What does Dementia mean ?
Dementia is a set of symptoms caused by brain disorders that negatively affect behavior, thinking and the ability to perform daily activities. Dementia, which hinders the performance of daily activities as a result of decreased mental skills, negatively affects memory, language skills, reasoning and attention skills. Here is some information about dementia
In many forms of dementia, some nerve cells in the brain stop working, lose their connection with other cells and die. Dementia usually progresses. That is, the disease spreads gradually in the brain and the symptoms seen in the person worsen over time.
Dementia is frequently confused with Alzheimer’s among the people. Alzheimer’s is the disease that causes dementia. The reason for its occurrence is the abnormal behavior of several proteins. These proteins affect brain functions and deactivate some regions. These are brain units that are closely related to memory and coordination.
In a person with dementia; impairments are seen in functions such as memory, thinking, reasoning, determination of place and time, reading comprehension, speaking, and doing simple daily tasks. These disruptions in intellectual functions make it impossible for the patient to continue daily life activities over time. This situation requires that all the daily needs of the patient, such as washing and eating, be met by someone else.
In the normal aging process, brain functions decline a little, but not all elderly people have symptoms of dementia. The best distinguishing criterion for this is that one can do his / her work without help. Dementia should be considered in patients who need help even for daily living activities (eating, dressing, cleaning, etc.) even though they do not have a physical illness. Most of the elderly complain that their memory is not as good as before. For example, they have difficulty remembering names and jobs. This does not mean dementia.