Dr Sarah Jarvis
My Weekly’s favourite gp from Tv and radio writes for you
Research by the Alzheimer’s Society found nearly half of people diagnosed with dementia have delayed seeing a doctor about their memory by at least a year. Nearly two in three fear dementia means their life is over – but early diagnosis could greatly improve your chance of living better for longer.
About 850,000 people in the UK live with dementia and many more family members are affected. In Alzheimer’s disease, which causes about three in five cases, the number of nerve fibres sending messages around the brain slowly drops. The brain shrinks and one of the chemicals (Acetylcholine) that transmits messages between nerves also drops.
The second most common kind, vascular dementia, is caused by multiple small clots in the brain – like tiny strokes – and the damage adds up as blood supply is lost to the brain.
Early signs of dementia include problems finding the right words; forgetting events (particularly recent ones); getting confused in unfamiliar surroundings; difficulty grasping new ideas; problems concentrating; and low mood. We all struggle to remember sometimes, and occasionally going upstairs and forgetting what you came for doesn’t mean you’re getting dementia. But repeated, ever more frequent lapses of memory could be a sign. People with dementia often hold on to old memories far better than recent ones – they may remember every detail of their wedding day but not what they had for breakfast.
Nearly 2 in 3 dementia
WITH THE RIGHT SUPPORT, MANY PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA LEAD FULFILLING LIVES FOR YEARS – A DIAGNOSIS DOESN’T MEAN YOUR LIFE IS OVER
sufferers and their carers feel there’s a lack of understanding. Two in five sufferers say they are treated differently due to their dementia, and are sometimes not included in everyday life. One in four admits to hiding their diagnosis due to fear of discrimination. That is changing, thanks in part to thework of the Dementia Friends campaign, which aims to encourage us all to make allowances.
The NHS has worked hard to improve dementia care and anyonewho cares for a sufferer is entitled to a free carer’s assessment each year.
A big development has been the launch of a series of medicineswhich can slowor even halt progression of symptoms for some sufferers. Teams including dementia nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists (who deal with home adaptations) can help sufferers live safely at home for as long as possible.
Even though the likelihood of developing dementia rises with age, andwe’re getting older as a nation, numbers aren’t increasing as fast as expected. Compared to predictions from 20 years ago, the risk of developing dementia is 25% lower. The study compared Britons from Nottingham, Newcastle and Cambridgeshire with people of the same age in Spain, Sweden and Holland. Overall, one in 15 people in the English group had dementia, compared to one in 12 two decades earlier. Over the same period the number affected by dementia in Spain more than halved, to one in 40 – possibly related to their diet and lower rates of smoking.
There’s no guarantee you won’t be affected, but a healthy lifestyle will stack the odds in your favour. Stopping smoking; eating a diet lowin saturated fat with oily fish and plenty of fruit and veg; a healthy weight; exercising and keeping your mind active will all help. Next week: Looking at oedema
BY SIGNING UP FOR DEMENTIA FRIENDS, YOU COULD JOIN THE MILLIONS COMMITTED TO UNDERSTANDING AND HELPING DEMENTIA SUFFERERS
‘‘ PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA OFTEN HOLD ON TO OLD MEMORIES MUCH BETTER THAN RECENT ONES’’