The aging of the population, which accompanies the advancement of modern medicine, makes some diseases more common in everyday life. This is the case of dementia, which mainly affects older people.
According to a survey published by Estadão, the disease affects approximately 1.76 million elderly people in Brazil – that is, almost 2 million people. More than that, 8 out of 10 elderly people do not know their diagnosis.
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There is no cure for dementia, but there is treatment and assistance to slow the progression of the disease and provide the patient with a better quality of life. However, when he is not aware of the diagnosis, he does not seek medical help in a timely manner.
In an interview with Estadão, psychiatry and epidemiologist Cleusa Ferri, who works as a researcher at Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, there are several factors that explain underdiagnosis. These are cultural issues and also a lack of preparation of health professionals.
After all, there is no concrete test to “establish” that a person has dementia as is the case with other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, for example.
Also, according to her, “there is a stigma regarding the health of the elderly population”. For the psychiatrist, both family and professionals do not give due importance to the frequent episodes of forgetfulness, which are the first sign of dementia. Precisely because they think it's normal for their age.
Signs of dementia
Also as published in Estadão, dementia is divided into three phases or stages: initial or mild, intermediate or moderate, final or advanced. According to experts consulted by World Health Organization (WHO), each of them has very well-defined symptoms. Check it out below.
Initial or light
As stated above, the signs of this phase of the disease go unnoticed by the patient, their family and their medical team. This is because they generally believe it is something normal for older people.
Among the symptoms are:
- Get lost in places you know well – like your own neighborhood;
- Losing interest in things you liked before;
- Sudden changes in mood;
- Depression or anxiety;
- Reacting in a hostile way, not consistent with the patient’s “normal” behavior;
- Significant forgetfulness;
- Having difficulty speaking correctly;
- Not knowing the day of the week or month.
Intermediate or moderate
When the disease progresses a little further, the symptoms tend to become more pronounced and begin to disrupt the patient's daily life even more. It is usually at this stage that people close to you begin to notice that something is different.
If before he only got lost in the neighborhood, the patient may get lost in his own home. He is also no longer able to live alone and is unable to cook or clean his own home.
In some cases, it is in the intermediate stage that he begins to no longer be able to clean himself or dress himself. In others, the dementia patient may experience hallucinations.
Final or advanced
When the insanity reaches its final or advanced stage, the patient is practically completely dependent on family members or caregivers. At this stage, there are many mental and physical changes.
Patients typically have difficulty eating or communicating and also do not recognize relatives and friends. They also don't understand situations that happen around them very well.
At this stage, they may also experience urinary or intestinal incontinence and/or become bedridden.
How to avoid dementia?
According to psychiatrist Cleusa Ferri, one of the most effective ways to prevent the development of dementia is to keep your mind active at all stages of life. From childhood to old age.
She even cites the effort to learn new things, such as a foreign language or a musical instrument. New hobbies and books that challenge your comfort zone are also very welcome.
And, of course, the physical exercises They are excellent allies in disease prevention – not just this one, but other chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension.
Finally, the psychiatrist interviewed by Estadão also mentions that maintaining social relationships can also help the patient. After all, according to her, isolated elderly people are more likely to develop dementia and have a very late diagnosis.
*with information from Estadão
Graduated in Social Communication from the Federal University of Goiás. Passionate about digital media, pop culture, technology, politics and psychoanalysis.
