Dementia is an illness which is on the rise. As people live longer, illnesses associated with old age obviously increase, but the nature of this illness is incredibly cruel and debilitating to both the person suffering from it and family and friends who have to see the person suffer.
Dementia is an umbrella term for a variety of illnesses characterised by memory loss, loss of cognitive abilities and change in personality – the most common of these illnesses is Alzheimer’s disease.
People who suffer from Alzheimer’s usually need to have full time care as their illness progresses – click here to see Notaro care home Taunton who specialise in dealing with dementia and caring for the people who suffer with it.
Because Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive illness, it often can take a while to realise that something is wrong, and to receive a diagnosis. To begin with, the symptoms are not that obvious and can often be confused with normal forgetfulness, which we can all have from time to time, especially as we age.
It is not known exactly what causes Alzheimer’s disease, but there are some things which are believed to put some people at greater risk of it than others – these include people who have suffered from depression and people who have cardiovascular illnesses. Although it can affect younger people, it is rare in young people and people over 65 are the most usual group to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Although the disease is life limiting and there is currently no cure, a lot of research is being done into the disease and there are treatments available that can help relieve some of the symptoms.
