Detailed case reports of 124 dementia patients who experienced an episode of paradoxical lucidity were received. In more than 80% of these cases, complete remission with return of memory, orientation, and responsive verbal ability was reported by observers of the lucid episode.
There is currently no cure for most types of dementia – including the dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease. These types of dementia are what we call “neurodegenerative.” The progression of these dementias cannot be reversed right now; symptoms gradually get worse.
“Dementia is irreversible when caused by degenerative disease or trauma, but might be reversible in some cases when caused by drugs, alcohol, hormone or vitamin imbalances, or depression,” explains The Cleveland Clinic. “The frequency of 'treatable' causes of dementia is believed to be about 20 percent.”
These changes make it difficult for people who have dementia to perform basic daily activities. Dementia is classified into two groups, reversible (pseudo-dementia) and irreversible (non pseudo-dementia). Irreversible dementia causes changes in behavior and personality.
A number of case reports refer to an unexpected return of mental clarity in individuals with longstanding dementia or other neuropsychiatric conditions. It's been called “paradoxical lucidity” due to its puzzling nature, or “terminal lucidity” because it seems to occur at the end of life.
Stay mentally and socially active. Engaging in mental or social activities may help to build up your brain's ability to cope with disease, relieve stress and improve your mood. This means doing these activities may help to delay, or even prevent, dementia from developing.
There will be good days and bad days with dementia. If you're having a bad day, it can be difficult to keep in mind that good days will come.
Exposure to vitamin D was associated with significantly higher dementia-free survival, compared to no exposure (Figure 2A). The 5-year survival for D− was 68.4% (95% CI: 67.1%–69.7%), while for D+ it was 83.6% (95% CI: 82.3%–84.9%). MCI was associated with lower dementia-free survival than NC, as expected.
Physical exercise, cognitive activities, and social interactions are recognized as the three most effective ways to prevent cognitive decline and improve the sense of self-worth for dementia patients.
A diagnosis is B12 deficiency may be a reversible cause of confusion and behavior changes. In other words, it's possible that increasing your B12 level can improve or restore your memory and ability to think clearly. It can also resolve the other symptoms you may be experiencing such as fatigue and weakness.
Eating sugar and refined carbs can cause pre-dementia and dementia. But cutting out the sugar and refined carbs and adding lots of fat can prevent, and even reverse, pre-dementia and early dementia. More recent studies show people with diabetes have a four-fold risk for developing Alzheimer's.
In stage 6 of dementia, a person may start forgetting the names of close loved ones and have little memory of recent events.
Receiving a life-changing dementia diagnosis doesn't strip a person of their humanity or personhood. People with dementia think about the same things that any human thinks about — emotions, relationships, daily life, tasks to accomplish, and more.
There are many different types of dementia and all of them are progressive. This means symptoms may be relatively mild at first but they get worse with time, usually over several years. These include problems with memory, thinking, problem-solving or language, and often changes in emotions, perception or behaviour.
Although there is no effective treatment or proven prevention for Alzheimer's and related dementias, in general, leading a healthy lifestyle may help address risk factors that have been associated with these diseases.
Administration: The examiner reads a list of 5 words at a rate of one per second, giving the following instructions: “This is a memory test. I am going to read a list of words that you will have to remember now and later on. Listen carefully. When I am through, tell me as many words as you can remember.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.
Offer different types of drink throughout the day such as tea, coffee, hot and cold milky drinks, fruit juice or smoothies, soup, squash and water. Make sure the cup or glass is suitable – not too heavy or a difficult shape.
Alzheimer's disease, the most common dementia diagnosis among older adults. It is caused by changes in the brain, including abnormal buildups of proteins known as amyloid plaques and tau tangles.
Lecanemab works by removing a sticky protein from the brain that is believed to cause Alzheimer's disease to advance. “It's very exciting because this is the first treatment in our history that shows an unequivocal slowing of decline in Alzheimer's disease,” says Dr. van Dyck.
A threshold below which the risk of dementia increases markedly has previously been hypothesized to lie in the 25–50 nmol/L range. The optimal level of vitamin D for general health remains controversial, with the Institute of Medicine recommending 50 nmol/L and the Endocrine Society recommending 75 nmol/L.
I'm going to discuss five of the most basic ones here: 1) Don't tell them they are wrong about something, 2) Don't argue with them, 3) Don't ask if they remember something, 4) Don't remind them that their spouse, parent or other loved one is dead, and 5) Don't bring up topics that may upset them.