Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—and behavioral abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for basic activities of daily living.
Many conditions and diseases cause dementia. Two of the most common causes of dementia in older people are Alzheimer’s disease and vascular Dementia, which is caused by a series of strokes or changes in the brain’s blood supply.
1.2) Describe The Key Functions Of The Brain That Are Affected By Dementia
The brain, along with the spinal cord, makes up the central nervous system, and it
is this that controls all of our body’s functions. Like any other organ within the body, the brain is made up of cells. Within the brain there are billions of nerve cells that are known as neurons. These neurons communicate with each other and with other parts of the body by sending messages (impulses) via a system of nerve pathways.
Frontal Lobe – Movement, Emotional Behaviour, Personality, Interpretation and Feeling.
Parietal Lobe – Language, Special Awareness and Recognition.
Temporal Lobe – Long Term Memory, Speech and Hearing.
Occipital Lobe- Vision.
Cerabellum – Balance, Posture, Muscle Co-ordination (movement).
Hypothalamus – Regulates Thirst, Appetite, Body Temperature, Sleep Cycles and Patterns Of Sleep.
Thalamus – Muscle Movement and Processing Sensory Information.
Hippocampus – Processes Recent Memories Into Stored Memories.
Limbic System – Emotions and Smells.
1.3) Explain Why Depression, Delirium and Age Related Memory and Impairment May Be Mistaken For Dementia
If a person starts to display signs of cognitive impairment, it...