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Dementia
What to eat for senile dementia
For patients with dementia, it is recommended to take some cholinesterase inhibitors, which can increase the content of acetylcholine in the brain and have certain effects on improving cognitive functions. Additionally, consuming NMDA receptor antagonists can also help improve cognition. In terms of diet, it is advised that patients eat more foods rich in unsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, shrimp, and olive oil. It's also beneficial to consume plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, which are rich in vitamin C and can help combat oxidative stress. Drinking more milk and eating foods rich in B vitamins, mainly whole grains, is also recommended. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)
progression of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly
The progression of dementia in the elderly mainly includes the following aspects. The first is the pre-stage of mild cognitive impairment, during which patients show no clinical symptoms. Some may only report slight memory impairment, with a possible slight decline in learning ability and a mild decrease in the capability to learn new things. As the disease progresses to the second stage, the period of mild cognitive impairment occurs, where patients will experience impaired memory, but it is not particularly obvious, and daily life is not affected at all. Then, entering the third stage, some periods of dementia occur, during which patients' memory, executive abilities, computational skills, and judgment are significantly impaired. Patients might even get lost or possibly forget their own names. As the disease further progresses into the later stages of dementia, the elderly may exhibit some psychiatric symptoms. They become delirious, talk to themselves, and may see things that do not exist. Eventually, the elderly may end up bedridden, with complications such as pulmonary infections and bedsores.
What to do about senile dementia?
When dementia occurs in the elderly, there is a noticeable decline in cognitive function. Initially, it is important to identify the cause of the dementia; some cerebrovascular diseases can also cause dementia. For example, cerebral infarction in certain specific areas of the brain can lead to dementia if it affects the intelligence center. For dementia caused by these reasons, it is recommended to treat with antithrombotic medications, including antiplatelet aggregation drugs and brain cell protective medications. Additionally, if the dementia is caused by Alzheimer's disease, close care is needed to prevent incidents like the patient getting lost. It is advisable to write contact numbers in the pockets of their clothes and administer acetylcholinesterase inhibitors to increase the levels of acetylcholine in the brain, which can improve cognitive function to a certain extent. (Note: This answer is for reference only. Medication should be prescribed and managed under the guidance of a professional physician, and self-medication should be avoided.)
How is Alzheimer's treated?
The treatment of Alzheimer's disease mainly includes the following aspects. First, enhance care to prevent accidents. Patients with Alzheimer's may get lost, forget to turn off fires or gas, etc., so it is essential to strengthen care to prevent accidents. Second, encourage the elderly to read more books and newspapers and enhance learning, which can effectively slow down the progression. Third, have the elderly interact more with others and exercise more. This can strengthen their physical health and, to some extent, delay the development of Alzheimer's disease. Another aspect is drug treatment, which mainly includes acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and some NMDA receptor antagonists. These can improve the symptoms to some extent and enhance the quality of life. Additionally, in the later stages of Alzheimer's, some psychiatric symptoms such as visual hallucinations and aggressive behavior like hitting or yelling may occur. Appropriate atypical antipsychotic drugs can be administered for treatment.
How to alleviate senile dementia?
Dementia brings a heavy burden to both the patient and their family, severely affecting the quality of life. Fundamentally, there is no particularly effective treatment for this disease. To achieve relief, the following measures are recommended: Firstly, it is generally necessary for the patient to take medication for treatment. Commonly used medications include cholinesterase inhibitors, which can increase the content of acetylcholine in the brain and can to some extent delay the progression of the disease. In addition, one can also take some NMDA receptor antagonists to improve dementia. Secondly, encourage the elderly to learn more and read more, which can increase knowledge reserves and delay progression. Thirdly, it is essential to encourage the elderly to go out and interact with others, and of course, precautions should be taken to prevent them from getting lost. In addition, they should engage in appropriate aerobic exercise. (Specific medication use should be conducted under the guidance of a doctor)
Late-stage symptoms of senile dementia
Elderly dementia generally refers to Alzheimer's disease. This disease begins slowly and progressively worsens, with symptoms becoming increasingly severe. In the later stages of dementia, symptoms are numerous, mainly reflected in the following aspects: First, patients may exhibit significant personality changes. For example, a person who was originally gentle may become irritable and prone to aggressive behaviors such as hitting or yelling at others, and may even experience incontinence. Second, a patient's overall cognitive functions completely collapse, with a comprehensive decline in memory, as well as significant impairments in computational abilities, judgment, and comprehension. There are also problems with time orientation, with patients unable to distinguish between day and night. Additionally, patients may experience severe malnutrition, develop bedsores, and suffer from serious complications such as pulmonary infections and urinary tract infections.
What is the full name of dementia?
Senile dementia mainly refers to Alzheimer's disease, a condition with a relatively high incidence rate among the elderly population, and it is the most common neurodegenerative disease. The specific causes and mechanisms of this disease are not particularly clear. Under the influence of various factors, degeneration and death of the temporal lobe, hippocampus, and neurons occur, leading to a series of clinical manifestations. Initially, it mainly manifests as a decline in recent memory function, often forgetting recent events. As the disease progresses, there is a decline in calculating ability and judgment, significant spatial dysfunction, personality changes, and psychiatric symptoms.
incidence of senile dementia
Dementia in the elderly has a very noticeable high incidence trend worldwide and in China, with many people over the age of 65 suffering from this disease. Statistics show that in Western countries, the incidence of dementia in the elderly might be around 3%-8%. In China, the incidence among the elderly over 65 may also be around 5%. Therefore, the number of elderly people suffering from this disease is very large, and thus it is essential to pay attention to this disease. This disease is mainly caused by the death of nerve cells due to many reasons. Currently, there is no effective cure for this disease, but there are some drugs that can alleviate the symptoms. These drugs mainly include cholinesterase inhibitors, which can increase the content of acetylcholine in the brain, improving the level of cognitive function in patients. Additionally, symptomatic treatment should be noted to prevent lung infections, malnutrition, and other complications in the elderly.
Care measures for dementia in the elderly
Dementia in the elderly is the most common neurodegenerative disease in neurology, mainly referring to the irreversible death of neuronal cells caused by various reasons, which poses a significant clinical hazard and lacks effective treatment methods. Therefore, nursing measures become very important. The main nursing measures include, First, ensuring the patient's nutrition. In the later stages, elderly patients may have no regular diet and cannot take care of themselves. Therefore, ensuring sufficient energy intake and enough protein intake is very important. Malnutrition can easily lead to various complications, leading to the patient's death. Second, it's important to equip elderly people with commonly used contact numbers and addresses in their pockets to prevent them from getting lost and creating dangerous situations. Third, when elderly people are at home, it is crucial to keep the kitchen door closed to prevent them from turning on the gas and forgetting to turn it off. Fourth, patients with dementia are prone to lung infections after becoming bedridden. If bedridden, it is important to frequently turn them over and pat their back to prevent the onset of lung infections.
probability of senile dementia
Dementia primarily refers to Alzheimer's disease, which has a relatively high incidence rate. In China, among the elderly population over 65 years old, approximately 3% to 7% are affected; this rate can rise to over 20% among those over 85 years old. Suffering from dementia places a heavy burden on the patient, their family, and society. Initially, patients with dementia will experience a decline in memory function. As the condition progresses, there will be a decline in various cognitive functions. For example, spatial dysfunction might occur, such as getting lost on the way home, personality changes, and the emergence of psychiatric symptoms and other clinical manifestations.