Bluebird Care Thurrock and Castle Point supports World Alzheimer’s Day 2018
BLUEBIRD Care Thurrock and Castle Point is supporting World Alzheimer’s Day on Friday 21st September. The aim of the day is to raise awareness of dementia, understand its impact on people’s lives and strategies to help people live comfortably with dementia.
Dementia is a worldwide challenge, with nearly 50 million people globally suffering from it. In the UK alone, there are 850,000 people with dementia. More than 40,000 people under 65 have dementia and 1 in 6 people over the age of 80 are affected.
Dementia is a general term for permanent degenerative mental ability which is sever enough to impact daily life. It is caused by damage to brain cells, this impairs the ability of the brain cells to connect with each other. Different regions of the brain are responsible for specific functions, so when an area is damaged, that area is not able to carry out its normal function.
The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s Disease. One of the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease, is memory loss as the memory region of the brain is often the first to become damaged.
Other symptoms include:
Confusion
Speech problems
Impaired understanding of reasoning and judgement
Decreased visual perception
Reduced ability to focus and be attentive
Age, family history, genetics are all risk factors to dementia which we can’t change.
Dementia can also develop by the following conditions: side effects of medication, alcoholism, depression, thyroid problems, vitamin deficiencies, head injuries and cardiovascular illnesses. However, when these conditions are treated, the dementia symptoms may improve:
A key line of research also suggests that general healthy aging could help keep the brain strong and minimise the risk of Alzheimer’s developing. These measures include:
A healthy diet to keep weight under control, reduce cholesterol, decrease blood pressure, lessen risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke
Regular exercise of the body and mind
Reduction or elimination of smoking and alcohol intake
Lower stress levels
Alvin Osei-Tutu, Director of Bluebird Care Thurrock and Castle Point, commented:
“Many of our customers already have or may develop dementia. It is important that we raise awareness and work together to tackle dementia.
Our care workers are Dementia Friends and can undergo additional training to further their expertise and understanding of dementia.”
