Could you explain what Dementia is to someone? There is more to know and understand than you may think...
Before reading this blog, I would like you to answer these questions:
How easy were these questions to answer? If you struggled to answer this, you are not alone. Through this blog, I hope to build an awareness and understanding of what dementia is and how it affects the lives of so many.
Dementia is not a condition but rather a syndrome, meaning it is a collection of multiple signs and symptoms that are caused by a number of diseases. When you were answering the question, “what is dementia?”, did the term Alzheimer’s come up? Is your understanding that Alzheimer’s and dementia are the same thing? Because, before doing any research, I thought this! Alzheimer’s, however, is a cause of dementia. The most common one at that, accounting for 60-70% of dementia cases.
Dementia is most prevalent amongst the older population, with 90-95% of cases occurring in individuals over the age of 65. However, only approximately 10% of people over the age of 65 are actually affected by the disease.
As well as age, there are also seven major risk factors for dementia. These being:
There are many things in life we cannot control, developing dementia being one of them. However, I do believe that being aware of risk factors, and doing what we can to change things within our control, can help reduce our risk of getting dementia. It could be a simple change of going for a 30-minute walk once a day to reduce weight or making healthier food choices. While making these changes will not prevent us from getting dementia, it may prolong the onset, or reduce our risk.
While a lot of research is targeted at finding a cure, there is unfortunately no current cure for dementia. Primary prevention targets the risk factors for dementia, to prevent the onset of the disease; secondary prevention aims to detect the onset of dementia early to reduce the impact of the disease; and tertiary prevention aims to maximise the quality of life for an individual living with dementia.
If you are noticing changes or have concerns yourself, I encourage you to speak to your general practitioner and ask about a referral for a geriatrician. A geriatrician is a specialist doctor for older adults. I am very passionate about educating my clients on the importance of involving a geriatrician early. This allows a relationship and connection to be formed with the geriatrician and for them to get an understanding of what is important to you.
At the start of this blog, I asked you to answer 2 questions:
Dementia is a complex condition and there is much to know and understand. While this blog is only a very brief overview, I do hope it has given you some insight into the condition and gets you thinking about some possible lifestyle changes or new habits.
