Posted 2.22.24 (This would be a good poker hand…)
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. -Phil 1:9-10
Here is a list of the primary types of dementia: LINK Most of you will be familiar with these and they do make up a significant number…the majority…of cases of this disease syndrome that you will think of off the top of your head.
Just a quick thought today, though, to broaden your understanding of the term. Reminder: “Dementia” is the umbrella term…the catch all of symptoms in a syndrome, if you will… As I saw in a delightful presentation in a Vanderbilt webinar yesterday, think of dementia like a fresh fruit stand. On the top of the stand a sign says FRESH FRUIT and on the shelves of the stand are various types of fruit ranging from red apples to green apples to pears to grapes to dragon fruits to oranges. Oh, and some of the fruits are combo fruits like plumcots (both a oplum and an apricot) and Peacharines (peach and nectarine). There are other fruits that we think of as other things that are also fruits. One could say “Give me a red fruit” and get a red apple, a red grape, and yes, even a dragon fruit. They meet the attributes requested. However, there are other fruit types that we don’t really automatically think of fruits but are indeed: Tomatoes, olives, eggplants, pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchinis, green beans, okra, capsicum, chilis, and avocados.
In dementia circles, the most common cause of dementia is actually likely “mixed dementia”…multiple types, most commonly to according many professionals: Alzheimer’s and Vascular dementia. The most common single type of dementia is Alzheimer’s comprising up to 2/3 of the cases.
Here is a partial list of dementias:
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) dementia
Many of these have subsets of types of dementia as well. Others have strong correlations with other neurological problems. Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson’s disease, both dementias, are very, very similar except LBD is diagnosed if the cognitive damage precedes and exceeds the physical and Parkinson’s is diagnosed if it is in the other order.
Generally speaking, dementia of the various types cause problems in memory, thinking/problem-solving, and social abilities in a way that hinders daily living. Dementia is not a normal part of getting older and, in fact, some types affect 20-year-olds.
Just like the fruit example, there are other areas of dementia that I really hadn’t considered. Here are a few examples:
Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease
There are also things that seem to make dementia worse and/or mimic this syndrome due to symptoms. Some examples here:
Many other things……………
My point here (as if I truly always have to have a point 😉 ):
This set of symptoms…this syndrome…is hard to cure because so many things can cause it. However, the really good news: the more we learn about the brain and the better treatments become, when one is helped or cured, others will likely follow in a joyful domino stack. Even only slightly related neurological conditions like ALS benefit from these ongoing studies. In short, we are learning a great deal these days about our brains…using our brains. We have entered the treatment era in the most common forms of dementia and the pipeline of full of improvements in the works. 🙂
If you would like to get involved in this research, here is a great starting point:
Together, what do you say that we will band together and crush us some fruit like this sooner than later!
#EndALZ
#TheLongestDay
Update: Mom is doing about the same. She lives a very simple life. Her lungs this week have been pretty clear and she is still eating what is fed to her. I saw her again today and she was awake and had her eyes open more than normal. . 🙂 Every visit is also a simple thing…play some Alan Jackson Hymns, hold her hand, and feed her her pureed food and her pudding thick drink…but each as a gift from God.
Note: According to Healthline, “Summary: Botanically, fruits contain seeds and come from the flower of a plant, while the rest of the plant is considered a vegetable. In cooking, fruits are considered to be sweet while vegetables are more savory.” MORE INFO