What is Dementia?

The changes that happen in the brain with dementia affect the way someone experiences life and affects the way someone is able to interact with the world around them. Orchard at Brookhaven is a dedicated assisted living community that specializes in dementia care in Atlanta. The staff will be specifically trained and prepared to support someone living with dementia.

Dementia is a neurocognitive disorder that encompasses over 100 types of brain change. This article will touch on the four main categories of dementia including:

1. Alzheimers
2. Lewy Body
3. Vascular
4. Frontal Temporal

Alzheimers

Alzheimers begins with damage to the hippocampus and the person usually begins to have difficulty with learning new information and forming new memories. People living with Alzheimers may also have difficulty with directions and can get lost easily as well as have difficulty with time. Difficulty with time could involve being accurate about how much time has passed, time of day, and also being accurate about the time of life. Someone living with Alzehimers may, for instance, think that they are in a different time of their life and become confused about the people in their life. For example, someone may think that their grandson is their husband. This can be a very difficult thing for families.

Alzheimers can include:

• Loss of new information
• Decline of recent memory
• Problems finding words
• Getting lost
• Becoming indecisive

For more information please visit www.mayoclinic.org

Vascular Dementia

In vascular dementia, the brain is affected by events such as TIA, or what is commonly called a mini stroke. This can be caused by cardiovascular issues that affect the blood and oxygen flow to the brain. Vascular dementia varies depending on where the event has occurred.

Vascular Dementia is a result of cardiovascular issues and can include:

• Sudden changes in abilities
• Emotional and energy shifts
• Change in judgement

For more information please visit www.strokeassociation.org.

Frontal Temporal Dementia

Frontal Temporal Dementia affects the prefrontal cortex that controls judgement, impulse control, self- awareness, decision making and being able to start and complete a task. People living with FTD may lose their initiative to take part in past hobbies or tasks. The Temporal lobe controls language and people may have non fluent aphasia or fluent aphasia. A person with non- fluent aphasia has difficulty forming words.  A person with fluent aphasia has difficulty with comprehension, they make errors such as pointing to their mouth when asked to point to their foot.

Frontal Temporal Dementia can include:

• Loss of Impulse control
• Saying mean or rude things to others
• Change in behavior
• Dis-inhibition with food, sex, emotions, actions
• Difficulty with finding words
• Difficulty with understanding the meaning of words
• Difficulty saying words
• Forms words that we cannot understand

For more information please visit www.alz.org/dementia/fronto-temporal-dementia and www.caregiver.org/frontotemporal-dementia.

Lewy Body

Lewy Body can resemble Parkinson’s disease. It affects the ability to move and use fine motor skills and can create sleep disturbances such as nightmares and hallucinations. It is important to know if your loved one has Lewy Body because this dementia reacts differently to commonly used medications for dementia and can have a toxic effect.

Lewy Body Dementia can include:

• Sleep disturbances and nightmares
• Movement problems
• Fine motor problems with hands and swallowing
• Episodes of syncope and rigidity
• Hallucinations
• Drug interactions can be extreme with Lewy Body

For more information on Lewy Body please visit www.lbda.org

If you have any questions, please go to the links shared in this article. For those looking for an assisted living facility in Atlanta, you can contact Orchard at Brookhaven and someone will be able to share more information with you and guide you to the appropriate support.