Understanding Dementia
Dementia is often misconceived as a specific disease when, in reality, it is the universal term used for impaired thinking, memory, decision-making, and everyday activities overall. About 50 million individuals around the globe suffer from the effects of dementia-related diseases, and almost 10 million people are diagnosed every year. The most common forms of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease (60-70% of all dementia cases), vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies, which all are progressive illnesses.Â
Unfortunately for dementia patients, all forms of the disease are progressive – a condition that intensifies over time. However, how quickly it worsens depends on the patient’s physical and mental resilience. Additionally, the environment dementia patients are surrounded by and the support they receive play a vital role in their prognosis.Â
Stages of DementiaÂ
Detecting early-stage dementia can be a tricky task as the onset of the disease is gradual and often overlooked. Symptoms of early-stage dementia include forgetfulness, losing track of time, and getting lost in familiar places.
As individuals shift into the middle stage of dementia, symptoms start to become more frequent and evident – forgetting names and recent events, getting lost at home, struggling with communication, needing personal care assistance, and behaving differently.Â
Finally, if late-stage dementia is reached, the patient will become almost entirely dependent on the assistance of others as they begin to forget even more of their surroundings and have trouble getting around consistently. Behavioral changes will also become more discernible as it is more challenging for the individual to control emotions (especially anger, confusion, and sadness).
Dementia-related diseases can be complicated because the patient may continue to be physically healthy while their mind is deteriorating. This can leave family members and caregivers with very difficult decisions about health treatments and care goals.Â
Our Specialized Dementia Care
At Home to Stay, we offer the best Alzheimer’s and dementia care in New Jersey because we believe that people with dementia still have feelings, desires, wants and needs. By creating a predictable day filled with essential tasks required for daily living and meaningful activities which match their current level of dementia, they can live much happier and fulfilled lives in the comfort of their own home with our trusted Alzheimer’s & Dementia care specialists.
