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Summary Unit 17 assignment 1
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Unit 17: Caring for individuals with dementia.Dementia care- an individual approach.
P1/P2:Explain the causes of three different types of dementia. Explain the causes of three different
types of dementia.
In my report, I will be focusing on alzheimers, vascular and frontotemporal dementia. All of these
dementias are mostly caused by protein imbalance in the brain and can create anxiety and stress on the
individuals and the families.
The first type of dementia is alzheimers and the causes of this are that there is an abnormal buildup of
proteins in and around the brain cells. This is known as amyloid which is a deposit which forms plaque
around the brain cells. Moreover, tau (also a deposit) forms tangles with the brain cells. All over the brain,
neurons are damaged and die, connections between networks of neurons may become weakened, and
many brain regions start to shrink. The plaque and Tau tangles to prevent the nerve cells from sending
signals and the interruption in the brain activity causes the nerve endings to die which result in symptoms
of dementia. The symptoms are set into 3 categories: early, middle and late. The first stage is early and
this will include memory lapses and they might forget recent discussions with someone, forget about
placement, things and names of objects, unable to complete the correct phrases and will ask questions
repeatedly. The second stage is middle stage symptoms. Memory issues will get more severe as
Alzheimer's illness progresses.In addition to having trouble recognising their family and friends, someone
with the illness may find it more difficult to remember the names of people they know. There may also be
additional symptoms, such as increasing confusion and disorientation, such as getting lost or wandering
around unaware of the time of day. Impulsive, repetitive, or obsessive behaviour; delusions (believing
things that are not true); or feeling suspicious of carers or family members; difficulties speaking or
understanding words (aphasia). Unable to do spatial tasks, such as assessing distances or hearing or
seeing things that other people do not (hallucinations) emotional changes, such as frequent mood swings,
melancholy, and feeling more nervous, frustrated, or agitated. This will now require more support and will
not be able to live independently as they will require assistance with things like going to the toilet or
dressing themselves. Lastly, The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease worsen as it progresses and can be
upsetting for both the affected person and their carers, friends, and family. Over the course of the illness,
hallucinations and delusions may come and go, but they could also develop worse. Alzheimer's patients
can occasionally become aggressive, demanding, and wary of those around them. As Alzheimer's disease
worsens, other signs and symptoms could appear, including: Dysphagia, a problem swallowing and
chewing. Difficulties moving or changing positions without support. Speech will gradually disappear and
can impact a person's short and long term memory. People with Alzheimer's disease may require full-time
care, assistance with eating and moving, and personal care during the most severe phases. (1. NHS-
Alzheimers)
The next type of dementia is Vascular dementia and this is caused by a reduction of oxygenated blood to
the brain and in order for the brain to function, the brain requires a constant supply of blood in order to
function properly. If the blood vessels leak back or become blocked then it can damage the brain cells and
they will die. It is caused by Atherosclerosis which is a disease of the arteries in which fatty material
deposits build up and cause them to narrow which prohibits the blood flow. This can cause a Transient
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, Ischemic attack which is a brain clot which clears itself but will give similar short term symptoms to a
stroke. Larger vessels that have been blocked can often go undetected as a stroke when the symptoms
are temporary. Even short periods of oxygen starvation will make the small part of the brain die which is
called infarct. The symptoms of vascular dementia tends to get worse over time however it is possible to
slow it down. These symptoms include,slowness of thought issues with comprehension and planning
issues with concentration alterations in your mood, demeanour, or behaviour feeling bewildered and
confused. As stated in alzheimers, the same symptoms can occur such as memory and language issues
(many patients with vascular dementia also have Alzheimer's disease), including difficulty walking and
maintaining balance. The difficulties caused by these issues may eventually prevent someone with the
illness from being able to care for oneself. (2. vascular dementia).
Lastly, the last dementia type is Frontotemporal dementia which affects the frontal lobe of the brain. The
left side of the brain controls the language and the right side of the brain is responsible for behaviour and
emotion. It is caused by the nerve connections being lost as well as chemical messengers. The pathway
for transmitting impulse changes and eventually the frontal lobe will shrink which is caused by a buildup of
protein in the frontal lobe. Within FTD there are 3 main types: behaviour variant, progressive non fluent
aphasia (affecting language) and semantic dementia (loss of words and the ability to recognise ordinary
things). The symptoms include changes in personality and behaviour, including inappropriate or impulsive
behaviours, behaving cold or uncaring, ignoring personal hygiene, overeating, or losing motivation. There
can be problems with language including speaking slowly, having trouble pronouncing words correctly,
using words wrongly, or using words in the wrong order. Problems with mental abilities include being
easily distracted and having trouble organising and planning. Memory issues - These only typically
manifest later in life, as opposed to more prevalent forms of dementia like Alzheimer's disease. Physical
issues include sluggish or stiff movements, loss of bladder or bowel control (typically not until later),
muscle weakness, or trouble swallowing could also occur.Daily tasks can become more challenging as a
result of these issues, and eventually the individual might not be able to take care of himself.
P3: Explain the effects of three different types of dementia on the mental and physical health of
individuals who have the condition.
Dementia can impact on the physical and mental health of a person. This includes: reasoning, information
processing, communication, sleeplessness and restlessness, movement, behaviour, anxiety and fear and
depression. The first type of dementia is Alzheimers and reasoning can be affected. An individual with
alzheimers could struggle with budgeting and spending which can cause financial problems. If they go to
the shops and spend all their budget for the week then they will not have any other money for anything else
such as electricity or water bills leading them to be in financial debt. This can then lead to other family
members asking about why that happened which can lead to mood swings from the individual with
alzheimers as they may become angry that it happened and frustrated. The next effect is information
processing. In the early stages of Alzheimers, an individual can struggle with poor judgement. This means
that when the individual gets told a piece of information such as not to spend the money and keep the
money saved away so that savings are made. Poor judgement would allow that individual to think it's okay
to get that money and spend it on something like gambling which can create stress and anxiety for other
family members who may need that money and that individual is abusing their financial rights. The next
effect is communication and within the middle stage symptoms of Alzheimer aphasia may occur. Although
most aphasics have some difficulty speaking, they also frequently struggle with writing, reading, and
occasionally listening. This means that when someone speaks to them they may struggle to process or
even communicate back which can become very frustrating and can cause anxiety with other family
members as it can be very disheartening and worrying as they actively are seeing that family member
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