Commentary on New York Times Article “Is It Really Dementia” by Paula Span
“Is It Really Dementia?” This is the question in the title of the recent New York Times Article, written by Paula Span. In the article she states “15-25 percent ‘usually have conditions that can be reversed or at least improved'”. When one considers the enormous number of individuals faced with the diagnosis of a dementing syndrome, 15-25 percent is a substantial number of people.
The Vicarage has welcomed many individuals that were seeking dementia care due to diagnoses ranging from Alzheimer’s-like diseases, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body disease, vascular illnesses, even Korsakoff’s disease.
Often families arrive at our doorsteps and are not certain why their loved one is living with memory challenges. Unfortunately, many clinical settings simple tell the patient and family they are living with dementia. It is important that a thorough evaluation be conducted by a specialist regarding the etiology of the disease process. In the event it can be treated, time is of the essence.
Even more common, however, individuals are living with a complex web of disease and the effects of the disease on their cognitive functioning and ability to care for themselves. In other words, living with cognitive challenges at some point in one’s later life often leads to other biological and neurological fall out, such as poor nutrition, sleep deprivation, sedation, and depression.
The sooner the root cause is identified, the sooner a response can be initiated. An individual living with short term memory loss issues often struggles with proper nutrition. Remembering to eat, and eating well, require proper neurological ability or support from care providers.
While a cure for the root cause of the disease is unlikely, and a complete reversal of the dementia is not common, attention to the issues created by the memory loss do afford the resident a better quality of life. High quality dementia care assesses the individual according to the disease process and its web of complicating factors, affecting the biological, psychological, social and emotional health of the individual.
