DEMENTIA: The latest thief!

I attended a seminar / workshop on Dementia organized by the AFFIONG FOUNDATION FOR INCLUSIVE HEALTH, spearheaded by Professor Uduak Archibong. I learnt a lot so i thought it wise to share it on the blog today.

Hope you all had a beautiful weekend?

Dementia can be said to be a syndrome i.e not a single disease that covers a wide range of  disorders such as deterioration in cognitive function beyond what might be said to be expected to normal,decline in memory, language, problem solving,visual perception, self management, the ability to function and pay attention,the ability to control emotions and other thinking skills that affects a person's skills to perform everyday activities.

Types of Dementia
The main type of this disease include:
- Alzhemier's disease (most common)
- Frontotemporal disorders
-  Lewy Body dementia

Other types of progressive brain disorders include;
- Vascular contributions to congnitive impairment
-  Mixed dementia,a combination of two or more types of dementia

Causes of Dementia
 - Side effects of some medicines
-  Emotional problems such as stress,anxiety or depression
-  Certain vitamin deficiency
-  Drinking too much alcohol
-  Blood clots,tumors, or infections in the brain
-  Delirium
-  Head injury such as a concussion from a fall or accident
-  Organ dysfunction like the kidney, thyroid, liver  
-   Disease conditions like Argyrophilic grain disease,Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease,
    Huntington's disease, Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, HIV-associated
    dementia(HAD)

Symptoms
 Symptoms varies greatly
  
Memory loss: there is problem with short term memory for example they may forget where they kept their purse,to pay bills, planning or preparing meals,remembering apportionments, travelling out or wandering away from the neighborhood.

Challenges in planning or solving problems: most people living with dementia may experience some difficulty in following up plan or working with numbers.

Difficulty in completing familiar task : people with this disease often find it difficult to complete daily task,driving to a familiar location,organizing a grocry list or remembering the rules of a favourite game.

 Confusion with time or place: they often loose track of dates, seasons and the passage of time. They tend to have trouble understanding something if it is not happening immediately,sometimes they may forget where they are or how they got there.

Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships: for some people living Alzhemier's disease having problems with vision is a major sign which may lead to difficulty with balance or trouble reading. They may also have problems judging distance and determining colour or contrast,causing issues with driving .

Problems with words in speaking and writing: people living with Alzheimer's may have trouble following or joining conversation. They stop in the middlle of conversation and ask questions,they have no ideas to continue or they may repeat themselves. They struggle with vocabulary,have trouble naming a familiar object or use the wrong name


 I don't want the topic to be boring,we'll continue again some other time.
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