Why do people get dementia

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities



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Information from the Alzheimer's Association states that there are around 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and over 27 million people with these conditions worldwide.This costs us about $315.4 billion dollars a year.

Dementia is not a specific disease, but a number of symptoms that cause changes in the the way the brain functions. Many symptoms are related to cognition. Cognition is the act of thinking, learning and perceiving. Cognitiion may affect memory decision making, judgment, reasoning spatial orientation, communication and thinking. Many people with dementia have behavior and personality changes. As you age, you are more likely to develop dementia.

Most people with dementia have Alzheimer's disease. About half of all persons have Alzheimer's disease. There is a genetic componant to it. Amyloid plaques and neurofibratory tangles are seen in the brains of those with Alzheimer's disease. These are abnormal proteins and as they become more prevalent in the brain, cells are rendered useless and can no longer function. Eventually these cells die. As the cells die, more and more brain function is lost.

Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia. Sometimes it is called mullti-infarct dementia. Vascular dementia is responsible for about 33 per cent of all dementias. The hallmark of this dementia is the hardening of the arteries in the brain This hardening is caused by fatty deposits which limits blood flow in the brain. The brain cells do not get the required oxygen to maintain function. Eventually these brain cells die. Conditions like....read all of Why do people get dementia