Understanding dementia and Alzheimer's disease

Symptoms of dementia

There are many different types of dementia and each one can affect people differently. Some of the common early symptoms include:

• memory loss
• concentration problems
• confusion and difficulty with everyday tasks
• communication problems, including struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word
• confusion over times and places
• mood and behaviour changes

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What to do if you think someone is suffering from dementia

Dementia is not part of the ageing process, so if you have any concerns about your own or your loved one’s memory problems (or anything else associated with dementia), it’s a good idea to seek the advice of a professional. At first symptoms are often mild and deterioration may be a very gradual process. When symptoms are not serious enough to be diagnosed as dementia it’s diagnosed as MCI - Mild Cognitive Impairment. Often, with MCI the person with the symptoms won’t recognise them themselves and it will be family and/or friends who raise concern. Sometimes people with MCI will not go on to develop dementia. Either way, it’s very important to seek advice because help and support is never far away.

We’ve put together a few tips for helping someone with dementia. Read more here.

What causes dementia?

Many diseases result in dementia, let's take a look at some of the most common types.

Alzheimer’s disease

With Alzheimer’s disease - the most common cause of dementia - abnormal protein surrounds brain cells and another protein damages their internal structure. Over a period of time this causes the loss of chemical connections between cells and cells begin to die. Symptoms include memory loss, and difficulties finding the right words.  

Vascular dementia

With this disease brain cells become damaged or die because narrowed or blocked blood vessels reduce oxygen supply to the brain. Vascular dementia can also be caused because of a disease affecting small blood vessels deep in the brain. Symptoms can occur suddenly after a large stroke or over time, because of several small strokes. Many people with vascular dementia have difficulty planning and concentrating. They might also get easily confused for short periods of time. 

Mixed dementia

This disease is a mix of different dementia types, presenting a mix of symptoms. Someone might have both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia at the same time. 

Dementia with Lewy bodies

Closely related to Parkinson’s disease with some of the same symptoms, dementia with Lewy bodies is when tiny abnormal structures form inside brain cells and disrupt the chemistry of the brain, leading to the brain cells dying. Symptoms can include hallucinations, difficulties judging distance and alertness that varies over the course of the day. 

Frontotemporal dementia

With this type of dementia the front and side parts of the brain are damaged as clumps of abnormal proteins form inside brain cells causing them to die. First symptoms include changes in behaviour and personality. The person may also forget the meaning of words and have difficulty speaking fluently. 

In the later stages of dementia, as the symptoms progress, the person will usually need an increasing amount of support to carry out everyday tasks.

Dementia treatments: what’s available now and in the future

While there’s currently no cure for dementia, there are treatments to help with the symptoms.

Medicines

Most dementia medicines are used to treat Alzheimer’s disease - the most common form of dementia.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

According to the NHS these medicines prevent an enzyme from breaking down a substance called acetylcholine in the brain, which helps nerve cells communicate with each other. Donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon) and galantamine (Reminyl) are used to treat the symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Donepezil is also used to treat more severe Alzheimer’s disease.

Memantine

This is given to people with moderate or severe Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and those with a mixture of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. It works by blocking the effects of an excessive amount of a chemical in the brain called glutamate.

Antipsychotic medicines

The later stages of dementia often bring with it what is known as behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Symptoms of this can include agitation, anxiety, hallucinations and delusions. There are many coping strategies to help handle these symptoms, but in extreme cases where these don’t work antipsychotic medicines such as risperidone or haloperidol may be prescribed.

Alternative remedies and therapy

Remedies such as ginkgo biloba and curcumin are used by some people with dementia, but there is no scientific evidence to say these are effective. 

Life story work and reminiscence 

Life story work and reminiscence can be helpful for people with dementia and involves talking about and looking at a mixture of photos, letters, music, possessions and keepsakes from the past. 

Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST)

Designed to help improve memory and problem-solving, this group activity and exercise work can be helpful for those with mild to moderate dementia. 

For more information about treatments for dementia, visit Alzheimer’s Research UK. 

Dementia research and future treatments

With its Dementia Research Institute (DRI), the UK is leading the way in ground-breaking dementia research. The institute has seven centres hosted in universities across the UK and is tackling dementia from every angle. Find out more by visiting the DRI website here. 

Join Dementia Research

Plenty of research and studies are being carried out in the UK into dementia and if you have the condition, and are interested, you can potentially be matched to studies taking place in your area. Visit Dementia Research to sign up for more information. 

New drug may reverse dementia

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and UC Berkeley have recently proposed a radical new theory that the memory loss and cognitive dysfunction of aging is due to a leaky barrier between the blood stream and the brain. By using a new drug they have been able to mute the receptor, reversing signs of brain aging and symptoms of dementia in mice. Read more here. 

Sign up to use smartphone technology to help dementia research 

A smartphone game called GameChanger, which features a series of fun brain games, has been developed by The Alzheimer’s Society alongside the University of Oxford to help researchers understand more about how brains change over time. The technology could help experts drive forward dementia research. Sign up here and play for free for five minutes each day for a month.

We understand what you’re going through and we’re here to help

Our aim is to give everyone living with dementia a high quality of life in surroundings they know and feel comfortable in. Our care assistants are trained to understand the symptoms of the disease and how best to help their clients handle them and get the most out of life. 

You might like to read about Caremark’s award-winning carer training programme here.

Helping to ease the strain on your family, Caremark carers can support with everything from planning everyday routines to keeping up with you or your family member’s social life and hobbies. They can help as little or as much as is needed.

The importance of routine

For people with dementia, orientation and day-to-day memory can be challenging. For this reason, having a routine is even more important than usual. At Caremark, we aim to permanently allocate each of our clients with the same care assistants. 

A friendly face

Every day the same friendly face will walk through your or your family member’s doors, enabling them to build a strong relationship based on friendship, needs, likes and dislikes, and personal preferences. 

Much needed respite

As the condition progresses, dementia can cause behavioural changes, restlessness and agitation. Repeating questions is another factor which can cause a strain on you or your loved one. Our visits can provide respite for those who need a break from caring. We allow people to relax, in the knowledge that their loved ones are being cared for. You can read more about our respite care services here. 

We are committed to improving the lives of those with dementia. We pride ourselves on providing high-quality personalised dementia home care across the country. Click here to read Caremark’s dementia care commitment.