Senile Dementia: Understanding the Disease and Stages
It is a common physiological phenomenon for the elderly to slowly lose their vitality including their physical strength and essential physiological and mental functions. But apart from the common signs of old age, there is a group of different diseases associated with old age called senile dementia. Senile dementia is the deterioration of brain cells resulting to eventual loss of memory, adverse personality change, and the loss of mental abilities and discernment. The most common type of senile dementia is senile dementia Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, vascular dementia, and Lewy body disease.
Diagnosis of Senile Dementia
Some diseases associated to aging have symptoms similar to normal aging that is why some aging disorders are ignored and overlooked. To help you determine if the symptoms shown by your old family member is normal or is already a sign of mental disease, take your elderly loved one to an expert who can provide an accurate diagnosis of his condition. Signs of senile dementia include the gradual but evident personality change in your elderly that might worsen if not diagnosed right away. One of the most notable signs of senile dementia is the loss of memory of your loved one and his ability to do simple things such as calculation and constant confusion on time and direction.
Management and Treatment of Senile Dementia
All elderly family members need special care and attention, but those who are suffering from senile dementia need special care. One of the most important things you can do to help them aside from providing the best medical attention is by giving them palliative care and understanding.
- Expose your elderly to a daily routine to help him remember his usual day-to-day activities.
- Nutrition is also important including exposure to soft sunlight and fresh air.
- It is also essential for you to explain the condition of your elderly to your family members and relatives, this way, your elderly will not only feel loved and properly cared for but your family members will also help you in making things easier for your elderly.
- You should also check and make your household accident-free and keep your dangerous substances such as toxic cleansers, strong adhesives especially knives and cutters in secure places.
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Dementia is a state of global mental failure causing functional disability. Senile dementia is a progressive syndrome occurring in ageing people, there is a progressive destruction of the brain cells resulting in loss of memory, personality changes, and changes in behavioral pattern in daily life.
The most common form of senile dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, the third is vascular dementia and Dementia with Levy bodies.
In Alzheimer disease the symptoms are disability to remember recent event or loss of memory of recent events. Other symptoms are disorientation of time and place, repetition of words and deeds. Gradually the person looses the sense of identification and visual acuity.
In Parkinson’s disease there are static tremors which disappear on voluntary movement of the limb. The tremors are like Pill rolling.
Special care should be taken for such people. It becomes necessary for the whole family to understand their problem to make their life task simpler.