‘Dementia among elders curable’

Vijayawada: “Dementia is also a disease which could be cured if diagnosed in the early stages,” said Geriatric Specialist Dr Bobba Madhavi.

Addressing the Health Education Programme at Vasavya Nursing Home with Dr G Samaram in the chair, Dr Madhavi said that the cause of the dementia needed to be diagnosed for better cure of the disease. The onset of dementia among elders would also become a major problem to the family members also, she said and added that one in 10 persons over 60 years of age suffer from dementia.

According to the geriatric specialist, certain parts of brain like frontal lobe, temporal lobe and parietal lobe are damaged resulting in dementia. Frontal lobe helps us for planning, concentration and judgment whereas temporal lobe for memory, she said. “Persons, who are affected by dementia tend to forget many things, cannot concentrate on any issue and even forget the names of known persons and places,” she said.

At the early stage, the person affected by dementia turns short-tempered and imagines various things, she said and added that at times he could not attend daily chores like attending nature calls. Brain cells get damaged if there was no proper blood supply or blood vessels were damaged resulting in dementia which is called vascular dementia, she said. Vascular dementia could also occur due to smoking, alcohol consumption, blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, heart attack, paralysis, and heart ailments, Dr Madhavi said.

Alzheimer which is the most common cause of dementia could also occur if the brain cells are dried up, she said and added that the patients could not recognise their spouses and children. Dementia is needed to be identified at an early stage to cure the disease, she said. Dr Madhavi said that apart from medicine for dementia, the patients should also be given vitamin B, vitamin E, Omega fatty acids and others as part of treatment. Particularly, the family members should be sympathetic towards the dementia victims who needs support and cooperation, she said.