Dementia
"Dementia" is an umbrella term used in reference to a set of symptoms such as impairment in:
- Memory - This can be short term memory, long term memory, or both.
- Reasoning - The ability to think about and understand things in a logical way.
- Judgment - The ability to come to conclusions and make decisions.
- Language - Human communication, consisting of words used in a structured and conventional way and conveyed by speech, writing, or gestures.
- Thinking Skills - These skills include: analysis, interpretation, inference, explanation, self-regulation, open-mindedness, and problem-solving.
Symptoms can vary depending on the type. Some common early signs of most dementias include:
- Confusion
- Getting lost in familiar settings
- Difficulty with complex tasks that were not previously a challenge
- Difficulty with language, or not remembering the correct word to use
- Losing or misplacing things
- Mood & personality changes such as increased anxiety or aggression
Common forms and causes of dementia include:
Alzheimer’s disease (the most common cause of dementia), characterized by a gradual decline in memory and other cognitive functions from the buildup of plaques and tangles in the brain.
Frontotemporal dementia, can occur when damage to nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain causes those lobes to shrink.
Lewy body dementia, can occur when abnormal proteins known as Lewy bodies form in the brain. This formation results in Lewy body disease. Lewy bodies are also associated with dementia that can occur in late stages of Parkinson’s disease.
Vascular dementia, can occur when parts of the brain do not get enough oxygen, such as after a stroke.
Treatment:
Utilizing our program, we are able to determine the individual deficits of the patient and create a tailored therapy schedule that will increase in difficulty as skills improve.
