DEMENTIA Shenae Whitfield & Kate Maddock

What is it? Younger people can have dementia too. Early Onset Dementia is used to describe dementia occurring in people aged under 65 years. Dementia; a recent addition to the NHPA initiative, being included in 2012, is not a specific disease. Dementia encompasses over 100 conditions that are characterised by progressive irreversible loss of brain function and cognition. Dementia may interfere with many aspects of life, including: memory, language, speech, attention and personality. As brain cells continue to die, dementia will eventually lead to complete dependency on others. Despite many common misconceptions, dementia is not a normal part of aging. Dementia is terminal.

Types Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, which accounts for an estimated 60 to 80 percent of cases. Difficulty remembering names and recent events are often early clinical symptoms. Apathy and depression are also often early symptoms. Later symptoms include impaired judgment, disorientation, confusion, behaviour changes and difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking. Vascular dementia, previously known as post-stroke dementia, is the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. Symptoms include cognitive difficulties, problems with attention and spatial awareness. Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is caused by spherical proteins known as Lewy bodies, inside the nerve cells of the brain. This in turn causes the degeneration and death of these cells. Symptoms include issues with concentration and attention, visual hallucinations, muscle rigidity, variations in mental state and alertness. Frontotemporal dementia is a disease that targets the frontal and temporal lobe and progressively damages these two specific parts of the brain. The degeneration of the frontal lobe results in poor judgement and social behaviour and damage to the Temporal lobe can result in the loss of meaning of words, the inability to speak fluently and understand language.

Why is it a NHPA? Dementia accounts for 4% of the total burden of disease in Australia and is the fourth largest contributor to burden of disease Dementia affects many Australians and rates have been predicted to increase significantly in the future as Australia’s population ages. The reason it is an NHPA can be accounted to it’s contribution to the burden of disease and to morbidity and mortality rates. For those aged over 65; dementia is the second largest contributor to burden of disease.

Risk Factors Sex; dementia with Lewy Bodies more prevalent in males Biological Risk Factors; Behavioural Risk Factors Risk Factors Sex; dementia with Lewy Bodies more prevalent in males Age; individuals beyond 65 have double the risk of obtaining dementia Genetic predisposition Down syndrome Blood pressure; hypertension Body weight; obesity Tobacco smoking Heavy alcohol consumption and other drug or substance usage Physical inactivity Lack of mental stimulation High intake of energy dense diet Social Risk Factors Education; those with lower education may have a higher risk of developing dementia Social exclusions; those less socially active may experience an increased rate of dementia.

Health Promotion Strategies There are numerous health promotion strategies developed for dementia; The living with memory loss program provides patients and families of information, advice and peer support. Know the signs of dementia is an initiative aims to raise dementia awareness Alzheimer's Australia’s your brain matters program aims to promote healthy behaviours to decrease dementia risk reduction program. Broken down into three focus points: brain (keeping it active), body (staying fit and healthy) and heart (looking after your cardiovascular health). http://www.yourbrainmatters.org.au/ - 1800 100 500

Direct Costs The majority of the direct costs are associated with management and diagnosis of these conditions. In 2009-10 the government contribution for medication used specifically to treat dementia was around $60 million. The direct cost associated with pharmaceuticals and hospital treatment was estimated at 200 million dollars. Community costs of dementia are also affected by the implementation of health promotion programs.

Indirect Costs The significant costs of formal care incurred in 2009 to 2010 was over $3 million. Many individuals with advanced dementia will often require residential care, these costs often fall to the government and family members. it‘s estimated the number of people living with dementia is projected to triple to around 900,000 by 2050 and is the major reasons why older people enter residential aged care

Intangible costs Emotional distress, such as the feelings of sadness, anger, fear and despair are often large contributors to intangible costs Daily routines and normal activities experienced by an individual often need alteration in order to manage their illness. This can inflict emotional and social anguish. Loss of quality of life. Furthermore a sense of loss and sadness may be experienced by family and friends if an individual no longer remembers who they are or their relationships. Unfortunately, as dementia inevitably leads to death, there are feelings of grief that can impact on family, friends and the wider community

VIDEO’s VIDEO’S; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3ZNcK758ZY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chgshB6LCyc&feature=related

THE END http://www.health.gov.au/dementia http://www.dementiacareaustralia.com/ http://yourbrainmatters.org.au