Dementia and Its Treatment

All of the most advanced modern societies have excellent healthcare, which helps to make sure that citizens can live comfortable lives and live long lives. A good healthcare system only works so well when people cannot access or afford the care they need, however. This problem presents itself in many forms, including with elderly people who may live on their own, not have a lot of money or caregivers, and have gaps in Medicaid coverage. When older people are diagnosed with chronic and debilitating diseases like dementia, these people and their loved ones can still establish some semblance of a good and peaceful life. There will be struggles and a lot of pain, but there are at least steps that can be taken to handle a dementia situation. Knowing what to look for early on and being able to seek medical help can make a difference in the ultimate outcomes. Medical professionals are trained to identify signs and symptoms, but it can be very helpful if friends and loved ones, who spent a lot of time with potential dementia patients, start noticing different and unusual behavior. These people should start taking notes and keeping a diary, which would really help the doctors understand what is going on. While non-medical professionals should not make diagnoses, it helps for friends and loved ones to at least have an idea of what signs and symptoms to look for to know to seek medical attention.

Before learning about how to identify, screen for, and manage dementia, it helps to better understand what the condition is. It is not a single symptom, and it can cause cognitive problems that interfere with things like memory and the ability to think and interact socially. Alzheimer’s is a progressive form of dementia, and it is possible to improve some of the dementia symptoms with earlier interventions and proper treatments (Mayo Clinic, 2019b). Dementia typically occurs in older people, which would be one indication of the need to test. Once an older person starts to exhibit some problems that overlap with some of the signs and symptoms of dementia, then it is a good idea to screen that person and run diagnostic tests. If family members or other loved ones start noticing memory problems, then treatment should be sought out as soon as possible, especially because there could be treatable underlying causes (Mayo Clinic, 2019b). Mayo Clinic (2019b) goes on to list some specific things to look out for, such as memory loss, a hard time communicating, confusion, and a hard time with reasoning and problem-solving.

When it is time for a person to come in for an exam, there are a few things for which a medical professional can test. The patient could undergo examinations to test his or her "attention, memory, problem solving and other cognitive abilities to see if there is cause for concern. A physical exam, blood tests, and brain scans like a CT or MRI can help determine an underlying cause," (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019, para. 6). The doctor will look for certain criteria to determine if further examination and treatment is warranted, which includes starting to identify the possible type of dementia occurring. Dementia can take different forms, like vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, the aforementioned progressive version known as Alzheimer's disease, and frontotemporal dementia to name a few (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). It can help to start thinking about what type of dementia may be at play because the type of dementia presenting in the patient could determine the treatments and course of action that the patient and everyone involved will have to take. The doctor needs to be able to see the difference between what the patient can and cannot do now compared with in the past, and this is where it helps to have loved ones taking detailed notes and diaries and helping to describe what the patient was like before. The patient will also undergo tests that look at neurology, cognition, lab tests, and brain scans. The doctor has to put together all of the information and try to make a determination about a diagnosis, which is not always easy and obvious with dementia, unlike identifying something like a bone fracture (Mayo Clinic, 2019a).

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, April 05). What is dementia? Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/aging/dementia/index.html

Mayo Clinic. (2019a, April 19). Dementia: Diagnosis and treatment. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dementia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352019

Mayo Clinic. (2019b, April 19). Dementia: Symptoms and causes. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dementia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352013