Getting older can be scary and aging concerns are common. Your body begins to deteriorate and you may have to rely on others to complete your daily tasks. You may feel marginalised by society or lonely as your peers die. Whether you are facing a specific problem or you just need a sounding board and some general guidance, a qualified mental health professional can help with these challenges.
Aging Concerns: Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
There are several forms of dementia are partially manageable, however they are irreversible and worsen with time: Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia, Dementia from Parkinson’s disease and similar disorders, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Frontotemporal dementia (Pick’s disease), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Alzheimer’s is a disease which is a form of dementia. Alzheimer disease progresses with a build up proteins in the brain which form structures ‘plaques’. These ‘plaques’ leads a loss of connections between nerve cells, which leads to the death of nerve cells and loss of brain tissue.
Sufferers of Alzheimer’s may also have a shortage of certain neurotransmitters which are chemical messengers that help to transmit signals within the brain. This shortage neurotransmitters means that the signals transmission is less effective.
Considering support and care
You may be concerned about your ability to care for yourself or be worried about an elderly family member. Homecare comes in many forms and there are many names used to describe it, including home help, care attendants, and “carers” as well as unpaid care and assistance from family or friends. Apart from considering yours or your family member’s preference of homecare or going into a care home there are other factors to consider such as the families responsibility load, emotional and physical ability and financial status. These factors and considerations can all cause extreme pressure on yourself or upon family members involved in decision making.
