5 Surprising Facts About Dementia You Need to Know

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Sagecare takes pride in delivering a high level service and compassion for all our residents. Understanding how to treat people with dementia requires grasping the condition itself.

Being well-meaning isn’t enough. Our trained carers have years of first-hand experience and knowledge, but increasing public knowledge about dementia helps destigmatize the condition.

Please read on to learn 5 surprising facts about dementia that everybody should know.

1. Memory Loss Isn’t the Only Symptom of Dementia

Most people associate dementia with memory loss, but not everybody who gets dementia experiences trouble with memory. Some people with dementia experience other symptoms, such as confusion with daily tasks, irritability, or trouble understanding basic communication.

They may be mild or infrequent at first but get worse over time. However, memory loss is, of course, a major symptom and can manifest itself in a few common ways:

·        Short-term memory troubles

·        Difficulty with reasoning and judgement

·        Misplacing things

·        Trouble remembering things, like cooking dinner

You may see one or more of these symptoms, and they may become more pronounced over time. There are also other symptoms that may crop up.

2. Dementia and Aging Aren’t the Same Thing

As people age, it’s common to have some trouble remembering the odd thing. However, there’s a major distinction between the progression of dementia symptoms associated with the specific disease and aging in general.

Dementia causes a type of change in people’s thought patterns, which is quite different and more serious. Typically, dementia is found in older people, but tens of thousands of people under 65 have young-onset dementia, too.

However, there’s no guarantee that people will get dementia when they get older. If you’re wondering or worried that you or a loved one may be experiencing dementia, speak to your doctor.

3. Dementia is Caused by Diseases in the Brain

There isn’t one single thing called “dementia” that affects people uniformly. Rather, it’s an umbrella term for different types of diseases which cause different effects.

For example, Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease and the most common type of dementia, but there’s also vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia (known as Pick’s disease). Each of these diseases is distinct and causes unique conditions and symptoms.

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Hundreds of conditions can cause memory loss, personality changes, cognitive issues, and more. It’s important to carefully diagnose which type of dementia you or your loved one has to get the most suitable treatment possible.

4. People with Dementia Can Live Very Full, Happy Lives

Dementia is a serious condition that can affect people’s ability to live independently, but the best way to approach dementia care involves moving to a specialized care home with trained, supportive staff who understand the condition and provide constant understanding. Sagecare is proud to offer elevated cognitive and psychological support to give dementia patients a sense of belonging and home.

In most environments, dementia is an intense and novel condition most people can’t easily accommodate because they’re not used to it. Sagecare is a dementia care home where the condition is extremely normal — residents can just relax and be themselves because dementia is baked into everyday life.

Outside of specialized environments like this, dementia patients may feel overriding pressures to perform up to intellectual and social expectations. Sagecare makes residents feel comfortable by integrating dementia care into everyday life in numerous ways.

We also recognize that each resident is unique, and that the treatment and approach that works for one may not work for another. That’s why we’re reluctant to define our approach to anything that can be easily reduced into a phrase or slogan.

Each resident’s condition is also unique and remains in constant flux. Their entire lives and the role their family plays are entirely different.

Ultimately, there are too many singular aspects of a person’s life and condition to determine a universal formula or approach to treatment, but with the right level of care and consideration, every dementia patient can live a full, joyful existence.

5. Dementia Can Be Minimized

While there is no single method, treatment, or substance that can prevent or cure dementia, there are ways to reduce its risks. Many of the risk factors that can bear on your chance of getting dementia involve physical and mental health, so to mitigate or minimize these risks, lead a balance and healthy lifestyle for your mind and body.

To be sure, there are also genetic factors at play that can’t be controlled. Ultimately, the risk factors for dementia are not guaranteed. One person with many risk factors may avoid it altogether, while somebody else with fewer risk factors may get dementia.

The best thing a person can do is minimize what dementia risk factors they can. To that end, high blood pressure can increase the risk of vascular dementia because of the blood’s effect on the heart, arteries, and blood circulation.

Smoking can also increase the odds of developing dementia, according to studies. People with type-2 diabetes aged 45-65 are also at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Things like an unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, and high alcohol consumption can increase the risks.

Sagecare approaches each patient individually, though there are some general commonalities. We reduce the cognitive noise in our patients’ lives and enhance what’s meaningful, even if these differ from patient to patient. The importance of sleep can’t be overstated, as a good night’s sleep is vital to a person’s overall health, and aspects of dementia can disrupt circadian rhythms.

To develop a comprehensive treatment approach, we have absorbed elements from various schools of thought, like Eden Alternative, Hogeweyk, Montessori, Butterfly, Gentle Care, Adards, Wellspring, and Green House. Sagecare takes the most relevant strategies from each approach and adopts them as the situation dictates.

Feeling the onset of dementia in you or a loved one can be daunting and sad. There’s a lot of information to digest, but also many half-truths and inaccuracies regarding the disease. No two cases are exactly alike, but if you want mindful, comprehensive support, register with Sagecare today.