Dementia Part 2
     
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How Can I tell If I am Developing Dementia?


Many people forget things as they get older and fear this is an early sign of dementia. usually it is not. Dementia typically takes six months or more to become apparent. A husband, wife or relative may be the first to notice a change in the way someone thinks, talks or acts.
A doctor or other professional uses verbal tests to judge whether memory and mental ability are declining, and repeats the tests after a few months to see if there is any change. Scans can show and exclude treatable diseases such as tumours and whether critical areas of the brain are shrinking.

A diagnosis can be accurate in 80 - 90% of cases but often cannot be confirmed until after death. Diagnosis is important because some cases can be treated and because new drugs are likely to be targeted at particular diseases. Most people are referred to a consultant to confirm diagnosis. People who are seriously concerned should visit their GP and explain their symptoms.

  Is Treatment Possible ?

For most people there is no cure and they progress from mild to moderate to severe dementia over a period of between five and twenty years.

Drugs can help to control depression, difficult behaviour and agitation.

New treatments seek to protect messenger chemicals in the brain from being destroyed, and so slow down or delay mental decline. There are good grounds to hope this treatment


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