TYPES OF DEMENTIA

Five Types of Dementia:

1. Alzheimer’s Disease
 Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink (atrophy)
and brain cells to die. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia a continuous
decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that affects a person's ability to function
independently.

Symptoms include:
 Short-term memory loss
 Difficulty learning and remembering new things
People with Alzheimer's may:
 Repeat statements and questions over and over
 Forget conversations, appointments or events, and not remember them later
 Routinely misplace possessions, often putting them in illogical locations
 Get lost in familiar places
 Eventually forget the names of family members and everyday objects
 Have trouble finding the right words to identify objects, express thoughts or take part in conversations

There is no treatment that cures Alzheimer's disease or alters the disease process in the brain. In advanced stages of the
disease, complications from severe loss of brain function such as dehydration, malnutrition or infection result in death.

2. Vascular Dementia
 is a decline in thinking skills caused by conditions that block or reduce blood flow to various regions of the
brain, depriving them of oxygen and nutrient.

Signs and symptoms include:

 Confusion.
 Trouble paying attention and concentrating.
 Reduced ability to organize thoughts or actions.
 Decline in ability to analyze a situation, develop an effective plan and communicate that plan to others.
 Slowed thinking.
 Difficulty with organization.
3. Lewy Body Dementia 
-A type of progressive dementia that leads to a decline in thinking, reasoning and independent function.

Symptoms:
 Visual hallucinations
 Poor regulation of body function (autonomic nervous system)
 Cognitive problems
 Sleep difficulties
 Fluctuating attention
 Depression
 Apathy
 Mood swings
 Short-term memory
 Personality Changesuiuiiuii
4. Frontotemporal Dementia
-Sometimes called frontotemporal dementia, are the result of damage to neurons in the frontal and temporal
lobes of the brain.

Causing a problem:
 Behavior
 Personality
 Language
 Symptoms:
 Lack of insight and loss of ability to empathise with others
 More likely to have difficulties with language and emotional responses.
 Become extrovert when previously outgoing and withdrawn when previously outgoing
 Can become aggressive

5. Parkinson’s Disease
-Parkinson's disease is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as
shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination.

Symptoms:

 Tremor in hands, arms, legs, jaw, or head

 Muscle stiffness, where muscle remains contracted for a long time
 Slowness of movement
 Impaired balance and coordination, sometimes leading to falls