25.1.2019
Dementia 
Its is heartbreaking to watch a once prominent, full of life person who had contributed a lot in the field of science being reduced to  a state of helplessness, of complete dependency on others to tend to his  everyday needs.  He was a professor in his career, the highest one can get in that line of work...And now he is in a state of dementia... a condition that strikes most people in their later years. I feel so much for the son who is trying hard to cope with his father's condition..  He looked stressed trying to calm his father who was already agitated due to the long hours at the hospital. He was here from 10 am and it was almost 5 pm when I met them at the pharmacy...

My late Mak was also a victim of the condition..  It started with her not able to locate her personal belongings... her pair of glasses gets misplaced.. We would scour the whole house . Eventually she started hallucinating . About someone who has come to visit her. Usually its a man she calls 'bapak'. Then slowly her speech deteriorated... she was not able to walk,,, she could no longer recognize her children.. Because she had difficulties chewing and swallowing, she was put on a liquid diet..She was then at stage 7 .At this point communication is lost, verbally and and  physically. She was fully dependent on aid from her loved ones.
Her last few months was spent mainly in the hospital. There was a huge cyst in her liver that went undetected . She used to complain of pain but we thought it was because of the constant ritual of lifting her from bed onto her wheelchair ,, back and forth...

During the short encounter with the son, I was able to share with him my experience with my late mother. Of what was expected from us children.. A lot tender loving care.. a lot of patience in handling the patient's swing in moods. I have the utmost respect  and gratitude to my sisters, especially my youngest, with whom Mak stayed for the last few years. Even though we employed  a full time nurse to during the day, my sister took over the task in the evening when she came home from work and also during the weekends. Dear sis.. thank you so much .. I know  I will never be able  to do  what you did.. thank you...


So what exactly is dementia?
When does it strike?
What are the symptoms?
Is it preventable?
What is the lifespan for a dementia patient?

Dementia is not a specific disease. It's an overall term that describes a group of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases.

Vascular dementia, which occurs after a stroke, is the second most common dementia type. But there are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia, including some that are reversible, such as thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies.

While symptoms of dementia can vary greatly, at least two of the following core mental functions must be significantly impaired to be considered dementia:

Memory
Communication and language
Ability to focus and pay attention
Reasoning and judgment
Visual perception

People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of a purse or wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing meals, remembering appointments or traveling out of the neighborhood.

Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells. This damage interferes with the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other. When brain cells cannot communicate normally, thinking, behavior and feelings can be affected.


While most changes in the brain that cause dementia are permanent and worsen over time, thinking and memory problems caused by the following conditions may improve when the condition is treated or addressed:

Depression
Medication side effects
Excess use of alcohol
Thyroid problems
Vitamin deficiencies

Diagnosis of dementia

There is no one test to determine if someone has dementia. Doctors diagnose Alzheimer's and other types of dementia based on a careful medical history, a physical examination, laboratory tests, and the characteristic changes in thinking, day-to-day function and behavior associated with each type. Doctors can determine that a person has dementia with a high level of certainty. But it's harder to determine the exact type of dementia because the symptoms and brain changes of different dementias can overlap. In some cases, a doctor may diagnose "dementia" and not specify a type.

Dementia treatment and care

Treatment of dementia depends on its cause. In the case of most progressive dementias, including Alzheimer's disease, there is no cure and no treatment that slows or stops its progression. But there are drug treatments that may temporarily improve symptoms. The same medications used to treat Alzheimer's are among the drugs sometimes prescribed to help with symptoms of other types of dementias. Non-drug therapies can also alleviate some symptoms of dementia.

Some risk factors for dementia, such as age and genetics, cannot be changed. But researchers continue to explore the impact of other risk factors on brain health and prevention of dementia. Some of the most active areas of research in risk reduction and prevention include cardiovascular factors, physical fitness and diet.
Cardiovascular risk factors: Your brain is nourished by one of your body's richest networks of blood vessels. Anything that damages blood vessels anywhere in your body can damage blood vessels in your brain, depriving brain cells of vital food and oxygen. Blood vessel changes in the brain are linked to vascular dementia. They often are present along with changes caused by other types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. These changes may interact to cause faster decline or make impairments more severe. You can help protect your brain with some of the same strategies that protect your heart — don't smoke; take steps to keep your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar within recommended limits; and maintain a healthy weight.
Physical exercise: Regular physical exercise may help lower the risk of some types of dementia. Evidence suggests exercise may directly benefit brain cells by increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain.
Diet: What you eat may have its greatest impact on brain health through its effect on heart health. The best current evidence suggests that heart-healthy eating patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, also may help protect the brain. A Mediterranean diet includes relatively little red meat and emphasizes whole grains, fruits and vegetables, fish and shellfish, and nuts, olive oil and other healthy fats.

In conclusion, this is a condition that can  strike  on anyone... genetically or environmental factors due to lifestyle.. eating habits and physical activities...Is it preventable? Well up to a certain extent ...Just watch out for the early signs. Lead a healthy  lifestyle if possible. Do physical work, exercise the brain through activities that challenges the mind to think, to be always alert.. Insha Allah...