Across the globe, dementia affects around 45 million people – 850,000 of which are in the UK alone. With it being such a prominent illness, we believe that everyone should be aware of the true impact the condition has on an individual’s life.
What Is Dementia?
Dementia is the name given to a collection of symptoms that lead to an overall decline in brain health over a long period of time. These symptoms eventually lead to brain cell death and have a significant effect on the sufferer’s daily life.
What Are The Different Types Of Dementia?
The 6 types of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body dementia, mixed dementia, frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease which affects 62% of dementia sufferers. Parkinson’s disease and frontotemporal dementia only affect 4% of dementia sufferers and are much more difficult to diagnose.
The Steps Of Getting A Diagnosis
The first step in getting a diagnosis is to recognise the signs in yourself or your loved ones. Once you’ve recognised these vital signs, it’s important that you or your loved one visits a GP who can offer an official diagnosis.
Whilst at the doctor’s office, blood tests will be conducted that will highlight any other issues that could be causing the symptoms instead of dementia. If the blood test results come back clear, the next step is undergoing cognitive testing and brain scans.
Cognitive testing involves taking things such as IQ tests and mirror tests to observe visual self-awareness and learning ability. Brain scans are required to determine if there have been any physical changes to the brain like a deterioration of tissue.
Upon completion of these tests, if the diagnosis is dementia, the doctor can prescribe a selection of medications that can slow down brain health decline. Although there is no cure for dementia, medication can make it much more manageable.
Dealing with Dementia: Our Infographic
Our infographic walks you through the entire process of dealing with dementia whilst highlighting some shocking statistics. Check it out below and let us know what you think!
