Dementia by Brookelynn Bond

pmcminn — 2025-09-08 23:04:20 UTC

We have selected dementia as our focus problem. Dementia is a general term for memory loss and other thinking abilities that can severely interfere with your daily life.

Types of Dementia and Their Causes

bbond12_1 — 2025-09-08 23:13:23 UTC

The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer's Disease, which is caused by genetics and behaviors. Vascular Disease is another type of dementia that comes from strokes or problems with blood to the brain. Frontotemporal dementia comes from damage of nerve cells to the frontal and temporal lobes in the brain.

Nerve Damage

cjpower8 — 2025-09-08 23:14:04 UTC

Dementia can be caused by damage to or loss of nerve cells and their connections to the brain

Substance Abuse

dlastra2 — 2025-09-08 23:45:48 UTC

Long term alcohol abuse or drug misuse can damage brain tissue, restrict blood flow, and cause nutrient deficiencies, all of which may lead to dementia.

Treatments for Dementia

bbond12_1 — 2025-09-09 01:02:50 UTC

Two of the main treatments of dementia are symptom relief and delay release. Symptom relief are prescription drugs made for people in early/middle stages that can temporarily ease the symptoms that the patient may be experiencing. Delay disease are drugs that can slow the prevent the progression of dementia from getting worse.

Who

gluna123 — 2025-09-09 04:23:42 UTC

Dementia most likely affects elder adults, the risk increases after reaching the age of 65. After every five years it doubles after that. Obviously if someone has a family history of dementia the risk is higher and people with Alzheimers disease as well.

Vitamin Deficiency

cjpower8 — 2025-09-15 22:53:57 UTC

Vitamin deficiency is the condition of a long term lack of a vitamin. Over time the deficiency can cause dementia.

Dementia Process

dlastra2 — 2025-09-15 22:54:45 UTC

In dementia, brain cells are slowly damaged and die. In some other types of dementia, problems with blood flow reduce oxygen to the brain. As more brain cells are lost, the brain shrinks, especially in areas that control memory and learning. This causes problems with memory, thinking, and daily activities.

Primary Anatomical Structures

bbond12_1 — 2025-09-15 22:56:03 UTC

The primary anatomical structures involved in dementia are the brain stem, cerebral cortex (frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes), and the subordinal structures (amygdala, thalamus, hippocampus).

What Processes Cause Dementia?

pmcminn — 2025-09-15 22:56:09 UTC

There is a wide range of things that can cause dementia in individuals. One of the most common causes of dementia is old age. With that being said, any sort of traumatic brain injury (car accidents, concussions, skull fracture, falls, etc.) can cause dementia over time. Studies show that people over the age of 50 who have experienced any sort of TBI are more likely to get dementia.

Processes

gluna123 — 2025-09-15 22:56:13 UTC

The frontal/temporal lobe (structures of the Brain) are affected by Dementia. This has to do with reasoning, decision making, and memory. All of those processes are then affected once Dementia hits, they are slowed down and aren't able to work properly. So in the end your decision making, reasoning, and memory decrease.

Treatment: Donepezil

bbond12_1 — 2025-09-22 22:27:34 UTC

Donepezil can improve communication between the nerve cells in the brain, which can help with memory and judgement.

Symptom: Memory Loss

pmcminn — 2025-09-22 22:28:09 UTC

One of the most common symptoms of dementia is memory loss. This can include memory loss of people, places, events, etc.

Symptom: Difficulty Concentrating

cjpower8 — 2025-09-22 22:29:26 UTC

A symptom of dementia is that you have a difficulty concentrating.

Symptom: Easy Aggravation/Irritation

pmcminn — 2025-09-22 22:33:47 UTC

Another symptom of dementia is being easily aggravated or irritated without justified reasoning. This leads to having an unpredictable range of emotions and struggling to self-regulate.

Symptom: Being confused about time or place

cjpower8 — 2025-09-22 22:34:30 UTC

People with dementia can get confused about time and place. This can be things like forgetting how old you are, forgetting where you live, etc.

Treatment: Memantine (Namenda)

bbond12_1 — 2025-09-22 22:35:31 UTC

Memantine helps regulate glutamate, a chemical messenger involved in memory and learning. While it could have a side effect of dizziness, it helps prevent any confusion or memory loss.

Diagnosis: CT Scans

bbond12_1 — 2025-09-22 22:38:38 UTC

One way that dementia is diagnosed is CT Scans, which use x-rays to create images of the brain.

Diagnosis: Laboratory test

gluna123 — 2025-09-22 22:40:34 UTC

Some blood tests are used to determine if someone has symptoms of dementia such as lack of vitamin b-12 or an underactive thyroid.

Diagnosis : Cognitive Assessments

dlastra2 — 2025-09-22 22:43:30 UTC

Standardized ways used to diagnose dementia include tests to assess memory, attention, language, problem solving, and other cognitive functions.

Cognitive Decline

bbond12_1 — 2025-09-29 22:18:49 UTC

Some negative long-term effects of Dementia is worsening memory loss, reduced attention and concentration, and constant confusion and disorientation. All of these cognitive functions affect the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain as time passes.

Emotional

dlastra2 — 2025-09-29 22:25:31 UTC

Dementia can cause long term consequences with behavioral and emotional changes, such as increased anxiety, depression, mood swings, or agitation.

Increased dependency

gluna123 — 2025-09-29 22:29:13 UTC

As time goes on and dementia gets worse the person will need full time care because of their lack of independency. Dementia patients need help with basic everyday activities such as dressing, eating, and going to the bathroom. Once this happens most likely the person will move into a care facility where they will be taken care of.

Personality Changes

cjpower8 — 2025-09-29 22:35:19 UTC

One of the common long term side effects is personality changes

Taking Cholinesterase Inhibitors

bbond12_1 — 2025-10-06 22:37:08 UTC

Someone with a less severe dementia diagnosis may want to take some types of cholinesterase inhibitors to help with memory and improve cognitive function. These types of basic medication are rivastigmine, donepezil, and galantamine. The cost of these treatments are fairly cheap (around $100 a month) and can be covered by most insurances. Some consequences of not taking these cholinesterase inhibitors could be worsening functional impairment, irreversible decline of cognitive abilities, and increased neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Memory Care

pmcminn — 2025-10-06 22:40:51 UTC

A treatment option for patients with dementia are memory care facilities. The average monthly cost for memory care facilities are between $6,160 and $6450 a month. The amount of coverage a patient in a memory care facility receives varies significantly, depending on things like medicare, medicaid, long-term care insurance, private health insurance plans, and what memory care facility you receive treatment from. It is not likely that a memory care facility would be covered by insurance. However, turning down treatment for dementia because of the cost can become difficult as your dementia worsens over time, and this can put a lot of pressure on the people around you to care for you, as they are not professionals.

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy

gluna123 — 2025-10-06 22:42:13 UTC

CST is a structured intervention designed for individuals with mild to moderate dementia. Patients who attend CST can enhance cognitive function, improve mental engagement, and boost the overall quality of life for participants. They do different actives such as puzzles, word games, and Reminiscence sessions. It would cost $300 over an 8 week period. It is not common for insurance to cover it, as it is considered experimental and not medically necessary for dementia. If patients cannot attend these sessions they lack cognitive activity, their behavior symptoms worsen, and they become more isolated over time, these symptoms will continue to worsen.

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy

dlastra2 — 2025-10-20 22:31:50 UTC

This is a therapy that uses activities to improve cognitive function and it engages with patients in various activities to stimulate thinking and social interactions such as discussions, games, and puzzles. A short term effect is that it improves cognitive function and quality of life, it doesn't help as much in long term. Occupational Therapists would be required to do the treatment for dementia patients. They help individuals with their independence and daily life skills.

Music Therapy

pmcminn — 2025-10-20 22:33:37 UTC

A treatment option for dementia are various forms of art and music therapy. Music therapy for dementia involves listening to familiar songs, singing, and playing instruments to improve your mood and memory. Studies show that these therapies help to slow cognitive deterioration short term, and address symptoms related to psychosocially challenging behaviors, and improve a patients overall quality of life. This is more of a short term treatment than it is long term. A MC-BT is the professional credential needed for music therapy.

Body Movement Impairments

bbond12_1 — 2025-10-27 22:18:51 UTC

Dementia can cause body movement problems such as balance issues, coordination problems, and muscle stiffness. This could cause problems with simple tasks like walking, reaching high/low places, or other everyday activities. The best way to treat these could be from physical therapy to help build endurance and practice daily exercises to improve these skills. The main long term effect of having body movement problems may cause the patient to be moved into a wheelchair to get around or need more assisted care. The professional that would be required to treat any body movement problems would be a physical therapist.

Functional and Adaptive

dlastra2 — 2025-10-27 22:19:50 UTC

People with dementia often have trouble with memory, coordination, and daily activities, which can make it hard to stay independent. Occupational therapists can help with functional and adaptive treatments, daily tasks like dressing and eating, and suggest home changes to make living easier and safer. Treatment is focused on strategies to maintain skills and independence for as long as possible but can sometimes vary. While these treatments cannot reverse or stop dementia, the effects can delay functional decline.

Dementia in Minorities

gluna123 — 2025-11-10 22:24:01 UTC

Minorities such as Blacks and Hispanics, are one of the populations to face a greater risk of Dementia. Some factors are because of their barriers to health care, including lack of insurance, transportation issues, and financial constraints. Which can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment of underlying conditions. And the lack of insurance is a huge reason why minorities face barriers when trying to get treated, it limits their ability to seek medical care. Some minorities often reside in areas with fewer healthcare facilities and specialists.

On-Set Dementia (age < 65)

bbond12_1 — 2025-11-10 22:25:09 UTC

One special population that may be affected by dementia are people younger than 65 years old, also known as on-set dementia. Many people can be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, or frontotemporal lobe dementia early on in life. They could have symptoms like memory problems, difficulty with language, and lots of confusion and disorientation. If given an early diagnosis, the best treatment option is to find medication or therapies to help maintain manage the symptoms and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST)

bbond12_1 — 2025-11-17 22:10:00 UTC

A cognitive rehabilitation treatment that can be used as a treatment for someone with Dementia is Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST). This long-term treatment works on improving memory, thinking, and concentration in a group-based setting. The professionals that would help patients are social workers or occupational therapists.

Computerized cognitive training

dlastra2 — 2025-11-24 22:16:30 UTC

These digital programs are designed to engage memory, attention, and problem solving skills. They help prevent or slow the progression of dementia by keeping the brain active and promoting neuroplasticity. A negative aspect of using this includes the potential limited transfer of skills to daily life.

Neurocognitive Assessments

gluna123 — 2025-11-24 22:31:09 UTC

Neurocognitive assessment is a treatment technology that can be used for Dementia patients, to evaluate cognitive health more accurately. This technology can be used for diagnosing Dementia. There's a few types of neurocognitive assessments, one is cognitive screening test which evaluate cognitive function and can indicate need for further assessment. These tests are Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), A brief 11-item test focusing on orientation, memory, and attention. And Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA); a more comprehensive tool that assesses various cognitive domains, including memory, attention, and executive functions. Although neurocognitive assessment is a great way to treat dementia, there's some downsides; it's time consuming, for older patients this may be hard or too long of a test for them. And scores are influenced by education, language, and culture, older individuals may have had less formal education or are non-native English speakers who may appear more impaired than they are.