Dementia. If each letter in that word was a human over 65, then roughly 2.75 of them would be likely to be suffering from, or developing, dementia. Dementia is a syndrome-a group of symptoms-, of which the most common is memory loss, impaired reasoning and signs of personality change. It is becoming increasingly more common as life expectancy gradually rises, and according to the Alzheimers (a type of dementia) Society’s website, will have increased “ by 156% over the next 38 years”. There are approximately 850,000 people in the UK currently living with dementia.
Yet, there is still no overall cure. Dementia can be caused by a variety of things, varying from vascular issues, strokes and brain tumors to changes in the structure of neurons (nerve cells). There are some available treatments that mainly work to prevent the symptoms, but the more severe the syndrome is, the less they are able to work. According to the NHS, there is a lack of funding for dementia charities working towards a cure, compared to charities who research other conditions, such as cancer. However, clinical trials, studies and projects are still taking place across the UK, with several areas of research showing grounds for hope. These areas include research into gene therapy, a dementia vaccine, stem cells and psychological interventions (such as cognitive stimulation).
Although dementia is hard to cope with, not only for the people with it, but also for their families and friends, it seems to be that only negative aspects are focused on. Needless to say, people are affected in different ways varying on either ends of the spectrum, with some not recognizing family members or lapsing into depression and others in their own disjointed reality, or in their past. Furthermore, the condition worsens over time. However, just like everyone else, people with dementia have bad days, but there can be good days too. Being in your past or own reality is not always an unpleasant experience, with some able to see joy in the situation.
As previously mentioned, a common symptom of dementia is personality changes. This is often understandably seen as a bad thing-people can be seen as a shell of the person they used to be. This is a hard thing to witness, especially for close friends and family members. However, a relative of a person with mixed dementia (vascular and Alzheimers), who asked not to be named, said: “ Obviously, if you see your relative struggling with sentence construction, or maybe unable to recognize you, this is very distressing. But you can see it in a different light, and appreciate what the person can do, however small, such as an unexpected smile.”
Additionally there is a stigma commonly attached to dementia care- many believe that the care received is often expensive but of poor quality. However, in reality many care homes do their best to provide good quality care, and work incredibly hard to keep the home clean and friendly. According to the Gold Standard Framework Association, who provide high quality training programmes to care homes, “up to 200 (homes) a year” are even accredited for their standard of care.
No one can dispute that dementia can and often is hard to live with, but is it all bad? Overall, it depends on how you personally look at it as well as your experience of it, the severity of the symptoms involved, and the quality of support you receive.
For more information or support go to: www.alzheimers.org.uk, www.dementiauk.org.uk, www.ageuk.org.uk
By: Oriana Campbell-Palmer
