DEMENTIA

THE BASICS
How common is it?
322,000 Australians were estimated to have dementia in 2013. The incidence of
dementia increases dramatically with age, with 30% of people aged over 84 having
dementia.
Dementia and Alzheimers disease are becoming increasingly common, causing 7%
of all deaths in 2012 and 95% of deaths in people aged 75 or over.

What is dementia?
Dementia is not a normal part of ageing. Its a term used to describe a range of
conditions that cause progressive decline in mental functioning. It can lead to
problems such as memory loss and confusion, a loss of skills in planning, reasoning,
language and communication, as well as personality and behaviour change.

Types of dementia:
Alzheimer's: this is the most common form of dementia. It is associated with
shrinkage of the brain due to nerve cell loss.
Vascular Dementia: this can be caused by a major stroke but is more often the
result of a series of mini-strokes or other damage to brain blood vessels.
Lewy Body Disease: due to abnormal protein clumps forming inside brain cells
(Lewy bodies).

Common symptoms of dementia:

1). Memory loss such as forgetting names words and phone numbers.
2). Difficulty performing familiar tasks such as preparing a meal.
3). Poor judgement affecting activities such as driving.
4). Misplacing things such as wallet and keys.
5). Loss of initiative in performing familiar tasks such as housework.

Diagnosis:
The early signs of dementia are subtle and may not be obvious. The first thing people
tend to notice is a problem in memory. Diagnosis may not occur until more than three
years after the initial symptoms. There is no single test used in diagnosing dementia
and doctors use a range of tests to make a diagnosis.

Risks for developing dementia:

Age and gender.
Family history of dementia.
Genetic conditions such as Down syndrome.
Medical conditions particularly: Stroke, High blood pressure, Diabetes, Depression,
Obesity.

Factors protecting against dementia:Having a high level of education and intelligence,

Having an intellectually demanding job,
Keeping your brain active
Having an active social life.

Can Dementia be cured?

Dementia is a progressive disease for which there is no cure. However there are
some drugs available which reduce the intensity of dementia symptoms. They are
particularly effective in assisting persons aged under 50, who have developed

Parkinsons Disease. One of these drugs is L-dopa, which acts by releasing

dopamine, which is a key 'nerve activation' chemical produced by the brain. People
with early Parkinson's who start using L-dopa often think they're cured, because they
can suddenly do all the things they couldn't do before. But unfortunately, the nerve
terminals that make dopamine out of L-dopa continue to die and eventually the
benefit of taking L-dopa fades away. Stem cell therapy is also being used
successfully in the USA to control Parkinsons, but is slow acting and very expensive.

NEW NATIONAL INSTITUTE

for
DEMENTIA RESEARCH
A new National Institute for Dementia Research will be established by the National
Health and Medical Research Council before July. The new Institute will be
responsible for coordinating a national dementia research program. Its cost will be
met from the federal government's $200 million Dementia Research Fund.