Unit 17: Caring for Individuals with Dementia
Task 1 P1,P2,M1
The most prevalent kind of young onset dementia, contributing for around a third of
younger persons with dementia, is Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for over 60% of
diagnoses in the UK. Alzheimer's disease is an incurable brain condition that gradually
robs people of their memories, reasoning skills, and eventually their capacity to perform
daily tasks. This could be the case since individuals with Alzheimer's disease could also
experience a decrease in a certain chemical in the brain (called acetylcholine).
Information is less successfully conveyed when this molecule is reduced because it
serves as a chemical signal to transport information to and from cells in the brain
(neurons). As a result, the symptoms can change throughout the day and at varying
periods. Stress, infections, poor health, exhaustion, and shifts in a person's social and
physical surroundings can all exacerbate them. However, short-term memory loss,
disorientation, and alterations in behaviour and attitude are frequently present signs.
Later on in the illness, problems speaking, recalling distant memories, and walking
become problematic. Language is either limited or unavailable, memory problems are
considerable, and mobility is severely compromised in late-stage Alzheimer's disease.
Apathy and idleness are typical changes in behaviour that show up in people. Late-
stage Alzheimer's patients are totally dependent on caretakers for basic requirements
including food, washing, and mobility. Approximately 10% of those over 65 and about
50% of those over 85 have Alzheimer's disease, which disproportionately impacts older
adults. The hazard of family background is significant. This significantly associated
between 60% and 80% of patients with dementia.
The second most prevalent form of dementia is vascular dementia, which is defined by
an abnormal or compromised blood flow to the brain. Numerous illnesses that impact
the vascular system may be to blame for it. Vascular dementia is brought on by the
destruction, constriction, or obstruction of blood arteries, which control blood flow and
kill neurons. Long-term loss of brain activity is the result of this accumulated injury.
Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), which are a series of minor strokes, or one big stroke
have been associated with vascular dementia (TIA). whereas With Alzheimer's, on the
other hand, proteins build up in the brain to form structures called plaques and tangles.
This can damage the connections between nerve cells in the brain, and lead to the
death of these cells. Both types of dementia can affect memory, thinking skills and
other mental abilities. Therefore, the signs and symptoms of vascular dementia might
appear gradually or unexpectedly, worsen with time, and occasionally show signs of
improvement. As a result, everything is dependent on the location of the brain damage