While reading chapter 24 the one topic that caught my
attention was dementia. I already knew about dementia but learning about the
different types and how it affects the individual allowed me to have a greater
understanding of the topic. Dementia is defined as an irreversible loss of intellectual
functioning caused by organic brain damage or disease (Berger, 678). As we have
read in pervious chapters the one’s level of intelligence is not necessarily
lost or depleted once they get older but the mind functions in a different way.
One branch or type of dementia is Parkinson’s disease which I did not really know
about but always heard about fundraisers such as walking for awareness. Parkinson’s
is a “progressive” disease which begins to show by shaking and losing control
of one’s muscles. Not only does the individual struggle with signs of memory
loss or confusion muscles can become weakened making one prone to falling. From
my own personal experience my grandpa recently started showing major signs of Parkinson’s
disease. Before being fully diagnosed with the disease he already was confused
and was losing his balanced which are signs of dementia. It is hard to grasp
the concept that a family member or one that we know is changing and has
developed a disease but it is part of the ageing process. Ways to prolong or somewhat
prevent dementia is doing daily exercises; mentally and physically, eating
healthy, and getting checked regularly (Berger, 682). Dementia and Parkinson’s
is not curable at this point but funds are being raised to go towards research which
can find the leading factors of the diseases.
Dementia is a horrible disease. It involves many different disease, but before reading the text, like you, I did not know Parkinson's was a form of dementia. I knew it was a progressive neurological disease, but before reading this, I would not have put it in the category of dementia. The text defines Parkinson's as "a chronic, progressive disease that is characterized by muscle tremor and rigidity, and sometimes dementia, caused by a reduction f dopamine production in the brain," (Berger, 681). I really hate to see patients with dementia, with any form. If they have a loving caregiver, often cases are less depressing, but dementia no matter what is depressing for anyone. The person affected no longer is the person they once were and thus it effects their family and friends. In my post, I discussed my association with Alzheimer's disease. For my pathological physiology class, I wrote a paper on Alzheimer's and discovered some researchers with the hypothesis that dementia and AD is not a disease, rather an aging of the brain. They commented that AD and dementia were not as prevalent 100 years ago because humans were not living as long as they do know. I have also read a book entitled "The China Study" that suggests that it is the food that we are eating and all the hormones within our animal products causing dementia. I have also heard that deodorant with aluminum is correlated to dementia. So many things, but in general there are a wide variety of factors that contribute to the cause; whether it be genes, environmental, other diseases, medications, malnutrition, etc. (Berger, 683). Dementia does not just affect the person with the disease, it affects everyone around that person.
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