Wednesday, December 28, 2011

What is Dementia?

What is Dementia? Dementia is a disease of the brain that is prevalent in older people, although people as young as 40 years old have been known to have dementia. This disease of the brain destroys brain cells, leaving patients unable to think for themselves. Dementia is a when a person forgets how to do day to day tasks like reading, showering, shaving, and how to speak.

While there is no cure for Dementia, over time the disease becomes more aggressive. It is also known as an intellectual disability because it affects the patients thinking patterns. Older people suffer from dementia because it is likely linked to Alzheimer's.  Sometimes Dementia is hereditary and it cannot be avoided. 

There is not a cure for this disease, but doctors are studying how to treat Dementia. Often this disease is accompanied by anxiety, depression, hallucinations, and changes in mood. People with dementia will have untreatable loss of memory, language, perception, and learning disabilities. Their caregivers will notice a change in their mood with increased anxiety and paranoia. 

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