Dementia
The other day I came across an audio photography slideshow called Loving and living with Alzheimer's by an American photographer and writer called Judith Fox. Her husband, Dr Ed Ackell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease 12 years ago. The photographs were on exhibition in London a few days ago, but they are also available online on BBS's website now. Do take a look here, it's called I Still Do and it's a sad narration of living with someone with Alzheimer's.
I haven't really given dementia-related diseases much thought and devoted much interest into them previously. However, maybe they are worth looking into and gaining an understanding of, not only because they are such horrible diseases, but they are also on the rise. In many countries, the number of people living with dementia are expected to double in the next few decades. Therefore, it is predicted to be a massive health care issue globally, especially for our generation, because our lifespans are just increasing (age is a big risk factor), and dementia type diseases really require a lot of resources.
Dementia is a broad term for a group of diseases, and the word literally means "deprived of mind". There are different types of dementia, where Alzheimer's disease (AD) - the most commonly heard one - is one. There is also vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and Frontotemporal dementia etc. Because these diseases do not cause specific symptoms due to the varying location of the brain it occurs at and the progression of decline, it makes detecting and diagnosing these diseases quite difficult, and may take months. Usually the patient him or herself will not notice any differences, especially in the early stages, but family members and relatives might notice behavioural and other cognitive changes.
Dementia must be one of the most horrible conditions to get, especially the types that gradually get more severe and worse over periods of many years. I really hope I don't die of dementia. It would not only be a slow and painful death for myself, but an even more painful torture for my family and relatives. They would need to take care of me, and at the same time watch me get more and more severe, and eventually become someone they don't recognise anymore at all (what if I don't even like Harry Potter anymore?!). Likewise, I would not wish for anyone I know to die of dementia either, it would be so painful to watch. The creator of the photography slideshow's husband used to be a doctor and perform surgeries, imagine watching him have to give that up. Urgh.
So guys, take care of your brains! Apparently diet plays a role in the causation of these types of diseases, so feed your brains with nutritious stuff, and play memory games to keep your brains in shape!
I haven't really given dementia-related diseases much thought and devoted much interest into them previously. However, maybe they are worth looking into and gaining an understanding of, not only because they are such horrible diseases, but they are also on the rise. In many countries, the number of people living with dementia are expected to double in the next few decades. Therefore, it is predicted to be a massive health care issue globally, especially for our generation, because our lifespans are just increasing (age is a big risk factor), and dementia type diseases really require a lot of resources.
Dementia is a broad term for a group of diseases, and the word literally means "deprived of mind". There are different types of dementia, where Alzheimer's disease (AD) - the most commonly heard one - is one. There is also vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and Frontotemporal dementia etc. Because these diseases do not cause specific symptoms due to the varying location of the brain it occurs at and the progression of decline, it makes detecting and diagnosing these diseases quite difficult, and may take months. Usually the patient him or herself will not notice any differences, especially in the early stages, but family members and relatives might notice behavioural and other cognitive changes.
Dementia must be one of the most horrible conditions to get, especially the types that gradually get more severe and worse over periods of many years. I really hope I don't die of dementia. It would not only be a slow and painful death for myself, but an even more painful torture for my family and relatives. They would need to take care of me, and at the same time watch me get more and more severe, and eventually become someone they don't recognise anymore at all (what if I don't even like Harry Potter anymore?!). Likewise, I would not wish for anyone I know to die of dementia either, it would be so painful to watch. The creator of the photography slideshow's husband used to be a doctor and perform surgeries, imagine watching him have to give that up. Urgh.
So guys, take care of your brains! Apparently diet plays a role in the causation of these types of diseases, so feed your brains with nutritious stuff, and play memory games to keep your brains in shape!
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