Unit 301
(1.1)Describe a range of causes of Dementia Syndrome? The term dementia refers to a group of conditions and brain disorders. Dementia is caused by gradual changes and damage in the brain. The most common causes of dementia include diseases in which the cells in the brain degenerate and die much quicker than they usually would as part of the typical ageing process. These changes usually occur as a result of a build-up of abnormal proteins in the brain. The abnormal proteins are different in each type of dementia. In most cases, dementia is not inherited directly from family members. There are many different causes of dementia, including: Alzheimer's disease, Vascular Dementia, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Fronto-termporal dementia and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.
(1.2) Describe the types of memory impairment commonly experienced by individuals with Dementia? Memory loss can be defined in different ways depending on the situation it is being used for and the type of memory which is lost. For example, memory loss can be the inability to retrieve information from the long-term memory, and the fading away of memories. Memory loss due to the ageing process can be defined as being the shrinking of the hippocampus, which is responsible for the storage of long-term memories. The hippocampus is usually the first area of the brain which suffers damage, leading to Alzheimer's disease. Memory impairment can occur in many forms by those with dementia; for example it can occur within the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe and/or temporal lobe. Those experiencing memory impairment within the frontal lobe, for example, will have issues with visual processing, planning, social behaviour and speech production. Issues with the parietal lobe can lead to problems with body movement, language, spatial awareness and recognition. Whereas auditory processing, language, words and memory can be impacted upon if a person has issues with the temporal lobe. And, finally, higher...