Mon 18th May – Sun 24th May 2015
Dementia Awareness Week is supported by the Alzheimer’s Society. The Alzheimer’s Society is a UK charity which provides support and research for those affected by dementia.
In Britain, there are about 800,000 people with dementia; it is estimated that around 400,000 people have dementia but do not know it. By raising awareness about this condition, it is hoped that more people will be diagnosed earlier, giving more time for them to come to terms with future symptoms.
The older age profile of the Irish population in Britain compared to the general population and other minority ethnic groups is inevitably accompanied by problems of (mostly preventable) ill–health. Although there is no empirical evidence relating to dementia, community organisations are daily faced with significant numbers of people with memory loss, most of which is undiagnosed or untreated.
Understanding Dementia
Dementia is not a disease. Dementia is a term given to a group of symptoms from certain diseases which affect the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia.
A diagnosis of dementia is often devastating to the person concerned. Other serious diseases, such as cancers, offer hope, however small, of treatment success. The symptoms of dementia are progressive and on an unknown time scale (which can be hard for people with dementia to accept). It could be months or many years before the symptoms become advanced. On a positive note, many people with dementia can live full lives with little or no assistance. Living in the present, doing the fun things now which were planned for later in life, is a strategy which helps some people cope with this condition.
Symptoms of Dementia Include:
•Memory Loss – problems with short term memory is often the first sign of dementia.
•Communication Problems – linked to memory loss, communication problems often arise when a person is unable to recall a particular word or phrase in conversation.
•Changes In Mood – dementia symptoms can have a profound effect on a person’s life; this can give rise to mixed emotions (sadness, anxiety, anger).
Dementia symptoms are progressive; they worsen over time. Advanced symptoms usually mean that a person is unable to look themselves without assistance. The Alzheimer’s Society helps provide this support.