I am writing this as part of
my blog in hope it will help at least one person or family who are coping with dementia.
This is a personal subject for me as my dad had early dementia before
he died. Here is some info:
Dementia does
not technically describe an illness. Its symptoms are from
various illnesses which affect the brain. These symptoms vary from short term memory
loss, disorientation, mood swings and is progressive. There is no cure at
present.
Alzheimer’s Disease: Physical
Disease of Brain -described by Alois Alzheimer
Plaques and tangles develop
in structure of brain leading to death of cells
Progressive and over time
more cells are damaged and symptoms become severe
Vascular dementia:
The brain cells need supply
of blood, and if the vascular system becomes damaged this leads to brain cells
to eventually die.
Some conditions that can
damage the vascular system are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes.
Dementia with Lewy bodies: like
both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease
Memory loss, spatial disorientation,
slowness, muscle stiffness, trembling of limbs, shuffle when walking, loss of
facial expression
Abilities fluctuate daily
even hourly
Fainting, falling, funny turns,
detailed and convincing visual hallucinations, fall asleep very easily
Restless disturbed nights
with confusion
But there are things that can
help:
Book of Life:
Life experiences, relationships preferences
of cared for person - ie date of birth, schools attended, employment history, likes
and dislikes, dietary needs, weekly routine, habits, interests, hobbies or even
a photograph album of now and past.
Memory Box:
Items can show who the person
cared for, or what they have achieved in life
Family heirlooms, household /personal
items with sentimental value, photographs.
Local Memory Cafes near Woolsery,
Devon :
Barnstaple-01271-311630
Bideford-01237-420136
Great Torrington-
01237-420136/01237-459337
I hope someone somewhere is
helped by just reading this
Done in memory of Paul Tony Raines, my dad
Source - Caring For Dementia
Dementia Carers Pathways, Devon By David Light And Jim Delves
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