When you think of dementia what do you see? Do you see a loved one slipping away? Do you see someone you no longer recognize? Do you see someone who no longer recognizes you? Do you see someone who struggles with day to day functioning? Do you see life as you once knew it ending?

Dementia has had many faces and many names throughout history, once thought of as mental illness, insanity, derangement and even lunacy. In the early 20^th century those with dementia would have been housed in state mental hospitals, or asylums. In fact there were few if any efforts to create a setting that was specific to meeting the needs of someone with dementia until the late 1980’s.

Today we know that dementia is a general term for loss of cognitive functioning such as thinking, remembering and reasoning due to a chronic or persistent change and deterioration caused by brain disease or injury. Dementia is not an actual disease.

Let’s talk about some common faces of dementia:

Huntington’s Disease:

This is a result of a defective gene on chromosome 4 which causes abnormal brain proteins which over time creates brain abnormalities. This disease is progressive and hereditary. This face of dementia presents itself as abnormal involuntary movements, irritability, and depression with a severe decline in thinking/reasoning skills.

Vascular dementia:

Also known as post-stroke dementia. The magnitude of the brain bleed determines the severity of the dementia. This face of dementia presents itself as an inability to make decisions or plan in an organizational fashion as opposed to memory loss.

Dementia with Lewy bodies:

Lewy bodies are accumulations or clumps of protein that can develop on the brain. When these clumps attach to the cortex part of the brain dementia occurs. This face of dementia presents itself with well-formed hallucinations, sleep disturbances, muscle rigidity, thinking problems and memory loss.

Parkinson’s disease:

Like Lewy bodies dementia, clumps are formed in the substantia nigra area which is located deep in the brain. These clumps cause brain degeneration. This face of dementia is progressive and presents as problems with movement.

Alzheimer’s dementia:

This is the most common type of dementia and accounts for up to 80% of all dementia cases. When you hear about plaques and tangles think about Alzheimer’s. These plaques and tangles damage nerve cells and can result in brain death. This face of dementia presents itself with confusion, disorientation, behavior changes, difficulty remembering recent conversations, poor judgement, and difficulty speaking, walking and swallowing

So what do you do when you notice something is different? You suspect a loved one has dementia? Is it dementia or old age? First and foremost, get a professional assessment and full evaluation. Find a physician who specializes in dementia such as a Neurologist or Geriatrician. He or she can determine and diagnosis appropriately.

Hearing a diagnosis of dementia hits a family hard. What do you do next? Where do you turn? The Alzheimer’s Association Great East Ohio Area Chapter is a great resource. They provide seminars and online resources to help educate families on the basics of memory loss, early detection, understanding dementia and responding to dementia related behaviors, driving with dementia to name a few.

We recommend that you go to www.alz.org/akroncantonyoungstown where you can find a wealth of information. Click on Chapter Education and Resources tab.

Senior Helpers of Northeast Ohio also offers seminars and online resources to educate families on basic characteristics of dementia, strategies to avoid, strategies that work and how you can work together. Go to www.SeniorHelpersNEO.com and click on the services tab which will take you to Alzheimer’s and Dementia care.

Secondly, we recommend that the family presents a united front when caring for a loved one with dementia. Understand that dementia is progressive and will not get better. Safety is a key topic of conversation. Is your loved one safe at home? Do you feel comfortable leaving them at home alone? Are they able to cook safely? Are they safe to shower? Are they changing their clothing? Are they steady on their feet? Are they safe to drive? Are they taking their medications correctly? Are they eating? These are some of the questions that a family needs to address. If you answer “no” to any of these questions you should consider having family live with loved one, hire private duty care or look for a facility that specializes in dementia care. None of these decisions are easy but they need to happen. A family must not take it personal or feel guilty if they are not able to care for their family member with dementia. If their needs outweigh what the family can provide as care givers, placement in a facility is ok. This gives the family the opportunity to be “family” instead of “caregivers”.

If you have any questions about your journey with dementia feel free to give us a call at 234-466-5253. We can assist you in any way possible. We recognize that dementia affects the entire family. We have assisted families through this process for a number of years. You do not have to face dementia alone.