Dementia

I'm still doing research on dementia causes and prevention. One website says there is no way to prevent dementia but there are ways to delay its onset and to alleviate its effects. Aging seems to be the primary factor in the onset of dementia. We can't prevent our growing older. As we age, our brains seem to lose the ability to process information with the same facility that we have when we are younger. Mental and physical exercise seem to delay the effects of dementia. One study finds a correlation between low education level and an increased risk for dementia. This would seem to correspond to the assertion that mental exercise delays the onset and alleviates the symptoms of dementia.

My personal experience with my parents is revealing. Mom's onset was sudden and severe. She became paranoid and began to have hallucinations. We had her examined by a neurologist who said that she had had a series of TIA's which caused the symptoms she was experiencing. Her disease progressed rapidly until she was unable to connect meaningfully with the world. She talks to people who are not here and most of her conversations are unintelligible. After her surgery for colon cancer we placed her in hospice care at home. Because of the Medicare restrictions for hospice patients we were unable to continue to obtain any medication that directly treated her dementia and her symptoms increased. She requires around the clock care and cannot perform any necessary daily routines for herself. She cannot feed herself, she is incontinent of urine and must be placed on a potty chair daily to evacuate her bowels. As Morrie says in Tuesdays..., she has reached the point where someone has to wipe her a..