Memory :: essays research papers fc

I. IntroductionII. DementiaSenility is a misused term for the loss of ability to think, reason, andremember in older persons. Senility is non a medical condition it is notnormal, natural, or inevitable with aging it is not limited to older peopleeither. The term senility is replaced in well-nigh(prenominal) of my pertinent research bythe medical term dementia, which seems to describe a group of symptoms thatrepresent a change or deterioration from an individuals previous direct offunctioning (Tueth, 1995). Dementia has specific causes, which impairlong-term depot and quite relevantly language, judgment, spatialperception, behavior, and often personality, interfering with normal socialand occupational functioning. approximately dementias are evidently both progressiveand irreversible. According to Cummings (1995) after the age of 60, thefrequency of dementia in the population statistically doubles any 5 yearsthat is to say it affects only 1% of 60-64-year-olds but 30-40% of t hoseover age 85 (Cummings, 1995).The most common causes of dementia are Alzheimers Disease (Tueth, 1995), and vascular problems or problems related to a stroke (Yoshitake et al.,1995) . Depression, believed to cause some symptoms of dementia, may be ascommon in early dementia as it is by itself and may improve with prompttreatment even in people with dementia. The risk of dementia increases withage. Although statistics concerning those who have dementias worldwide are notknown, it is known that most dementias are not reversible but that people with dementia can function better with treatment of other medical or sensory problems , and optimal social and environmental support. From what I have learned, stimulation and activity can also help people with dementia.It is very important to note that minor memory problems in older peoplepreviously attributed to senility may have other causes, such asdistraction, fatigue, grief, stress, alcohol, sensory loss, difficulty withconcentration or softness to remember many details at once, illness, ormedications (Cummings, 1995). Confusion and disorientation caused by theseproblems may apparently be reversible though.III. Examining Alzheimers DiseaseBy definition, Alzheimers affection (AD) is an incurable degenerative diseaseof the brain. AD is a progressive dementing illness in which the coresymptom is long-term memory loss (Tueth, 1995). Other associated symptoms allow impairments in language, abstract reasoning, and visual spatialabilities as previously described in dementia. Personality changes arecommon and range from apathy to restless agitation. These are said to bedirectly related to memory difficulties (inferred from Elias, 1992).Psychiatric symptoms, including depression, delusions, and hallucinations,may also occur during the course of AD resulting somewhat from the severeloss of memory.