The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that among all the diseases, dementia is currently the seventh leading cause of death and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people on earth.
Not just this, but currently over 55 million people live with dementia across the globe, and there are about 10 million new cases every year, as per the WHO.
The global health body further informs that Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and may contribute to 60-70% of cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes dementia as a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interfere the everyday activities and not as any specific disease.
Pointing to the seriousness of Dementia, the WHO said that it has physical, psychological, social, and economic impacts, not only for people living with dementia but also for their carers, families, and society at large.
The CDC has listed some signs and symptoms related to dementia and said that it can vary widely from person to person, adding to this the agency said that people having dementia have troubles with memory, attention, communication, reasoning, judgment, and problem-solving.
In addition, it also said that visual perception is beyond typical age-related changes in vision.
It also informed the signs that may point to dementia which included:
- Getting lost in a familiar neighbourhood
- Using the unusual words to refer to the familiar objects
- Forgetting names of close family members or friend
- Forgetting old memories
- Not being able to complete tasks independently
Unfortunately, there is currently no treatment available to cure dementia, as per the WHO.
Adding to that, the UN health agency said, “Anti-dementia medicines and disease-modifying therapies developed to date have limited efficacy and are primarily labeled for Alzheimer’s disease.”
While informing about the support and care for the people suffering from dementia, it further shared a few principal goals which included:
- An early diagnosis to promote early and optimal management
- Optimising the overall well-being
- Identifying and treating accompanying physical illness
- Understanding and managing behavior changes
- Providing sufficient information and support to carers.
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