Alzheimer's Fact Sheet
What is Dementia?
The World Health Organisation describes dementia as:
“...a syndrome due to disease of the brain, usually of a chronic or progressive nature, of which there is impairment of multiple higher cortical functions...".
Such functions include:
• memory
• forgetfulness of recent events
• comprehension
• calculation
• language
• learning capacity
• judgement
Dementia in the Irish Context
• There are approximately more than 40,000 dementia sufferers in Ireland.
• 11 new cases of dementia are diagnosed on a daily basis and continuation of this trend will result in 71,000 active cases by the year 2026.
• 36 - 53% of dementia sufferers in Ireland experience a mild-moderate degree of the condition.
• 35% of dementia sufferers have high dependence levels.
• 76% of the overall care of all dementia sufferers is taken up by family members.
(Sources of information: Irish Alzheimer Society, National Council on Ageing and Older People and Parsons 2001)
Types of Dementia
• Alzheimer's Disease - Accounts for 50 - 70% of dementias
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. It is an incurable, degenerative disease. Early symptoms of the disease include memory loss, such as forgetfulness of recent events. However, people with Alzheimer's continue to recall distant events. As the disease progresses, symptoms include confusion, mood swings, and long-term memory
loss.
• Vascular Dementia - Accounts for 20 - 30% of dementias
Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia. Those with history of stroke and transient ischemic attack suffer a high risk of developing vascular dementia. It results in memory loss, problems with concentration and comprehension. Disturbance in abstract thinking, judgement, impulse control and personality may also develop.
• Dementia Lewy Body - Accounts for 15 - 25% of dementias. People with Lewy body dementia suffer an impairment in their perception, thinking and behaviour. They also experience visual hallucinations, fluctuating memory and Parkinson's-like symptoms such as tremors. People with lewy body dementia also suffer an increased risk of falls as a result of the Parkinsons-like symptoms.
• Fronto -Temporal Dementia - Accounts for approximately 10% of all dementias
Fronto-temporal dementia is caused by the degeneration of the frontal lobe of the brain and may extend back to the temporal lobe. In the early stages of the disease, memory can stay intact but personality and behaviour change as people lose their inhibitions, act rudely or become easily impatient. People with fronto-temporal dementia are not aware of their actions and as the dementia progresses, memory loss and the ability to perform activities of daily living decline.
(Source: Alzheimer Europe 2009)