The cerebral cortex is part of your brain responsible for memories and actions. If parts of the cerebral cortex die, you’ll likely experience cognitive impairment known as dementia. Often, the elderly are more prone to dementia, but it can be managed and treated. But it helps to consider home care for your loved one.
Benefits of senior home care for a dementia patient.
1. Specialized dementia care
Home senior care such as Senior Care Chevy Chase, MD provides specialized services such as companionship and other core services for dementia patients. Again, they ensure seniors stay engaged and manage the unpredictable behaviors instantly. Also, professional home senior care providers put safety measures for dementia patients.
2. Meaningful activities for dementia patients
Due to their expertise in dementia aspects, home senior care nurses will ensure your senior is enriched with meaningful social activities that help manage dementia.
3. Professional care.
Home senior care will customize your senior medication program. Such programs engage professionals like the Capital City Nurses who have adequate experience to care for the elderly.
Causes of dementia
- Vitamin B12 deficiency. Your red blood cell production relies on vitamin B12. The cells are responsible for transporting oxygen to your brain. Therefore, insufficient vitamin B12 can lead to dementia.
- Tumors. Tumors and cancers damage your brain’s surrounding tissue, which leads to dementia.
- Toxic reaction to drugs. Some drug or chemical reactions can lead to dementia symptoms. But such symptoms reduce once the exposure to chemicals or drugs is removed.
- AIDS-induced dementia. Since HIV damages parts of your brain responsible for memory and concentration, dementia can kick in.
Symptoms of dementia
- Memory loss. In later stages, dementia patients have trouble recognizing people’s faces, even close family members. Also, their short-term memory decreases, making them easily forget recent events or conversations.
- Problem communicating. When dementia kicks in, patients tend to isolate themselves. The disorientations lead to a loss of social skills, making it difficult for them to flow in a conversation.
- Decreased concentration. Dementia makes the seniors have difficulty staying focused with reduced ability to absorb new information.
- Excessive sleeping. Why do elderly sleep so much? Seniors with dementia can experience an array of sleep issues as they age and especially as the disease progresses.
Dementia treatment options
1. Glutamate inhibitors
Glutamate inhibitors prevent the overproduction of glutamate, which causes dementia. Since such overproduction damages your cells, glutamate inhibitors play a critical role in maintaining your health and treating dementia.
2. Environment modification
Usually, loud noise, bad lighting, or clutters leads to dementia among seniors. Modifying the environment to reduce such factors will improve dementia patients’ ability to focus and function. While modifying the environment, keep away objects that have safety issues.
3. External memory aid
Anything that helps improve the impaired elderly memory is essential for dementia treatment. You can apply systems such as alarms or electronics to reduce confusion and disorientation caused by dementia.
4. Therapy
Since dementia is associated with anxiety and depression, professional counseling is essential. Dementia patients can undergo behavioral or cognitive stimulation therapy (CST). Behavioral therapy tackles triggers and undesirable behaviors, while CST tackles language ability and memory training.
5. Cholinesterase inhibitors.
A brain with appropriate acetylcholine chemical levels is considered healthy. The inhibitors avert Lewy-body dementia symptoms by slowing acetyl cholinesterase breakdown. Also, the inhibitors decrease disorientation confusion and play a role in learning and cognitive skills.
Dementia is a disturbing health condition among seniors. It’s unfortunate to see your loved one lose their memory and cognitive abilities. Fortunately, maintaining a familiar environment accompanied by home senior care activities might help treat dementia.
