What is Dementia?
Dementia is defined by the National Institute of Health as: the loss of cognitive functioning (thinking, remembering, reasoning and behavioral abilities) to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. These functions can include: memory, language skills, visual perception, problem solving, self-management, the ability to focus or pay attention, and the ability to control emotion and impulse.
Vascular Dementia Pittsburgh
Formerly known as multi-infarct or post-stroke dementia, vascular dementia is the second most common cause of dementia.
These are disorders that affect the blood circulation in your brain. Proper control of blood pressure, blood sugars, or vascular issues improves outcomes with this type of dementia. The onset can occur suddenly post a stroke or slowly in the case of someone with uncontrolled diabetes.
Symptoms: Impaired judgment, decreased apathy, urinary changes, changes or difficulty with motor skills which may affect balance.
Diagnosing Dementia
According to the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria assessment for dementia a patient must have: Memory Loss – inability to learn new information or to recall previously learned information and two or more of the following:
1. Aphasia: language disturbances
2. Apraxia: motor activity impairment although intact function
3. Agnosia: failure to recognize/identify items despite intact sensory functioning
4. Disturbances in Executive Functioning: planning, organizing, sequencing, initiation of tasks
5. Inability to function in a social or occupational setting
This summer, much of the country has been suffering under the blistering heat. High temperatures are especially dangerous for older adults, and dehydration is one of the big factors when they experience heat-related illness. Yet even during cooler times of the year, older adults are at risk of having a less than optimal level of…
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