| Dementia is a condition in which there is | | | | familiar neighborhood. |
| impairment of thinking due to a group of | | | | * Problems with language: Quite often, persons |
| symptoms affecting the brain. It includes the | | | | who have dementia will experience difficulty in |
| common symptom of memory loss. Memory loss | | | | finding the right words, or use the wrong words. |
| by itself, however, is not an absolute sign of | | | | As a result, they become frustrated. |
| dementia. | | | | * Changes in mood: Everyone experiences mood |
| Alzheimer's disease is the common cause of | | | | swing but a person with dementia may become |
| dementia, and is particularly common in older | | | | unusually emotional and have fast mood swings |
| people. | | | | for no apparent reason. |
| Senile Dementia: This refers to the mental | | | | * Personality changes: It is not uncommon to see |
| deterioration that is associated with old age. | | | | drastic personality changes in people with |
| Common Signs of Dementia | | | | dementia. They might become irritable, overly |
| * Declining memory: All of us forget names or | | | | fearful or suspicious. |
| appointments once in a while, but we often | | | | * Loss of initiative: Persons who have dementia |
| remember them later. Persons with dementia | | | | often become passive and choose to be alone. |
| often forget things and never remember them. | | | | Dementia Treatment |
| They could pose a question over and over again, | | | | Although there is no known cure for dementia, a |
| and yet they will not remember that they had | | | | doctor should be a source of valuable information. |
| already asked the question. | | | | The objective is to control the symptoms of |
| * Difficulty to perform routine tasks: Persons with | | | | dementia. Treatment options depend on the |
| dementia will find it difficult to complete familiar | | | | conditions of the sufferer. |
| tasks. | | | | If there is a need, the doctor should be the right |
| * Disorientation of place and time: People with | | | | person to refer the sufferer to a neurologist, |
| dementia may sometimes forget where they are | | | | psychiatrist, or gerontologist (a specialist in the |
| and how to get back home even if they are in a | | | | elderly) for further investigation. |