Dementia.
For those of you who have no interest in Mental Dementia or anything medical this may not interest you at all. I on the other hand have worked with people with Mental Dementia for two years this June. And I just finished (and passed) a class on Mental Dementia. So if my next few post don't interest you then I'm sorry. But it will informitive I promise.
Dementia
Refers to a general loss of intellectual functions (memory, reasoning, concentration, attention, abstract ability, and reduced language function) plus personality changes, though not always disorientation
Generally results from cells of the brain being destroyed and losing the functions that were being controlled by those cells.
People with dementia are more susceptible the the side effect of antipsychotic, sedatives, and antidepressants. There are ten main leading causes of dementia. These are the following:
Alzheimer's Dementia
Diffuse Lewy Body Disease
Vascular Dementia (Multi-Infarct Dementia)
HIV/AIDS Dementia
Substance Induced Dementia
Huntington's Dementia
Picks Disease Dementia
Head Injury Dementia
Parkinson's Disease Dementia
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Dementia
posted by Gloria at 7:36 PM
7 Comments:
During the first parts of my practicum I have come in contact with a lot of Dementia, but starting Monday, I will be on a full Dementia Ward. I find the hardest part of dealing with them is that you know they don't want to be like they are, this could include being noisy or even very aggresive. One guy really touched me. He was wandering down the hall looking very confused so I walked up and introduced my self. He told me he had the beginnings of dementia and had lost his room. After we found it he asked me to do a big favor, never to ask him if he knows who I am and to not take it personal if he ignors me in the hall. All he wanted was for me to smile and treat him like a friend, that way, right now, he won't feel so lost in a world he is loosing.
It was a good discussion last Wednesday. I'm ever so glad you didn't actually give me a diagnosis ;)
I think it's a gift to be able to take care of these precious people. God most certainly doesn't forget who they are, even when they can't remember.
Me come out there, Gloria? You're overdue out here :)
Candace: Wow you must work with the really first stage people. We only have about one maybe two people who remember that they have dementia. Most of them that are mostly "with it" don't think they have a problem at all.
Krista: I'm not sure what to diagnose you with yet. I'm working on that...
Ruth: You know I might just save up my money and fly over there if you don't mind having me.
Congrats on taking the class. I would love to do something like that but just haven't had the chance yet though I have gone to several day trainings on the subject of Dementia and Alzheimers. Interesting post so far but then we all know I love this sort of thing!
Oh and one more type of Dementia that you didn't have on your list that I just learned about is Frontal Lob Dementia. It actually only attacks the frontal lob so things like emotional control, some memory, impulsivity are effected but not all memory and not many general life skills. The bad part is that it kills generally within half the time of other dementia types and it typically attacks younger people under 60-65. You might find it interesting to look into it because it is a little different than the other ones. I just saw some brain photos of this and it really does only hit the frontal lobs...the rest of the brain looks fine but the fronal lobes are shrivaled. Very strange really.
actually that guy wasn't even in a dementia ward. I am now in a dementia ward and it is way different. try giving someone with second or third stage a bath! it can be pretty painful, if not impossible.
Tell me about it. :)
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