EP170: Dementia 101

The challenges caused by dementia can affect your ability to function in your daily life. —Melissa Batchelor, PhD, RN, FNP, FGSA, FAAN   What are the different types of dementia and how to differentiate them?   Dementia is a group of symptoms that affect memory, language, problem-solving, and thinking skills, impacting your daily life.   Tune in to today's episode where I'll explain in detail what dementia is, discuss common types, and share insights on how to recognize them and access the FREE handout that you can download: 10 Warning Signs  of Alzheimer's disease and a checklist of things your provider should check if you're worried about your memory or the memory of someone you love. COMMON SYMPTOMS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE ALZHEIMER'S DEMENTIA Alzheimer's dementia stands as the most common form of dementia, comprising 60-80% of cases. Recognizing its symptoms is crucial, including difficulty remembering recent conversations, names, or events, reduced enjoyment of activities, communication challenges like struggling to find words, and the overall impact on language use and understanding. VASCULAR DEMENTIA   Vascular dementia is a condition that affects thinking, planning, judgment, memory, and other cognitive processes due to brain damage caused by reduced blood flow. This may show signs like slurred thoughts or decision-making challenges. Everyday tasks, such as filling out forms or planning events, may become a bit harder. It's important to notice these signs early for timely help and support.   FRONTOTEMPORAL DEGENERATION (FTD)   Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a progressive brain disease. This means over time; it causes parts of your brain to deteriorate and stop working. There's also a lot of denial that there is a memory problem and you may see less emotional expression, known as either having a flat affect or being apathetic. Notably, this is the type of dementia Bruce Willis is dealing with. When reports surfaced about his memory issues, they linked it to aphasia - the struggle with using and understanding language.   PARKINSON'S DEMENTIA (PD)   Parkinson's disease can cause a form of dementia known as Parkinson's dementia (PD). This condition is marked by a decline in thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving.   Parkinson's dementia often involves falling, distinguishing it from others. While Lewy body and Frontotemporal dementia also involve falling, the direction varies – forward for Lewy body and backward for Parkinson's.   LEWY BODY DEMENTIA (LBD)   Lewy body dementia (LBD) is the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. Early symptoms of Lewy body dementia include sleep disturbances, vivid visual hallucinations like seeing bugs or strangers, and difficulty with visual-spatial awareness, affecting one's sense of space and time.   Get your FREE downloads at https://melissabphd.com/  from the Blog page that goes with this episode or using the links below.   10 Warning Signs: https://melissabphd.com/10warningsigns/ Diagnosis Checklist: https://melissabphd.com/diagnosischecklist/   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About MelissaBPhD   Melissa Batchelor, PhD, RN, FNP, FGSA, FAAN. I am a nurse, nurse practitioner, nurse Please visit my website at MelissaBPhD.com to learn more about me, how you can work with me directly, and/or support future episodes of the podcast. Within the first 18 months of launching this podcast, we reached a ranking of top 10% globally.    The best way you can help the podcast continue to grow is to LIKE the podcast with a thumbs up, SHARE the podcasts you like with others, SUBSCRIBE, and LEAVE A REVIEW. These things only take a minute of your time, but they really do help increase my rating and ranking; but more importantly, these actions help other people find the podcast.    For the most up-to-date news and information about the podcast and other products and services, please visit my website to sign up for my newsletter and follow me on social media.    If you are on Facebook, feel free to join my Group - look for This is Getting Old: Moving Towards an Age-Friendly World ~ and I'll see you there!    https://www.facebook.com/groups/249685261464834/