to write the most appropriate, all-encompassing, watertight will
Everything in this book should make sense to everyone with an interest in dementia and how best to care for the people who develop it.
As you go through the book, you’ll notice that a variety of different icons pop up in the margins. These are designed to identify information that you need to know; information that may be interesting, but which you can live without; and hints about how to understand what you’re reading.
In addition to the material in the print or e-book you’re reading right now, this product also comes with some access-anywhere goodies on the web. These resources are crammed with useful summaries about everything you need to know about dementia. Check out the free cheat sheet at http://www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/dementia for more information about the condition and helpful reminders about the essentials of being a carer.
And you’ll also find online articles at www.dummies.com/extras/dementia. There’s one looking at the tests that doctors carry out to diagnose dementia, another on the steps you need to follow to set up a lasting power of attorney and finally an article highlighting the top tips for finding a suitable care home.
By all means carry on reading from here in chapter order; if you do, you obviously won’t go far wrong. But if you have particular needs and interests when it comes to dementia and its care then you may well want to flit about through the book.
If you want to understand the causes of dementia and the way the disease affects the brain then head to Chapter 4. If you need to grasp the difference between Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body disease and fronto-temporal dementia then I discuss these in Chapter 3.
If the medical bits don’t really captivate you, but you want tips about being a great carer, then you can start reading from Chapter 10. Or if you’re worried you may have dementia and need to know how to have it diagnosed then you should start reading at Chapter 6.
Basically, thanks to the layout of all For Dummies books, the choice of how you read through this book is completely yours. But, however you decide to set off, I hope you enjoy learning more about this increasingly important subject.
Part I
Could It Be Dementia?
In this part ...
✔ Find out what dementia actually is and the symptoms that someone may develop that lead a doctor to consider the diagnosis.
✔ Look at the main diseases that cause dementia, and at some other medical conditions whose symptoms, while similar, can be reversible with appropriate treatment.
✔ Discover the causes of the condition and the risk factors for developing it, and ways to possibly protect yourself from getting it.
✔ Explore the various stages of the disease and the symptoms to look out for as time goes on.
Chapter 1
Checking Out the Facts on Dementia
In This Chapter
▶ Defining dementia
▶ Looking at the scale of the problem
▶ Understanding the link between age and dementia
▶ Recognising the four main types of dementia
▶ Considering other diseases that can cause dementia
If you’re reading a book about dementia, you first need to understand what the term means. In my work as a family doctor I meet people with a whole heap of different ideas about what sort of condition the word ‘dementia’ suggests. For some, it’s the diagnostic label you give to people who keep having ‘senior moments’ and regularly forget what they’ve been up to, where they put their spectacles and the names of their grandchildren. To others, it refers to people who are old and confused, have urine-drenched armchairs, and spend all day shouting at the telly and letting their friends and neighbours know exactly what they think of them.
While some of the above symptoms clearly can be part of the picture, neither of the people described fits the diagnosis. The first is probably just forgetful but otherwise well, and the second may simply be leaky and bad-tempered, with a poor sense of smell. Dementia has a very clear definition, because the diagnosis is never made lightly.
This chapter looks in detail at what dementia is and what it certainly is not.
Dementia isn’t a single entity, but the result of a number of different medical conditions that affect normal brain functioning.
[A] syndrome – usually of a chronic or progressive nature – in which there is deterioration in cognitive function (i.e. the ability to process thought) beyond what might be expected from normal ageing. It affects memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgement. Consciousness is not affected. The impairment in cognitive function is commonly accompanied, and occasionally preceded, by deterioration in emotional control, social behaviour, or motivation.
This definition, however,
