age. With careful observation, I realized she loves to gossip and create problems about people living together, making me realize her issue was beyond dementia.

pexels

As we age as individuals, the time taken to learn new things and recall information takes longer, but the rate of dementia in people is very low, and only around 1% of people who have age-related memory loss can experience dementia. The symptoms of dementia are beyond the forgetfulness we think; people with dementia also experience personality changes, issues with socializing, issues with coping daily, inability to make decisions, changes with expressing emotions, and the memory loss we all know.

We also think dementia is one of the things that comes with old age, but it is not normal, it is rather an abnormal degeneration of the brain that results in he inability of the person to speak, think, socialize, and engage in normal daily activities. Dementia has different types.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common among older adults. It is caused by changes in the brain, including an abnormal buildup of protein known as tau tangles and amyloid plaques.

pexels

Vascular dementia is a type of dementia caused by conditions that cause damage to the blood vessels in the brain or interrupt blood flow and oxygen to the brain. Lewy body dementia causes an abnormal protein deposit called Lewy bodies. Frontotemporal dementia is a rare form of dementia that affects people younger than 60.
Mixed dementia is a combination of two or more types of dementia.

Around 5-8% of people over the age of 65 have some type of dementia, and the number, according to research, usually doubles every five years above that age. We usually think memory loss automatically means dementia, this was my belief too until now, but it is not true, as other things can cause memory loss that is different from dementia. Some memory changes are completely normal with age, but this type of memory loss is not a disability, as it does not interfere with daily life.

Dementia is not when you simply forget where you dropped your keys, or what someone told you yesterday, as you can tell through my analysis, it is way deeper than that, it is also not a normal part of aging, like I thought. Some conditions cause dementia. People with Parkinson's disease often experience dementia at a later stage of the disease. Parkinson's disease comes with symptoms including hallucinations, delusions, depression, and difficulty with speech.

Huntington's disease is caused by a single defective gene that creates a brain disorder. This disease will cause a breakdown in the nerve cells of the brain, causing body movement control issues, including personality change, and memory trouble. Traumatic brain injury can cause dementia too, as a result of repeated blows to the head, common amongst football players, boxers, and soldiers.

pexels

Dementia can be managed, but most types of dementia cannot be cured or reversed; the only treatment options that can provide modest benefits. Other situations of dementia can be caused by other reversible conditions, vitamin deficiency, reaction to a certain medication, and presence of infections like COVID, syphilis, and UTIs. The presence of dementia can be confirmed through laboratory tests, neurocognitive tests, imaging tests, and psychiatric evaluation.

For Further Studies

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/memory-loss-and-forgetfulness/memory-problems-forgetfulness-and-aging

https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/guides-and-publications/dementia-in-older-adults

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9170-dementia

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-and-dementia/what-dementia-symptoms-types-and-diagnosis

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia

---

---

---

Hi, I am Tobi, a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. Want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues? You can find my YouTube channel where you can listen and watch any episode for free. Please, do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here. Kindly do well to keep them coming.