[Dementia Special Topic]Reducing the Burden of Patients’ Family Members, Deepening Understanding and Dealing with Dementia

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(Penang News) Due to the outbreak of the virus of the century, many people were unable to go home to reunite with their relatives during the Chinese New Year in the past two years.

When it was finally opened and free to go back home, some sons and daughters found that the old parents who hadn’t seen each other for a long time had degraded a lot in terms of intelligence and health.

They began to be forgetful, their actions and reactions were no longer sharp, some were slow in speaking and expression skills, and some even went to the phenomenon of dementia…

In recent years, the medical field has also discovered that when a person begins to be lonely, self-enclosed, and has no communication with others and the outside world, the risk of dementia will also increase. At the same time, I also noticed that many retirees, especially those who have retired from busy high positions, once they stay at home all day long without doing anything, do not communicate with others, and have no hobbies, their physical and mental health will start to turn red, and they will fall into a state of dementia early.

Memory loss affects life

Although dementia is not entirely caused by the above reasons, the number of patients has indeed increased sharply in recent years. In particular, some dementia behaviors of dementia patients will indeed make the family members exhausted and worried, and form a lot of pressure on the caregivers. Therefore, it is necessary to know more about dementia, and also need to know some ways to deal with it, so as to reduce the burden on patients and their families.

Dr Eow Gaik Bee, a specialist in neurology, pointed out that dementia is a neurocognitive disorder, which is a part of brain diseases. This disease leads to a gradual deterioration of thinking ability and memory, which affects the daily life and behavior of individuals.

“Dementia” is a general term. The most common type is Alzheimer’s Disease (Alzheimer’s Disease), also known as dementia or senile dementia. Most patients are elderly people with brain degeneration. Other types include Vascular Dementia and Frontotemporal Dementia.

Additional risk factors include stroke, trauma to the head from a car accident or fall, brain tumors, Parkinson’s disease, Down syndrome, depression, after-effects of chemotherapy, and drug use, which can damage the brain’s nerves and degradation. Long-term use of certain drugs or heavy drinking may also increase the risk of dementia.

“In addition, although it has not been definitively proved that the risk of dementia has been caused by the new crown disease, there are also examples showing that patients with the new crown disease or some people have memory loss or brain fog after vaccination; another reason is Now the external information is too much and too fast, and the growth of the mind cannot be compared with the external speed, and it is always in a state of catching up. In this case, the mind cannot relax, the concentration is weak, and the memory gradually declines .”

Nowadays, many elderly people and even some middle-aged people have the phenomenon of forgetfulness, and they forget things and are not as smart as before. Is this a prelude to dementia?

Do cognitive function tests to diagnose

She said that although the initial stage of dementia is also caused by this phenomenon, the appearance of these symptoms is not necessarily the prelude to dementia. Sometimes it is because of lack of concentration or other troubles that you become forgetful or forgetful about things. Many elderly people also do this, but it is only an inevitable phenomenon of aging and degeneration. They just have slower reaction and thinking abilities, and they can meet the requirements given time. Therefore, medical treatment and cognitive function tests (MMSE) must be passed to confirm the diagnosis.

“Dementia affects brain functions, including memory, language skills, comprehension, motor skills, ability to recognize time or objects, and lack of ability to solve and process problems, etc.”

Symptoms range in severity from minor effects such as sometimes forgetting where to put things and forgetting what to do. When it is a little heavier, you will forget to turn off the lights, turn off the stove, and turn off the water tap. Then you forget appointments, get lost when you go out alone, or even forget where you are going or how to get home.

During these processes, there will also be hallucinations, claiming to see people and things that do not exist in real life, or always thinking that someone has stolen his money, and will keep repeating the same things and problems, without a central point.

In terms of speaking, he may not be able to find suitable words, or what he said is not his original intention, or even the answer is not what he asked. Gradually, you will not recognize people and forget who the people around you are. Nor do they know how to eat when they are hungry, or forget what they have eaten. In the final stage, they don’t eat or drink, and they can’t take care of themselves. They just sit or lie in bed blankly, and they don’t know how to respond to the outside world.

Is dementia life-threatening? While not directly life-threatening, she said there was an indirect risk to health and life.

“In terms of eating, if the patient doesn’t know how to eat, chew and swallow, the food will go to the trachea and cause breathing difficulties, and when it enters the lungs, it will cause pneumonia.”

“If the patient often forgets to eat and drink or does not eat or drink, the body will lack nutrients, and the cells will not operate normally, which will affect the function of the kidneys and other organs; if the water is lacking, the blood pressure will also drop, and it will be easy to dizziness. Finally It also leads to various serious diseases and complications, which can be life-threatening.”

Irreversible cranial nerve damage

Whether dementia can be reversed depends on the cause of dementia. Some causes of dementia can be remedied. For example, lack of hormones can cause the brain to not function normally. As long as the hormones are supplemented, the brain function will gradually recover. There is also a hydrocephalus commonly known as hydrocephalus. It is due to the abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Once too much, it will cause dementia. As long as the water is drained, the dementia will be reversed.

“However, if the cranial nerves have been damaged, or Alzheimer’s disease cannot be reversed, the deterioration can be slowed down through treatment.”

Many patients do not know that they have dementia. How can family members identify it and take it for treatment?

She said that if you find that your relatives have abnormal memory, words and deeds, and suspect dementia, you should take them to the doctor for examination.

In addition to asking patients to do MMSE cognitive function assessment, doctors will also perform brain scans for patients, such as CTScan, MRI, etc., to confirm whether the brain is atrophied or has any other pathology. Other problems such as hormonal deficiency, hydrocephalus, depression or Parkinson’s disease will be ruled out before the diagnosis can be made.

After confirming that it is dementia, it will also be checked to see if there are other problems, such as some mental problems such as violent tendencies or hallucinations. They will be referred to the psychiatrist for follow-up and given drugs to stabilize their emotions.

Long-term loneliness and lack of interaction with people lead to dementia

As a specialist in neurology, Yao Yumei observed that in addition to physical factors, dementia can also occur due to lack of interaction with others, which means that it involves psychological problems.

She gave an example for comparison: in order for humans to remember the information they get every day, every neuron cell needs to connect and transmit information. In Alzheimer’s disease, the most common dementia, there is a lack of connection between neurons, which hinders the normal transmission of various information, and the same is true in life.

“Let’s use an analogy to compare neurons to everyday life in humans: when we lack connections with others, when we lack closeness or good relationships, when we are chronically alone, it triggers mood swings and ruminations. and memory loss.”

Mental stress before illness

When patients who were originally well-behaved, when their intelligence declines, it reflects their inner desire, that is, they ask for more love, hope to be accepted and improved.

“Alzheimer’s disease is the patient’s inner cry for reconnection with others.”

She said that before the onset of dementia, some dementia patients may have been under heavy life or mental pressure, such as not wanting or daring to violate the expectations of those around them, and have to obey and live in the way they want. And because these are not my own wishes, I feel pain or inner conflict. If things go on like this, the internal defense mechanism is activated, and people will become demented.

Once demented, they are given a valid excuse for not having to obey orders or live a life against themselves.

“Sometimes by doing this, they turn the pain they feel into the pain of others. We have analyzed patients with dementia and we can observe that patients are disconnected from others, not enthusiastic about doing what others expect, they Neurons in the brain don’t connect well with other neurons. When we look at how patients respond to adversity in their lives, it becomes clear that they use dementia as a maladaptive and conflict-avoiding defense mechanism.”

“The psychological root of many neurodegenerative diseases today is a disconnection from self, from others and from God. Some patients cannot understand why God created them and let them suffer from inner turmoil. In fact, most patients are weak in character, They are constantly doing their best to meet the expectations of others, even denying the chance to be their true selves. They forget that the first person they should please is not others but themselves. They never have the courage to live the life they want, to speak their own Opinion, be true to yourself.”

Expectations of patients should be lowered

When a person doesn’t appreciate themselves and be who they really are, they complain, which can lead to degeneration like most neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia, she said.

“Therefore, if we want to slow down the progression of dementia, we must first find out the years and events when the daily stress or functional decline of dementia patients becomes obvious, such as major accidents or loss of loved ones, and then provide targeted assistance.”

She advises family members to lower their expectations of patients and provide unconditional love and support to patients. “In fact, love and acceptance are the best medicine for dementia.”

“On a psychological level, we can help our patients by exploring their childhood memories. Patients can be asked to recall 3 of their childhood memories, including pleasant and unpleasant memories. Pleasant memories will be the antidote to our debilitating; Unpleasant memories can also help to understand our inner calling.”

She gave an example: If the pleasant memory is playing the piano, then when you feel uncomfortable, playing the piano can be used as a way to reduce stress; if a person’s pleasant memory is traveling, it is also suitable to travel more if you suffer from mental illness.

Observe from their memories exactly what makes them feel loved and encourage them to try to do more of the things that are in the pleasant memories.

Encourage patients to pursue hobbies

She reminded that in order to slow the progression of dementia and have a meaningful life, the best treatment for Alzheimer’s disease is to allow patients to have a goal of enjoying daily life.

Depending on what they like, encourage them to pursue their hobbies, but also to connect with those around them.

“If the patient’s good memory is that a neighbor gave her fruit, she can also suggest to send food back to the neighbor. When there is exchange of gifts and interactions, the patient can feel loved and cared for, which is of great benefit to their condition. helpful.”

Medical treatment has little effect on alleviating the condition, love is the key

No matter what the cause of dementia is, it will be difficult for patients and their families, and medical treatment is often ineffective. She has discovered in clinical practice that there are actually better ways to reduce the burden on patients and their families.

It is to start from the spiritual aspect, and the biggest key is “love”.

Yao Yumei pointed out that it is very difficult to treat dementia physically and medically. Some medicines and medical techniques, such as stem cells, may not yet emerge in our country, or go to a country with advanced medical equipment, and it will cost a lot of money and time. , it is not easy for the general public, therefore, she recommends an easy way to improve the patient’s symptoms and problems with family members.

Caregivers need to pay attention to speech attitude

“Diseases in the human body are often related to uneasiness and discomfort in life. Therefore, once a relative suffers from dementia, family members should be careful in their words, attitudes and actions in caring for the patient. Don’t complain or scold at will, so as not to hurt them self-esteem.”

Sometimes the patient defecates everywhere, takes a long time to feed a meal, or spreads it all over the floor. At this time, the family members who take care of it may be very annoyed and will blame them loudly.

This move may relieve the family members at the moment, but it will be sad and uncomfortable for the patients. After all, this is not what they want, and it is difficult for them to control. However, after being wronged and treated unfairly, patients may not want to cooperate anymore. When everyone was sleeping at night, he would deliberately get up and make a noise to eat or open the door to go out, making the whole family unable to sleep peacefully.

“Therefore, as a family member, it is even more important to talk to the patient and treat him well, so that he will cooperate with you. As long as you treat him with heart, let the patient know the love and care of the family, and will not dislike him. Once he feels safe, By thinking he’s not alone and ignored, he’s less likely to be sabotage and his condition will slow down.”

“On the other hand, in order to prevent yourself or your family members from falling into the ranks of dementia in the future, you must keep in touch with people and the outside world.

Have companions and your own life circle. Especially for those who have nothing to do after retirement, they need to find some work to do, such as volunteer work, to have good contact and communication with the people around them, not to isolate and close themselves, and to pay attention to the balance of body and soul, so that it will not be easy to degenerate. “

Improving memory by pressing Sishencong point

“Dementia patients can also relieve their condition through diet therapy and massage acupoints. For example, they can eat organic virgin coconut oil, whole grains, dark green vegetables, berries, nuts, and deep-sea fish. They can also massage Sishencong Acupuncture to improve memory.”

In addition, she also recommends two related movies, namely “Father Trapped in Time” and “Mom! “, these are stories between dementia patients and caregivers, I believe it will be helpful to both family members and patients.

She especially strongly recommends “Mom! “, and shared the touching words at the end of the trailer:

*Patient: Although I don’t know you anymore, I still love you!

*Voice of medical staff: If you really encounter a patient with Alzheimer’s disease, please be more patient and tolerant.

* May there be more tolerance and love, and light up the way home for every Alzheimer’s patient lost in memory!

If readers are interested, you may wish to take a look online:

https://youtu.be/pMXNN8J5FlQ

Report aNGie Photo Respondent Supplied

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