Causes of Dementia Caregivers, Become Empowered to Provide Better Care

What are the causes of dementia? Just what is(aphasia). Dementias in this category are
dementia? How will caregivers knowledge of thisAlzheimer's, Pick's disease, Binswanger's and
disease help them provide better care?Creutzfeld-Jakob disease.
Knowledge is power. This dementia overview willSome conditions affect the regions below the
help you, as a caregiver, to understand thecortex of the brain. This is known as the sub
various causes of dementia and what you can docortical area of the brain. This area of the brain is
to be prepared to provide quality care withresponsible for the thought processes and
confidence. Knowledge will take the mystery outpersonality areas of the brain. This can cause lack
of the condition and allow you to develop a planof emotions, cause a person to have false beliefs
for handling behaviors and changes as theyand irrational thoughts. Memory and language
present themselves.abilities may or may not be affected in this type
There are so many different causes of dementiaof demenita. Diseases that cause dementia in this
it is difficult at times to tell them apart. There arecategory are Parkinson's, Huntingdon's, and AIDs
a variety of health related conditions that candementia complex.
cause dementia symptoms, especially in agingSo how does knowimg the causes of dementia
adults. These causes include a variety of differentempower caregivers to provide better care?
diseases and infections, head injuries, nutritionalDementia is a progressive decline in the brains
deficiencies, medications, drug abuse and strokes.ability to feel emotions, remember things, problem
To understand dementia is to become aware thatsolve, plan and organize. Cognitive abilities also
this disease is the result of a disease or injury. Ininclude executive functions such as making
other words, something causes injury or insultdecisions, judgments and morale reasoning. Over
(through a disease process) to the brain first. Iftime the individual looses the mental abilities to be
the injury or insult to the brain is severe orable to function independently.
progressive, the brains ability to properly functionKnowing the causes of dementia, understanding
is compromised mentally, physically andwhich areas of the brain that will be affected, will
emotionally.allow caregivers to be able to anticipate what to
All dementias affect the tissue of the brain. Allexpect as the disease progresses. Some with this
affect different areas of the brain and atdisease will have difficulty with language, others
different levels of progression. There are timeswill have behavioral and personality changes.
when the underlying cause does not have aThese anticipated changes can help a care giver
permanent affect on the brain. In these cases,plan, anticipate, investigate and prepare for
such as with nutritional deficits, the symptomsinterventions to provide quality care.
may be reversed.Understanding the disease process and
All dementias cause a malfunction of a part of theunderstanding the possible physical, mental,
brains tissue. The cortex of the brain is the outercognitive and personality changes, gives a
covering of the brain and plays an important rolecaregiver the ability to make choices. Knowledge
in understanding information and connectingcan give caregiver information, so that they know
functions of the brain such as language andwhat level of care they will or will not be capable
memory.of physically or emotionally able to provide.
When the cortex of the brain is affected,Understanding the causes of dementia, acquiring
characteristic problems affect memory and thethe knowledge of the areas to the brain that will
inability to recall words. As the diseasebe affected will empower caregivers with the
progresses, the individual looses that ability toknowledge to provide quality care at every level
understand what others are saying (receptiveof the disease.
aphasia) or to express their needs and wants