Dementia Dos & Donts. What caregivers CAN do

Dementia Dos & Donts

Catch: I confess. I am guilty of believing ALL myths about D--that D is a disease, normal in old people. Everyone gets it. It means forgetfulness. There’s nothing you can do once you get it. It is a mild form of Alzheimers. There are meds you can take for it. You can take a test for it. It is clear, obvious, etc. 

It’s name is horrible. Dementia comes from Latin demens, (de-without, mens-mind), lit. “out of one’s mind.” Name so awful, some med profs suggest changing it to “disorder” or “disease.” 

 Truths

It is not common. 5%. It is not disease. It is collection of symptoms. There is no test for it. There are things you can do. It is not fatal. It is much more than just memory loss (judgment, decision making, physical movement). There are no meds for it. There is not even clear definition of what constitutes dementia. It is subjective by med professionals. It is not even clear what med prof should be the one to diagnose it. They look for a collection of symptoms caused by one or more underlying diseases. The most common is Alzheimers. Second stroke. Third Parkinsons. Fourth HBP or diabetes. Fifth TBI. 

MDs could prescribe up to 15 diff meds, not for D itself but for underlying causes (e.g., Parkinsons, Alzeimers, Depression, HBP, Diabetes, etc). Same thing for testing, MD could order MRI of brain--not to see dementia, but maybe signs of strokes, or bleeding. 

5.3M currently suffer D. By 2050 30M, at which time it will cost $1.2Trillion/yr. 

Very expensive to treat, perhaps most expensive condition

This and Alz most feared by elderly, plus trip and falls. 

Dementia is a collection of symptoms, not a single disease. It is caused by various brain disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. Symptoms typically worsen over time. Common symptoms include memory loss, confusion, difficulty with language, changes in behavior, and problems with judgment and decision-making. Dementia can affect people of all ages, but it is more common in older adults. There is currently no cure for dementia, but treatments can help manage symptoms and slow down the decline. 

Key Difference is when you don’t remember that you forget. Dont know you are different. 

Generally diagnosed when Memory loss AND one of 4 other traits: can’t understand language; can’t make certain movements; don’t recognize objects or people; executive functions. 

Alzheimer’s—a plaque that builds between synapses in brain. Not sure cause of A. Can live with A for up to decade, but 3-5 yrs most common. 

Things that increase the risk of developing dementia include:

age (more common in those 65 or older) 

high blood pressure (hypertension)

high blood sugar (diabetes)

being overweight or obese

smoking

drinking too much alcohol

being physically inactive

being socially isolated

Progression  First D takes away recent events memory. Then other areas of brain—judgment, movement. Executive functions. Mood changes. Some suffer intense hallucination—seeing large colorful animal for minutes and hours. Some start doing really risky things—shoplifting, stealing, taking money out of bank, driving reckless. 

No cure. But can lessen symptoms if catch early enough. For some reason up to drink two drinks, a day of alcohol may stem the worsening of dementia. Coffee may help. Green tea also. BEWARE JUNK SCIENCE! (espec supplements by social media influencers)!!!

Early signs and symptoms are:

forgetting things or recent events

losing or misplacing things