As many as 7% of adults aged 60 and older suffer from dementia—a decline in memory and other mental abilities that make daily living difficult Forgetting someone’s name, having trouble “finding” the word you want to use, or feeling irritable, however, does not necessarily mean you have dementia. It’s not unusual for people older than 60 to have mild, occasional, short-term memory loss. Depression can cause temporary confusion and memory problems.

1. Dementia

2. Dementia
 Dementia is a disease
marked by a gradual
loss of cognitive
functioning which can
also incorporate losses
of motor, emotional, and
social functioning as
well..
 It is a permanent and
progressive disease
that eventually renders
people unable to care
for themselves.

3. Dementia - Early Stage
 Begins with
forgetfulness -
isolated incidents of
memory loss do not
constitute dementia.
 Forgetfulness
progresses to
confusion and
eventually
disorientation.
 Problem solving
 Judgment
 Decision making
 Orienting to space
and time
 Personality changes -
irritable, agitated,
sadness (depression),
manic episodes

4. Dementia -Symptoms
 Depression and/or
anxiety
 Trouble eating or
swallowing
 Serious head injuries
 Heavy drinking for more
than 10 years
 Some brain tumors
 Blockages in blood
vessels in the brain that
trigger mini strokes or
limit blood flow to parts
of the brain. These
cause vascular
dementia or multi-infarct
dementia

5. Causes:
 Reversible causes of
dementia
 Mild cognitive
impairment
 Fixed cognitive
impairment
 Alzheimer's disease

6. Dementia - Diagnosis
 Do tests of mental abilities
including attention, memory,
thinking, language, and
decision-making skills
 Ask questions about any
noticeable changes in the
person’s physical and mental
abilities, mood, personality,
decision-making or behavior
 Check for signs of
depression and other mental
and physical health problems
that can cause dementia-like
symptoms
 Recommend brain “scans” to
look for abnormalities such
as brain tumors, and for
evidence of strokes and
other changes linked to
dementia.

7. Care & Treatment
 There is no cure for Alzheimer’s
disease or vascular dementia. But
there are medications, treatments,
and strategies that can slow
declines, help people with dementia
make the most of the abilities they
have and function as well as
possible to have the highest
possible quality of life.
 When caring for someone with
dementia, physicians and other
healthcare professionals will:
 Identify, treat, and monitor
underlying health problems, such as
heart disease and diabetes, that
boost risks of dementia
 Check for and treat other things that
contribute to changes in mental
abilities and mood, such as
depression, pain, hearing loss or
vision loss
 Watch for new medical problems
 Check for drug side-effects