Dementia refers to a steady decline in one’s mental ability that becomes so severe that it affects your daily life. It ranges from the mildest form to the most severe state where one becomes totally dependent on another to live their life. Loss of memory is one of the most common examples of dementia. Alzheimer’s is revealed to be the most common kind of dementia. Other kinds of dementia include Frontotemporal disorders, Lewy body dementia, and vascular dementia.

What are the most relevant symptoms of dementia?
People having dementia may develop difficulties in paying bills, preparation and planning of meals, keeping appointments, and travelling outside one’s neighborhood. It also includes

• Difficulty in paying attentions and focusing
• Memory loss
• Impairment of judgment and reasoning
• Impairment of visual perception

What causes dementia?
This disease is normally triggered when brain cells get damaged, thus interfering with the capability of one’s brain cells to correspond with one another. Various kinds of dementia occur due to specific kinds of cell damage of the brains in particular portions of one’s brain.

Treating dementia
Treatment mostly depends on what has caused dementia. In most progressive kinds of dementia like Alzheimer’s, there is absolutely no kind of cure or treatment that can arrest or slow progression of this disease. However, doctors will prescribe certain medications that will help in alleviating the symptoms to an extent. The main medications include:

• Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors : They work to avert an enzyme from splitting acetylcholine that in turn aids nerve cells in communicating with one another. Aricept (Donepezil) and Reminyl are normally prescribed while treating moderate and mild stages of Alzheimer’s.
• Memantine : Also known as Namenda, this medication is also normally prescribed to treat severe to moderate stages of Alzheimer’s. It is also prescribed to treat Lewy body dementia and vascular dementia.

There are also some treatments without medications like cognitive stimulation therapy and cognitive rehabilitation that has been found to help the patient cope a little better with the existing condition.

How to prevent the onset of dementia
Although risk factors like genetics and age can’t be altered, scientists are still working on how to avert the onset of dementia. It can be prevented to an extent through these measures:

• Diet: A person’s intake impacts his/her heart health. Following healthy eating habits, such as a Mediterranean diet, can protect the brain to an extent. This consists of eating less of red meat and more of fruits, vegetables, shell fish, fish, healthy fats, and nuts.
• Physical workouts: Physical exercise on a regular basis is found to lower the chances of some kinds of dementia. This is due to the fact that physical activity is beneficial to the brain cells as it triggers better flow of oxygen and blood to one’s brain.
• Cardiovascular risk issues: One needs to take care of the brain in the same manner as one takes care of one’s heart. Avoiding smoking, keeping your blood sugar and blood pressure under check, and maintaining healthy weight can help in protecting the brain.