HEALTHY REASONING: Dementia Is An Increasing Problem

By Allan Bucka Jones
Pride Health Columnist 

Dementia is not a specific disease. It is an overall term for a set of symptoms that are caused by disorders affecting the brain. Symptoms may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language, severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. A person with dementia may also experience changes in mood or behaviour.

Dementia is progressive, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse as more brain cells become damaged and eventually die.

Many diseases can cause dementia, the most common being Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia due to strokes. Some of the other causes of dementia include Lewy Body disease, head trauma, fronto-temporal dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. These conditions can have similar and overlapping symptoms.

Some treatable conditions can produce symptoms similar to dementia, for example, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid disease, sleep disorders, or mental illness. So if you suspect someone is showing signs of dementia, it is important to arrange for a full medical assessment as early as possible.

Getting a timely diagnosis can help you access information, resources and support which are available. A family doctor as the first point of contact with the health care system, is able to direct individuals to support agencies like the Alzheimer Society.

Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are not a part of normal aging. Almost 40 percent of people over the age of 65 experience some form of memory loss. When there is no underlying medical condition causing this memory loss, it is known as “age-associated memory impairment,” which is considered a part of the normal aging process. Brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are different. Age-associated memory impairment and dementia can be told apart in a number of ways. For example, normal aging may result in someone not being able to remember the name of an acquaintance, compared to dementia which could be an inability to recognize or know the names of family members.

The incidence of dementia in Canada is increasing. Today approximately 750,000 individuals are diagnosed. This number is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2031. It is clear that dementia is an increasing problem.

Many individuals with dementia live at home, resulting in caregiving being the fastest growing unpaid profession. If you are a caregiver, you know first-hand what it is like coping with a flurry of tasks like bathing, shopping, cooking, feeding, making arrangements for medical care, managing behavioral problems, while at the same time trying to cope with your own anxieties and fears. Other key decisions include, when is it time to take away the car keys?, how to modify the house?, if a decision is made to consider a nursing home, how do I know which is best for the person with dementia?, what about the costs associated with a nursing home? Your local Alzheimer Society office is able to help you deal with these concerns.

Ideally I think when individuals have dementia, they need to be in an environment compatible with their culture, eating familiar foods, hearing familiar stories, receiving respectful care. With regards to the Black community, I have heard chatter about having nursing homes designed along cultural guidelines, so that Black individuals in the evening of their lives, can live out their lives with dignity and respect. Who will take up the challenge?

Allan Bucka Jones is a Health Promoter and Broadcaster. He can be heard on “Allan Bucka Jones LIVE”, Sundays from 3 to 5pm on CHRY 105.5 FM, www.chry.fm option RDO.to , Rogers Digital Cable 945, Bell Fibe 973 or mobile app TuneIn Radio. You can contact Allan Bucka Jones at ajones@jjmedical.ca.