Contributors To Cognitive Decline
Some conditions may raise your risk for dementia. Your best bet is to get them under control.
Four Different Types Of Dementia
Think of dementia as a tree. Dementia is the tree trunk and the branches are the various forms of dementia that extend from the trunk, each with their own set of leaves, representing the signs and symptoms. Each branch is slightly different from one another, but they still belong to the same tree.
This guide will look at four different types of dementia: Alzheimers disease , Vascular Dementia , Lewy Body Dementia , and Frontotemporal Dementia . Youll notice that these types of dementia share similar symptoms, but there are differences in the number of cases, signs, and treatments for each.
Disproportionate Impact On Women
Globally, dementia has a disproportionate impact on women. Sixty-five percent of total deaths due to dementia are women, and disability-adjusted life years due to dementia are roughly 60% higher in women than in men. Additionally, women provide the majority of informal care for people living with dementia, accounting for 70% of carer hours.
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Overview Of The Major Types Of Dementia
Dementia is a term used to describe when the loss of certain behavioral abilities, remembering, thinking, and reasoning causes interference in an individual’s daily activities and life. Dementia develops when neurons in the brain become non-functional, lose the ability to communicate with other cells in the brain, and die. Individuals may experience issues with several cognitive functions when they develop dementia. Examples include language skills, ability to focus, and memory. Dementia patients may also experience personality changes and difficulty controlling their emotions. The severity can range from mild cognitive impairment and occasional forgetfulness to severe stages where they are entirely dependent on others.
Unfortunately, there is no known cure for dementia. Thus, dementia treatment focuses on symptom management and preventing cognitive decline. Many patients will take medication for Alzheimer’s disease. Some individuals have seen success with vitamin supplements for dementia as well. Brain training for dementia is another common treatment. Of course, it is vital to know the types of dementia to obtain the best treatment for it.
The Brain Is Our Control Centre
Everything we do is controlled by the brain. It generates the instructions that tell our body parts what to do, as well as facilitating our complex behaviours, such as personality and cognition .
When a person has dementia, neurons in various parts of their brain stop communicating properly, disconnect, and gradually die. We call this process neurodegeneration.
Dementia is caused by progressive neurodegenerative diseases. This means the disease starts in one part of our brain and spreads to other parts, affecting more and more functions in the body.
Certain causes of dementia will impact different parts of the brain, and the symptoms a person with dementia develops will depend on what part of their brain is affected.
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Less Common Types Of Dementia
Though they are much more rare, there are other types of dementia. 5% of all dementia cases in the UK are caused by rarer forms of dementia. It is thought that most forms of rare dementia are under-diagnosed in part because people do not know to look out for them. Some rarer forms of dementia have very specific symptoms that differ from other types of dementia.
Below you can find out more about rare types of dementia:
What Types Of Dementia Symptoms Are Most Common
Dementia is a progressive disease, meaning that its symptoms worsen over time. The most common sign of dementia is short-term memory loss, which leads to difficulty remembering:
- Where they place items
In the early stages of most dementias, symptoms arent severe and the individual can still function independently. Family members often have a relatively easy time caring for their loved ones with dementia at this point.
However, as dementia progresses, it can affect the individuals physical abilities, mood, and behavior. Eventually, most people with dementia need around-the-clock care as they lose their ability to dress, eat, and move around independently.
In this late stage of dementia, family members often require professional caregivers to provide care for their loved ones.
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Final Thoughts And Comments
In conclusion is to say, the best approach to dealing with any stage and type of dementia is proper education, communication, engagement, support and loving care. Learn all you can, seek support groups, and make a care plan. Get your loved ones affairs in order. Seek out a senior advocate and have your loved one establish a power of attorney.
REMEDIC has a big range of products helping dementia patients to live more independent. Please have a look at our homepage
We hope you liked our blogpost about Dementia Stages and Types: A Detailed Overview. Please contact us any time if you have ant questions or comments.
Dementia: What Are The Main Types
While ageing, the brain encounters significant modifications. For example, from the age of 60, it slowly starts to shrink. Heart diseases and head traumas can also have an important effect on the brain, sometimes causing dementia. A persons family history also influences the occurrence of this kind of syndrome.
Dementia is a significant sign of progressive neurodegeneration. This causes the death of some brain cells as well as tissue loss. The most frequently affected areas are the memory, the thinking, the behaviour and the ability to do some tasks for the sick person.
Continue below to learn what are the five different types of dementia.
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Memory Loss Or Dementia
In short, dementia, whatever the type, is characterized by various symptoms like memory losses, learning difficulties, language troubles, confusion, mood and personality changes, bad decisions, difficulty in thinking, depression, loss of interest for some activities, etc. Thus, we cant only consider memory disorders to determine if a parent is affected by Alzheimers disease or another type of dementia. In fact, cognitive problems associated with memory may, sometimes, have another origin, like drugs interaction, drinking alcohol, depression, thyroid problems or a lack of vitamins.
If you think one of your parents suffers from Alzheimer of dementia, it is better to visit a doctor, specialized in geriatrics for example. Tell them about the behaviours and troubles that seem to touch the concerned person, in this way the doctor will be able to determine if it actually is dementia, and what type it is. Then they will direct you towards adapted treatments or approaches.
About Visavie Home Care Services
Since 1994, Visavie offers seniors in-home care services to preserve their autonomy and especially, continue to take advantage of the comfort of their home.
Besides, researches have shown that for a person with Alzheimers disease, remaining in a familiar surrounding helps manage the challenges related to memory loss.
The Different Types Of Dementia
09 February, 2022
Dementias involve a progressive loss of cognitive functions and adaptive abilities. They can originate from different causes, generally organic. Their progression ends up causing the patient an inability to carry out the activities of daily life. However, what types of dementia exist? How do they all differ from each other?
In this article, well learn about the clinical-anatomical classification of dementias. Furthermore, well list the dementias in each group and describe some of the most important. The most well-known types of dementia are Alzheimers and Parkinsons , although there are many more.
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What Are The Treatments For Dementia
There is no cure for most types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Treatments may help to maintain mental function longer, manage behavioral symptoms, and slow down the symptoms of disease. They may include:
- Medicines may temporarily improve memory and thinking or slow down their decline. They only work in some people. Other medicines can treat symptoms such as anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and muscle stiffness. Some of these medicines can cause strong side effects in people with dementia. It is important to talk to your health care provider about which medicines will be safe for you.
- Occupational therapy to help find ways to more easily do everyday activities
- Speech therapy to help with swallowing difficulties and trouble speaking loudly and clearly
- Mental health counseling to help people with dementia and their families learn how to manage difficult emotions and behaviors. It can also help them plan for the future.
- Music or art therapy to reduce anxiety and improve well-being
What Are The Most Common Types Of Dementia
- Alzheimers disease. This is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases. It is caused by specific changes in the brain. The trademark symptom is trouble remembering recent events, such as a conversation that occurred minutes or hours ago, while difficulty remembering more distant memories occurs later in the disease. Other concerns like difficulty with walking or talking or personality changes also come later. Family history is the most important risk factor. Having a first-degree relative with Alzheimers disease increases the risk of developing it by 10 to 30 percent.
- Vascular dementia. About 10 percent of dementia cases are linked to strokes or other issues with blood flow to the brain. Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are also risk factors. Symptoms vary depending on the area and size of the brain impacted. The disease progresses in a step-wise fashion, meaning symptoms will suddenly get worse as the individual gets more strokes or mini-strokes.
- Lewy body dementia. In addition to more typical symptoms like memory loss, people with this form of dementia may have movement or balance problems like stiffness or trembling. Many people also experience changes in alertness including daytime sleepiness, confusion or staring spells. They may also have trouble sleeping at night or may experience visual hallucinations .
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Other Causes Of Dementia
Just about any condition that causes damage to the brain or nerve cells can cause dementia. For example, people with Parkinsons disease will often exhibit dementia in the later stages of their illness. Huntingtons disease, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease and alcoholism can all lead to irreversible cognitive impairment.
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What Are The Types Of Dementia
The most common types of dementia are known as neurodegenerative disorders. These are diseases in which the cells of the brain stop working or die. They include:
- Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia among older people. People with Alzheimer’s have plaques and tangles in their brain. These are abnormal buildups of different proteins. Beta-amyloid protein clumps up and forms plaques in between your brain cells. Tau protein builds up and forms tangles inside the nerve cells of your brain. There is also a loss of connection between nerve cells in the brain.
- Lewy body dementia, which causes movement symptoms along with dementia. Lewy bodies are abnormal deposits of a protein in the brain.
- Frontotemporal disorders, which cause changes to certain parts of the brain:
- Changes in the frontal lobe lead to behavioral symptoms
- Changes in the temporal lobe lead to language and emotional disorders
Other conditions can cause dementia or dementia-like symptoms, including:
- Having close family members who have dementia
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Cortical And Subcortical Dementia
Medical professionals sometimes categorise dementia into cortical and subcortical dementia.
Cortical dementia is typically associated with the brains grey matter, which is the characteristic outer structures of the brain. These outer structures have an important role in processing information and in functions such as language and memory. Types of cortical dementia include Alzheimers, frontotemporal dementia, Binswangers disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Subcortical dementia initially affects structures below the cortex in the innermost parts of the brain known as white matter. These inner structures responsible for controlling the speed of thought processes and emotions. Types of subcortical dementia include Huntingtons disease, Parkinsons dementia, and AIDS dementia complex.
The progression of dementia is not necessarily affected by category or type, but a variety of factors including lifestyle, health and genetics.
Dementia With Lewy Bodies
Dementia with Lewy bodies, also known as Lewy body dementia, is caused by protein deposits in nerve cells. This interrupts chemical messages in the brain and causes memory loss and disorientation.
People with this type of dementia also experience visual hallucinations and have trouble falling asleep at night or fall asleep unexpectedly during the day. They also might faint or become lost or disoriented.
Dementia with Lewy bodies shares many symptoms with Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases. For example, many people develop trembling in their hands, have trouble walking, and feel weak.
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What Is Dementia Symptoms Types And Diagnosis
Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning thinking, remembering, and reasoning to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for basic activities of living.
Dementia is more common as people grow older but it is not a normal part of aging. Many people live into their 90s and beyond without any signs of dementia.
There are several different forms of dementia, including Alzheimers disease. A persons symptoms can vary depending on the type.
Four Common Types Of Dementia
The term dementia is an umbrella term used to describe the symptoms of cognitive impairment. And within the dementia umbrella, there are many different variations Alzheimers included. Most of us average folk dont realize that all dementia is not Alzheimers. In fact, I would venture to say that the regular layman isnt quite sure what the difference between Alzheimers and Dementia is. Dont fret Ill explain it here!
Learning the difference between the varying levels of memory loss can be crucial to know the dos and donts of dealing with behavior challenges. It will also come into play with understanding the levels of care that are available to fit your loved ones needs, so they can live more comfortably.
In this blog we will discuss the Top 4 most common types of Dementia. The good news for you is that at The Kensington, we are very experienced with these areas of Memory Care and more. We welcome everyone!
Yes, there are many, many more types of dementia that are known. There is dementia resulting from years of alcohol misuse. There is dementia associated with Parkinsons Disease. There is dementia that is a result of a traumatic brain injury. All in all, there are over 100 types of dementia being treated and researched today. An accurate diagnosis is critical to the treatment of someone with dementia, for obvious reasons.
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The Seven Stages Of Decline
The seven-stage model of dementia breaks down cognitive decline. Most doctors use this model to evaluate dementia. The progression can vary widely, depending on the type of dementia and the person in general. Understanding these stages can help us identify the type of care that will be needed as the disease progresses.
What Is The Most Common Form Of Dementia
The most common type of permanent dementia isAlzheimers disease, accounting for 60-80% of all dementia cases. Experts still arent sure what causes Alzheimers exactly, and theres also currently no cure.
With Alzheimers, changes in the brain begin by affecting a persons short-term memory. As a result, they have trouble remembering new information, like names and places. But like other forms of dementia, Alzheimers is a progressive disease, and its symptoms worsen over time.
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How Is Dementia Diagnosed
To diagnose dementia, doctors first assess whether a person has an underlying, potentially treatable, condition that may relate to cognitive difficulties. A physical exam to measure blood pressure and other vital signs, as well as laboratory tests of blood and other fluids to check levels of various chemicals, hormones, and vitamins, can help uncover or rule out possible causes of symptoms.
A review of a persons medical and family history can provide important clues about risk for dementia. Typical questions might include asking about whether dementia runs in the family, how and when symptoms began, changes in behavior and personality, and if the person is taking certain medications that might cause or worsen symptoms.
The following procedures also may be used to diagnose dementia:
Early detection of symptoms is important, as some causes can be treated. However, in many cases, the cause of dementia is unknown and cannot be treated. Still, obtaining an early diagnosis can help with managing the condition and planning ahead.