Unit 17 - Care for individuals with dementia First submission
A.P1 – Explain the causes of three different types of dementia
A.P2 – Explain the symptoms of three types of dementia
Dementia is not just a single or actual disease, it refers to the symptoms
of dementia such as memory loss and difficulties making a judgement,
'dementia' is just an umbrella term. Although it is common with people
over the age of 65, in some cases it can also occur in young people. It also
takes a while before it is able to be diagnosed. It is a condition that
cosideberaly affects cognitive as one ages (Alzheimers.net, 2019). There is
a misconception that dementia only affects elders however this is false as
there have been cases where alzhermia have affected younger people
https://www.alzheimers.net/difference-between-alzheimers-and-dementi
a/17/ 01/ 2020
A medical model of dementia focuses more on the symptoms and signs
of dementia to give and accurate diagnosis of dementia and a treatment
to relieve the symptoms. Meanwhile a social model of dementia focuses
more on making sure the individual can be supported to live with the
condition, it also focuses on person- centred care to provide a more
efficient care and enable better communication.
The three types of dementia are Alzheimer's disease, Vascular dementia,
lewy body dementia. Alzermia is the most common type of dementia.
Alzheimer's disease causes brain and nerve cells to be destroyed
(Yourbrainmatters.org.au, 2012). This alters the way the brain and nerve
cells communicate with each other. When brain cells are damaged this
can change how the person behaves and think because it controls our
judgement (Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia, n.d.). When nerve cells
lose connection with other nerve cells due to lack of oxygen then it
doesn't work efficiently anymore and will cause it to eventually die
(Yourbrainmatters.org.au, 2012). The part of the brain called the
hippocampus which plays an important role in recollection to remember
is affected this allows early signs of dementia to be detectable
(Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia, n.d.). This includes deterioration in
short term memory this means the individual is likely to forget recent
events but those with short term memory might remember something
from long ago. For instance if they were asked a question they might
forget what they were asked and might ask repetition of questions
, Unit 17 - Care for individuals with dementia First submission
constantly. They might also get lost easily even if they are used to living in
the surrounding. This is because the disease first destroys part of the
brain responsible for remembering, this is why memory loss is the first
sign of Alzheimer’s disease. Someone with Alzheimer’s might also
experience mood swings, they might suddenly become angry and throw
a fit they might also suddenly become unmotivated. Some people
experience a shift of different emotions so they might feel agitated and
then suddenly feel unmotivated, this can be due to the constant change
in their environment. Those with Alzheimer’s disease might also
experience a change in personality so they might suddenly feel
suspicious of those around them and attack them cause they might for
instance might be suspicious of a certain individual or accuse them of
theft. They might also experience this Change in behaviour because they
might have experience of delusion this can make the individual act
different because they might find it hard to know what’s reality and they
might not recognise people’s faces which can contribute to them being
confused. The individual might also feel depression as they could feel as if
they have been abandoned by their family or the lack of social interaction
can make them feel depressed. Failing to look after their hygiene because
they might forget to clean themselves or might not remember why they
would need to (Yourbrainmatters.org.au, 2012). Due to the individual’s
nerve cell being damaged by alzheimer disease and this cells are
essential in thinking and judgement, so when destroyed they become
damaged the individual is likely to develop cognitive problems, so their
memory and thinking skills will become slower.
https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia?utm_source=
google&utm_medium=paidsearch&utm_campaign=google_grants&utm_c
ontent=dementia&gclid=CjwKCAiAsIDxBRAsEiwAV76N86ksLwem3tFlxNJt
Tvv1DTcBSjcIzu_MpBXqx7oem-mJL80EPkOnYBoCmcMQAvD_BwE
https://yourbrainmatters.org.au/about-dementia/what-is-dementia
17/ 01/ 2020
Lewy body dementia is caused when there is a forming of lewy bodies
which are 'clumps of protein' that develop in the brain cells (Dementia UK,
2019). This can lead to dementia because the brain tissues start losing
their function which can lead to dementia. The development of lewy body
tends to occur in regions of the brain in charge of our movement,
thoughts, visual perception and policing of our sleep and vigilance
(Dementia UK, 2019). The symptoms of lewy body includes visual
hallucinations and lack of awareness, this is because the clump of lewy
, Unit 17 - Care for individuals with dementia First submission
body develop in the part of the brain responsible for visual and details and
alertness this can decrease the individual’s cognitive processes so they
might have difficulties judging distances. The individual might also cause
slow movement and bone to stiffen this is because Lewy body can also
develop in the neurons and this can cause the neurons to work
ineffectively so the person might experience instability or feeling faint
and this can’t cause slow movement or moments in which the individual
‘freezes’. The individual might also have trouble sleeping due to constant
vivid image in hallucination this can cause the individual to experience
sundowning (Dementia UK, 2019). An early symptom of lewy body can
affect the individual physically whereas in alzhermia physical problems
occur in the middle or more severe stage (Alzheimer's Association, n.d.).
https://www.dementiauk.org/understanding-dementia/types-and-sympto
ms/dementia-with-lewy-bodies/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lewy-body-dementia/sym
ptoms-causes/syc-20352025
https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia/types-of-dem
entia/lewy-body-dementia
17/ 01/ 2020
Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia, it is
caused when a blood vessel in the brain is damaged, this makes the
oxygen supply to the brain become lessened. The reduction in oxygen
supply can lead to small strokes and can diminish brain cells. As the
amount of strokes increases overtime, one likelihood of developing
vascular dementia grows. Multi-infarct dementia is defined as different
types of stroke that affects people with vascular dementia. The symptoms
of vascular dementia are confusion and difficulties arranging thoughts
and actions as it can cause gradual decrease in mental abilities, they
might become confused on what to do next and this can cause
restlessness. The individual might also having difficulties paying attention
or concentrating, this might be due to the decrease of oxygen to the
brain. Memory issues also occur because the blood vessels leak and this
means cells can’t get to the brain and in time it will die, this is what
eventually leads to the memory loss in people with vascular dementia.
The individual might also experience physical symptoms early on such as
shaking of the body, unstable walk so they will have a tendency to fall
down often and this can happen early on in the symptom. The individual
might also experience behaviour change because they might have the
desire to urinate often but might be unable to and this can cause the
, Unit 17 - Care for individuals with dementia First submission
individual to become restless (Mayo Clinic, 2018). This tells us that most of
the symptoms experienced in vascular are cognitive thinking.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vascular-dementia/sympt
oms-causes/syc-20378793
20/ 01/ 2020
A.M1 – Analyse how the different types of dementia might be identified by
their symptoms
Alzheimer’s disease is caused by a protein called tau. This protein builds
up in the part of the brain important for memory. The hippocampus is
also affected by the disease and this is also important for memory. This is
why memory loss is one of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers had found that tau can have an impact on the mitochondrial
movement to the synapses, and the mitochondria is important for
recharging cells. The disease can later spread to other neurons causing
damage to several parts in the brain (Alzheimer’s Society, “How Does Tau,
a Hallmark of Alzheimer’s Disease, Affect the Connections between Brain
Cells?”).
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/research/our-research/research-projects/ho
w-does-tau-hallmark-alzheimers-disease-affect-connections-between-bra
in-cells
08/ 03/ 2020
However Vascular dementia is caused by blood vessels becoming
damaged and small mini strokes that occur. This is because when the
oxygen supply to the brain is reduced, it can affect skills such as
judgement and thoughts. The blood has essential nutrients that the body
needs. Although the progression vascular cans decrease over a period of
time.
Whereas lewy body is caused when there is a build up of protein in the
brain cells, so it causes the brain tissue to function less better and this can
lead to dementia.
