Dementia in the elderly

(Baonghean) - Dementia is a decline in intellectual function and other cognitive areas, leading to a decrease in the ability to perform daily activities. This is one of the disorders that most seriously affects the elderly. The disease is characterized by cognitive decline that occurs in a state of normal consciousness. It is not a reversible cognitive disorder like delirium or depression.

The incidence of dementia increases rapidly with age. After age 60, the rate doubles every five years. At age 60-64, only 1% have dementia, but by age 85 or older, the rate is 30-50%.

It is important to distinguish between dementia and benign age-related forgetfulness. Benign age-related forgetfulness is a condition of memory loss due to old age, which is the result of the gradual slowing of neural activity due to age. The onset of benign forgetfulness is a condition of difficulty remembering new information and slow recall of old information due to a decrease in the ability to concentrate and pay attention. However, when given time and encouragement, the patient's daily activities remain normal.

The most common symptom of early dementia is short-term memory loss. People may forget what they just said and repeat the same sentence several times in a few minutes. They often forget where they put personal items. This forgetfulness lasts for a long time and leads to delusions of theft.

In this early stage, patients also have difficulty finding the words to express what they want to say or explain something. They often have to talk in circles. In addition, patients may forget or have difficulty using or doing daily tasks.

Other symptoms of early dementia include personality changes, mood swings, and impaired judgment. People may act differently than they used to. Other mood changes, such as depression or paranoia, are also common. It should be noted that in this early stage, people with dementia are not affected by social functioning. However, they often have mood changes, such as irritability and agitation.

The patient's mental stability is also quite fragile. In difficult or stressful situations, mental decline may be evident.

At the moderate level, patients have reduced ability to perform daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, and personal hygiene. Patients are also prone to falls or accidents due to confusion and impaired judgment.

In the severe stage, the patient cannot perform daily activities such as eating, personal hygiene, walking and is completely dependent on relatives. Short-term and long-term memory is completely lost. The patient cannot recognize even very close relatives, and loses other reflexive motor abilities such as swallowing (so it is easy to have nutritional disorders and choking on food).

When suspecting a loved one has dementia, take them to a specialized psychiatric, neurological or geriatric clinic for examination.

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