Posts tagged "Mental"

Adults in Later Life With Mental Health Problems

Article by Chantelle

Most older people do not develop mental health problems, but a significant minority have dementia or experience problems such as depression.

Introduction

It is estimated that 18% of the general population in the UK are of pensionable age and that this figure will grow to 20% by 2025. As a society, we tend to assume that older people will develop mental health problems as a ‘normal’ aspect of ageing. Most older people do not develop mental health problems, although a significant minority does. For example:

* about 25% of people over 85 have dementia.

* between 10-15% of people over 65 have depression

* between 4-23% of older adults seen by medical staff have an alcohol problem.

In addition to those older people who have an identifiable mental illness such as dementia, there are many who experience psychological or emotional distress associated with isolation, loneliness or loss. These problems are not recorded by the health or medical care system.

What problems affect people in later life?

Dementia

Dementia is a decline in mental ability which affects memory, thinking, problem solving, concentration, perception and behaviour. Some forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are degenerative. That is, they get worse over time. Other forms of dementia, such as vascular dementia, may be non-degenerative. That is, they may not get worse over time.

People with dementia can become confused. Some people also become restless or display repetitive behaviour. They may also seem irritable, tearful or agitated. This can be very distressing for both the person with dementia and their family and friends. Some people with dementia also develop other problems such as depression, disturbed sleep, aggression, inappropriate sexual behaviour and incontinence, although the latter issues tend to be associated with more advanced dementia.

About one in 20 people over the age of 65 are affected by dementia and this figure rises to one in four people over the age of 85 (Audit Commission, 2000). People under the age of 65 can develop dementia but this is rare and is known as early onset or pre-senile dementia.

What causes dementia?

Dementia occurs as a result of the death of brain cells or damage in parts of the brain that deal with our thought processes and functioning. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. We do not know what causes Alzheimer’s disease but we do know that ageing is the biggest risk factor. The second most common type of dementia is vascular or multi-infarct dementia. This occurs as a result of a series of mini-strokes which constrict blood flow and oxygen to the brain.

Can dementia be prevented and is there a cure?

Most types of dementia cannot be cured but a number of psychological treatments and anti-dementia drugs can be very effective for those in the early stages of dementia. It is therefore very important to get a proper assessment of cognitive function from a medical practitioner as early as possible.

There are no guaranteed ways of preventing dementia, but you may find it helpful to follow a sensible diet and pursue a healthy lifestyle. Regular physical exercise and supplements like Gingko Biloba can help to ensure that there is always a good supply of blood to the brain. Please consult your GP before taking such medication. You can also help yourself by keeping your mind active, for example by doing crosswords or puzzles.

Depression

Depression describes a range of moods, from feeling a bit low to a severe problem, which interferes with everyday life and normal functioning. People with severe depression may experience a range of symptoms including low mood, loss of interest and pleasure as well as feelings of worthlessness or guilt.

Depression can affect anyone, of any culture, age or background but it affects proportionally more older people than any other age group. It is estimated that around 10-15% of elderly people in the community exhibit depressive symptoms, with this proportion rising to about 40% of care home residents. That said, you will not necessarily become depressed just because you are getting older.

What causes depression?

There are a number of risk factors that play a role in increasing older people’s vulnerability to depression including:

* being widowed, divorced or retired

* neurobiological changes associated with ageing

* use of medication for other conditions

* greater physical impairment and disease

* loneliness and isolation

* genetic susceptibility, which increases with age.

Can depression be prevented and is there a cure?

Depression in later life is a widely under recognised and under treated medical condition. Up until recently many health professionals – including GP’s – failed to offer the treatments and supports available to other age groups. Most forms of depression can be treated, using medication, talking treatments or other strategies.

It is can be difficult to diagnose depression in older people because it often occurs alongside other mental and physical illnesses, such as dementia, stroke, diabetes and cancer. In addition many older people do not seek help from their GP until they have a number of symptoms. As with dementia, it is important to seek help as early as possible.

Self-help strategies that can help reduce the risk of depression include:

* taking regular exercise

* planning for critical transitions such as retirement

* seeking support from family and friends following the loss of a long-term partner

* ensuring that you pursue a range of interests in later life.

Dementia and depression

The relationship between dementia and depression is complex. The symptoms of dementia and depression – including withdrawal from social activities and general apathy – are very similar. An elderly person with severe depression may occasionally be misdiagnosed as having dementia. A person with dementia may also become depressed.

Alcohol abuse

It is estimated that between 4%-23% of older adults seen by medical staff experience problems with alcohol. Figures also show that older men are currently between two and six times more likely than older women to be at risk of abusing alcohol.

Although alcohol abuse is a problem for people of all ages, it is more likely to go unrecognised among older people. Many older people use alcohol to deal with loss or loneliness. Approximately 10-30% of older people who abuse alcohol become depressed. They are also at greater risk of suicide.

Medication

Prescribed medications can cause mental health difficulties among older people. A 2001 Department of Health survey found that 79% of older people take prescribed medicines. Many older people take four or more medications at the same time. There are risks associated with taking multiple medications, including confusion.

More detailed information about medication and mental health problems can be found at the following sites:

Other mental health problems

There are a number of rarer mental health problems that affect older people, including delirium, anxiety and late-onset schizophrenia. The prevalence, nature, and course of these disorders are different in older people, as are the treatments that may be offered.

Capacity and older people with mental illness

People with dementia or severe mental illness may have difficulty in making and communicating decisions. Very few people are unable to be involved in making choices at all but some may have partial or fluctuating mental capacity and may need help with communication. Different approaches are also required to engage a person with dementia. They often need longer to make decisions, may need an advocate to speak on their behalf and their mental functioning may also vary by day, and time of day. Family members or carers are often useful sources of information but it is important to take account of the views of the person with dementia alongside those of their carer.

Help for carers

Caring for an older person with mental health problems can be very stressful, time consuming and emotionally and physically challenging. Caring for an older person with dementia is associated with higher levels of stress, with a third of carers suffering from depression.

For free advice on depression or a free consultation visit http://www.clairehegarty.co.uk or ring 0151 678 3358 or 07714853524

Visit http://www.in2town.co.uk for all the latest health news and advice

Here a some other alzheimers and dementia websites that I found for you to browse. Thank you for visiting Treatment For Alzheimers


Seniors can participate... - brain exercises and dementia - latimes.com
Could any kind of coffee fight off alzheimers or dementia? - Yahoo ...
What is the difference between alzheimers and dementia? - Yahoo ...
Cognitive therapies for dementia - Reference.com
Presenile dementia | Define Presenile dementia at Dictionary.com
Heavy Smoking in Middle Age More Than Doubles Risk of Dementia ...

Dealing with the elderly that suffer from Dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other mental instability can be difficult

Article by Jason Rosete

Taking care of the elderly can already be an occasionally taxing chore, however dealing with the elderly that suffer from dementia, Alzheimer?s, or other mental instability can be even more difficult. In this brief article, we?ll go over some of the many ways you can make caring for these elderly residents significantly easier.

There are many different types of dementia ? not only that brought on by Alzheimer?s, but also vascular dementia (when parts of the brain get cut off from the supply of blood), amongst others. The effects can range from memory loss to being agitated more easily, loss of communicative skills including hearing and speech, fine motor skills and manual dexterity, and general inability to do everyday tasks like eating, dressing, bathing, getting into and out of beds or chairs, or even walking. A common issue is maintaining the resident?s sense of dignity, due to the increased amount of care (especially on a personal level) that residents with dementia require. Since most of this care is extremely intimate, it is important to try and keep the resident from feeling overly embarrassed.

It is important to realize what types of difficulty your family member is experiencing, as certain facilities don?t have the ability to properly care for elderly residents with dementia, whereas others might be specifically geared towards them. Probably the biggest challenge is the sudden and unprovoked changes in mood that most commonly take the form of anger, frustration, or agitation. It can be very difficult to calm the resident down, and if their communication skills have been deteriorated, it can be even harder. Sometimes a favorite meal or snack or form of entertainment will work, but it is important not to treat the resident too much like a child.

Certain rare effects might be present, such as anachronistic thoughts or even fantasies. Some residents might believe they are reliving a certain period of their life, and think they are in a different place or even a different time than they actually are. While there are certain medications that can slow the effects of dementia, there is currently no cure. All in all, your goal as a family member should always be to make sure your loved one is receiving the proper type and amount of care, depending on their mental state. As an employee, it should be to help as much as possible while intruding as little as possible.

http://www.ResidentialCareFacilityListing.com

Here a some other alzheimers and dementia websites that I found for you to browse. Thank you for visiting Treatment For Alzheimers


Flickr: The Alzheimers dementia Forget us Not Pool
AOL.com Search Video - Alzheimers
Re-Thinking Ginkgo Biloba ... - latimes.com
Amway North America Launches NUTRILITE MEMORY BUILDER ...
Mail : People.com
What do you major in to work with alzheimers and dementia paitents ...

Dementia and How it Affects One’s Mental Abilities

Article by Richard Pagano

Dementia has several symptoms which show the person’s mental abilities are declining, this condition can’t be reversed. This normally comes with certain personality and behavioral changes along with memory loss. As this condition worsens, the people affected will lose their ability to function in their normal daily activities.

Dementia can happen at various ages, but usually afflicts the elderly more. The occurrence of dementia goes up dramatically with age. Thorough research shows this disorder afflicts just 1% of the population that is age 60 to 64 years old however, that goes up to 30 to 50 percent of individuals above age 85. Dementia is one of the major health issues in the USA due to its huge impact on people and the families of those people.

Dementia is normally a result of someone’s cerebral cortex degenerating, this is the section of a person’s brains in control of memories, thoughts, personality, and actions. Brain cells dying in this area brings on cognitive disability, which leads to dementia.

Most of the individuals suffering from dementia are the retired elderly which makes the cost of caring for them very expensive at times. These costs can be a burden on the family members who are the main caregivers, this includes the medications and even modifying their homes if need be for safety. The expense of nursing homes can be many thousands of dollars per month and even more. This adds to the financial burden of the family and sadly they are gradually losing this loved one, as they are dealing with the added responsibility and dependency of their affected loved one.

Dementia has a group of symptoms brought on by brain cells slowly dying. A person losing their cognitive abilities with dementia then causes changes in thinking, memory, personality, and planning. Dementia never should be seen as a definite side effect to aging though. One difficulty of being in a world where people are living longer as each year goes by is to tell the difference between the symptoms of dementia from natural memory loss due to one getting older. Individuals suffering from memory disorders related to age may take a bit more time learning new info, however their cognitive abilities given a bit of time are usually sufficient.

Alzheimer’s disease is a major reason for dementia and amounts to most of all of the cases. Five to thirty percent of the cases of dementia for the USA are vascular dementia and are brought on due to a decrease in the flow of blood to the people’s brain. The other reasons are such things as Lyme’s disease, lupus, or vasculitis caused by syphilis. Because of its rapid onset, the symptoms for the vascular dementia often show up faster than the ones for the dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

Genetics can have an influence on these different types of dementia; however, their importance of genetics in the development of the dementia can vary. Two kinds of the gene that recycles the proteins are thought to help destroy neurons when the disease is the late-onset kind. It is not fully understood in what way genes interplay with other causes or risk factors for dementia. Studies are being done on the non-genetic influences on dementia like the environmental toxins.

On top of cognitive function changing, the dementia symptoms can be changes in personality and stability emotionally. People that suffer with this disorder can at times be paranoid, dues to short-term memory loss that makes them think that misplaced or lost items were actually stolen.

A slow decline of basic mental functions such as thought will happen. At the start this will be gradual almost unnoticed, happening over either months or even years. The gradual progression that dementia varies from delirium, in which the symptoms are similar but come on much faster and leads to volatility.

Treatment for the progressive dementia needs to focus on maintaining as high a degree of independence and functioning as is possible, this keeps the person’s life a better quality longer for them and their families. The people suffering with dementia and their caring family need to realize that it is hard and emotionally upsetting to care for the person with dementia. The patient need to learn to handle the cognitive and functional limitations and their caregivers need to be braced to handle more of the daily physical needs for the patient. The patient along with their family has to brace themselves in the beginning of this disease so they can cope better for the eventual changes and plan for how to deal with them.

Here a some other alzheimers and dementia websites that I found for you to browse. Thank you for visiting Treatment For Alzheimers


Difference Between Alzheimers And Dementia
Senility | Define Senility at Dictionary.com
Caring for Parents with Alzheimers & Dementia - Berkeley Parents ...
Comments: New Guidelines Issed On Elderly Driving After Dementia ...
Flickr: Discussing Meeting A Need in Alzheimers dementia Forget ...
ElderCareChatGuide : Chat Session schedule for eldercare ...