Understand what dementia is
Explain what is meant by the term dementia
Dementia is a brain disease which symptoms include dementia such as memory loss, mood changes and confusion.
Describe the key functions of the brain that are affected by dementia
Temporal Lobe – Memory, hearing and speech
Occipital Lobe – Visual
Parietal Lobe – special awareness
Frontal Lobe – movement and personality of a person
Cerebellum – muscle co-ordination and balance
Explain why depression, delirium and age-related memory impairment may be mistaken for dementia
The symptoms of dementia which can include memory impairment, depression and delirium can also be standalone conditions so we must be careful to not assume that because someone has one condition like memory impairment, that they automatically have dementia. Symptoms can include:
Loss of concentration having trouble of something
Language problems mixing up words and forgetting names
Forgetfulness of recent information
Impaired judgment dressing inappropriately or making poor financial decisions
Loss of insight and confusion about place and time
Understand key features of the theoretical models of dementia
Outline the medical model of dementia
Medical Model – these are disabled people defined by their illness or medical condition that focus on disease.
Outline the social model of dementia
Social Model - disability is caused by the society in which we live and is not the fault and mistake of an individual disabled person or focus on treatment of illness. For example, a wheelchair user who has a mobility impairment. He is not actually disabled in an environment where he can use public transport and gain full access to buildings and their facilities in the same way that someone without his impairment would do.