By Joan Koczor

Dementia has become a growing concern for many, and its effects are long-reaching.

Joan Koczor

A person suffering from dementia often experiences confusion, problems speaking and inability to focus. Often the family of a person diagnosed with dementia feels a sense of loss. Overnight, it seems, they are robbed of this person and the important part they played in the family dynamic.

I am not an expert in this field but have been fortunate to meet those who are through seminars and workshops.

The following information comes from Wikipedia.com, MedicineNet.com and persons knowledgeable about this disease. I hope you find it helpful.

Dementia is a broad category of brain diseases that cause a long-term and often gradual decrease in the ability to think and remember that is great enough to affect a person’s daily functioning. The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which makes up 50 to 70 percent of cases.

Symptoms include memory loss, word-finding difficulties, impaired judgment and problems with day-to-day activities, which are caused by injury or loss of brain cells (neurons). Increased risk factors for dementia include older age, family history, heavy alcohol use, hardening of arteries, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and smoking.

Once the brain cells are injured, they lose their ability to communicate with other cells, leading to dysfunction.

The types of dementia include Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia. There is dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease or Huntington’s disease. Senile dementia (“senility”) is a term that was once used to describe all dementias; this term is no longer used as a diagnosis.

The stages of dementia:

Stage 1: No impairment – The patient has no problems.

Stage 2: Questionable impairment – The patient begins to have some difficulty but can still function independently.

Stage 3: Mild impairment – The patient has obvious but still mild difficulty with daily activities.

Stage 4: Moderate impairment – The patient needs help caring for themselves.

There is help out there. Pinal Gila Council for Seniors is in Casa Grande. Caliche Senior Living in Casa Grande has an Adult Day Care Club that provides a necessary respite for caregivers as well as providing a safe environment for their loved one. Banner Alzheimer’s Institute is in Phoenix with more resources.

This is just a sample of the help that is available.

Joan Koczor is an advocate for Maricopa seniors and a member of the Age-Friendly Maricopa Advisory Committee.


This column appears in the August issue of InMaricopa.