As the whole point of this week is to raise awareness of dementia, and to reduce the stigma which sadly still surrounds it, I thought I would start with a brief overview of Dementia.
Stats
-There are currently 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK
- There are 40,000 younger people living with dementia in the UK
- Two thirds of people with dementia are women
- The proportion of people with dementia doubles for every five year age gap
- The financial cost of dementia to the UK is £26 billion per annum
- There are 670,000 carers of people living with dementia
- Family carers of people with dementia save the UK £11 billion a year
- Only 44% of people with dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland receive a diagnosis
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=341
The word dementia is an umbrella term for a set of diseases, all with similar symptoms, that affect the brain. It is not part of natural ageing. The diseases that come under the heading of dementia cause the nerve cells within the brain to die, causing gaps and tangles in connections, and brain shrinkage (brain atrophy). Dementia is a degenerative condition, with no cure at present.
As the disease progresses, the person may:
- become confused and frequently forget the names of people, places, appointments and recent events
- experience mood wings, feel sad or angry, or scared and frustrated by their increasing memory loss
- become more withdrawn, due to either a loss of confidence or to communication problems
- have difficulty carrying out everyday activities
As the disease progresses, the person may:
- become confused and frequently forget the names of people, places, appointments and recent events
- experience mood wings, feel sad or angry, or scared and frustrated by their increasing memory loss
- become more withdrawn, due to either a loss of confidence or to communication problems
- have difficulty carrying out everyday activities
Dementia affects individuals in different ways, and it is important that we remember the person behind the condition. A person centred approach is very much needed when working with or caring for people living with dementia.
This is a very brief overview, but for more information on dementia visit www.alzheimers.org.uk
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