This document provides information about dementia, its causes, symptoms, and progression. It discusses the most common types of dementia in Scotland: Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and Lewy body dementia. For each, it describes the causes, risk factors, symptoms at different stages, and available medications. It also discusses the experience of caring for someone with dementia and the role of Alzheimer Scotland in supporting and empowering both those with dementia and their caregivers.
2. Learning Outcomes
• Clear understanding of what dementia is
• Knowledge of what Alzheimer’s Disease
• Understand the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Knowledge of medication prescribed to people with Alzheimer’s
Disease.
• Knowledge of what Vascular Dementia is
• Understand the progression of Vascular Dementia
• Knowledge of some of the medications prescribed to people with
vascular dementia
• Understanding of the carer’s perspective
• Understanding of the role of Alzheimer Scotland
Dementia Day 1
3. What Is Dementia?
“Dementia is a group of progressive
diseases of the brain that slowly affect all
functions of the mind and lead to a
deterioration in the person’s ability to
remember, reason and concentrate. It can
affect every area of human thinking,
feeling and behaviour”
(Murphy 1990)
5. Common types of dementia in Scotland
55%
20%
10%
15% Alzheimer's
Disease
Vascular
Dementia
Lewy Body
Dementia
Others
6. Who is affected?
• Dementia affects both men and women and exists
world-wide
• It is most common in older people, but can affect
people in their 30’s 40’s and 50’s
• Approximately 82,000 people are currently living
with dementia in Scotland (2011)
• It is predicted that this figure will rise to 164,000
by 2031 – a rise of 100%
7. Alzheimer’s Disease
• Brain cells make large numbers of protein. If too
much protein is made or not enough broken down,
then this causes the cell to die
• In Alzheimer’s Disease these proteins build up.
• They form tangles and plaques, which make it
difficult for the cells to communicate with each
other
9. Alzheimer’s Disease – Risk Factors
• A combination of factors
• Age
• Environment
• Lifestyle
• Genetic inheritance
• Down’s Syndrome
10. Alzheimer’s Disease – No Cure
• Low levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine
• Medication can be prescribed for Alzheimer’s
Disease. The common drugs are:
• Aricept (Donepezil)
• Reminyl (Galantimine)
• Exelon (Rivastigmine)
• Ebixa* (Memantine)
11. Alzheimer’s Disease - Early Stage
• forget about recent conversations and events
• repeat themselves
• become slower at grasping new ideas or lose the thread of
what is being said
• sometimes become confused
• show poor judgment or find it harder to make decisions
• lose interest in other people or activities
• develop a readiness to blame others for mislaid items
• become unwilling to try out new things or adapt to change
12. Alzheimer’s Disease-Middle Stage
• becoming confused about where they are or
walking off and becoming lost
• becoming muddled about time and getting up at
night because they are mixing up night and day
• putting themselves or others at risk by not
lighting the gas cooker
• behaving in ways that may seem unusual, such
as going outside in their night clothes
• experiencing difficulties with perception and in
some cases hallucinations
13. Alzheimer’s Disease- Late Stage
• The person may become increasingly frail. They may start to
shuffle or walk unsteadily, eventually becoming confined to a
wheelchair
• Other symptoms may include:
• difficulty eating and sometimes swallowing
• considerable weight loss – although some people eat too
much, and put weight on
• incontinence, losing control over their bladder and sometimes
their bowels as well
• gradual loss of speech though they may repeat a few words or
cry out from time to time
14.
15. Vascular Dementia
• There are different types of vascular dementia
• Two types are:
• Multi-infarct dementia
• Sub-cortical vascular dementia
• A person can have both Vascular Dementia and
Alzheimer’s Disease-this is known as a mixed
dementia
16. Vascular Dementia-causes
• The most common type of vascular dementia is
multi-infarct dementia
• It is caused by a series of small strokes. These
strokes can be so small that the person does
not even notice them.
18. Vascular Dementia –Risk Factors
• The risk factors for vascular dementia are the
same as for stroke
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes mellitus (type 2)
• Cardiovascular disease
• Obesity
• Increased age
• Genetic risk factors (rare)
19. No specific medication is available
• Aspirin and Warfarin are used to prevent clots and
lessen the risk of further strokes
• Blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes will be
controlled by drugs
• Antidepressants and sleeping pills may also be
prescribed
21. Lewy Body Dementia
• After Alzheimers Disease and Vascular Dementia,
it is the 3rd most common form of dementia
• like A.D. is caused by a build up of protein, in this
case lewy body
• like the plaques & tangles seen in A.D. they
interrupt the cells ability to communicate and cells
die
22. Lewy Body Dementia –risk factors
• Age
• Genetics- can develop in people with no family
history however, having a relative with this type of
dementia increases the risk
• Can develop in combination with Alzheimers
Disease and Parkinson’s Disease
Dementia Day 1
23. Lewy body Dementia - symptoms
• similar to A.D.
• problems forming new memories or recalling past memories
• becoming easily confused and/or inappropriate decisions/actions
• similar to Parkinsons disease
• moving slowly, shuffling or shaking as they walk
• falls
• blank expression (can be mask like)
• walking or standing stiffly with legs and arms flexed
• relatively unique to LBD
• fluctuation in symptoms from hour to hour, moment to moment
• hallucinations and delusions
• R.E.M. sleep disorder - lots of movement/ acting out dreams in
sleep
24. Lewy Body Dementia -medication
• there is no specific medication for Lewy Body
Dementia
• Benefits seen in people prescribed medication for
A.D.
People with LBD are particularly sensitive to
certain neuroleptic medication –can result in
death
25. The Family
A carer is any partner, relative, friend or
neighbour who provides or has provided
care or support in any way or for any
amount of time. They may or may not live
with the person with dementia who may
live in the community or long stay care or
the person who received care may have
died.
26. The experience of partners and family
members
• getting the diagnosis
• difficulties with daily living
• changed relationships
• emotional and behavioural aspects
27. Our Role
• working in partnership
• empowering, supporting, informing
• mutually respectful relationship including
confidentiality
• providing quality services