Coping with Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease

Just like the rest of our bodies, our brains change as we age. Experiencing difficulty remembering things occasionally is normal. However, serious memory loss, confusion and other major changes in the way our minds work may be a sign of Alzheimer’s Disease, a type of Dementia.

Symptoms
The most common early symptom of Alzheimer’s is difficulty remembering newly learned information, because the disease typically begins in the part of the brain that affects learning.

Patients in the early stages of the disease may have clear recollections of people and events from their childhood, but be unable to remember what they ate for breakfast. As the disease progresses, it leads to increasingly severe symptoms – including disorientation, mood and behavior changes, deepening confusion about events, time and place, unfounded suspicions about family, friends and caregivers, and difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking.

Treatment
There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s Disease, but treatment can slow the rate at which it progresses, and improve quality of life for those with the disease and their caregivers.

For more information and support, please visit Alzheimer’s South Africa.