Dementia?

I have a friend who was diagnosed by her doctor today as having early onset dementia.

Can anyone tell me anything about this?

Shes young, only 28 but has a past history of alot of drug use and is also alchoholic.

she forgets things all the time, spaces out..etc so id like to try to help her but i dont kow anything about it!

WOW, I am so very sorry. Dementia at 28 is something. I am not positive but I believe that in my training I learned that drug and alcohol dementia follows a different path than other forms. Just like Pick's disease is different from Parkinson's dementa.

The reason I say this is because I know little about the anticipated progression, speed, severity and outcome. If I were you I would get online and look for support groups for people in your area as well as info about how her dementia may progress as opposed to an older person. Maybe she would let you speak with the clinic that evaluated her?

As for basic living kinds of things, you may need to write things down. For example, on thurs the 23rd at ten o'clock I am picking you up to go to that special play at the elementary school. You will need to let her have time to find her words as that can be very frustrating, and you may want to be conscious of not asking a lot of questions where she might struggle for the answers and feel badly.

Is there a chance it won't progress if she stops all drugs and booze now?

Can she make decisions now about living will and durable power of attorney for health care? Hard stuff, I wonder how you are handling the news?

Dementia at 28? I've only heard of dementia as being something that the elderly suffer from...well it's common in the elderly, I know that much.

Sorry to hear about your friend.

honestly - I figured as much. Well maybe not dementia, but i definetly knew something was up.

She has been cutting out everything over the last couple of months, I suspect she is still drinking on the sly sometimes though.

Its really too bad. She does struggle really hard and I will not forsake her friendship as she has been really, really instrumental in supporting me when all my hulabaloo got worse.

She has a daughter and a boyfriend/commonlaw husband/whatever and he is extremely good to her and helps her out alot and makes sure her daughter is safe and ok(ie she does not get drunk with her daughter alone or put her daughter in dangerous situations) but i know it has to be hard on him, as shes been blanking out quite a bit and so needs almost constant supervision.

All good ideas though thanks.

Dementia is the loss of mental abilities and most commonly occurs late in life, mostly seen in people over 65 years of age. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease and it accounts for 50-75% of all cases of dementia. Another 20-30% is due to blood vessel disease ("multi-infarct dementia" or "mini-strokes").
Typical early symptoms include memory loss, and difficulty performing complex tasks. A person may mislay items, become lost while driving, get confused in the middle of a conversation or lose a prior ability to balance a checkbook. As the condition progresses the impairments become more pronounced and interfere further with daily activities.

Symptoms of Dementia:

Loss of Memory for Recent Events
1-Losing items
2-Getting Lost in ‘familiar’ Places
3-Missing Appointments

Loss of Ability For Abstract Thought, Planning And Doing Complex Tasks
1-Trouble with Cooking, Paying Bills, Driving
2-Can’t Understand Books, Movies or News Items
3-Difficulty Finding Common Words And Names
4-Substitution of Phrases ("Where is the thing for sweeping?" for ‘broom’)
5-Misidentifying People (Confusing sister with aunt or deceased mother)
6-Use of "Empty Phrases" ("You know", "That thing")

Difficulty with Behavior
1-Impulsivity, ‘Thoughtless’ Comments
2-Socially Inappropriate Behaviors

As the dementia progresses, the person may require increasing care by friends, family members or institutions.

Depending on the cause of the dementia, there are different treatments available.... check with a doctor.

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((((((( PRAYERS ))))))) ~ ~ ~ ((((((( HUGS )))))))

LoVe,
Rhapsody -

I have noticed with my depression i forget things all the time!! I have to put my meds in a day thingie so i remember to take them. I wont even talk about the bills that i have forgotten to pay...... eek.

I wonder if there is any link at all with depression and dementia??

Hmm - not for sure about that one.... but at least with the two mixed together we might just forget that we are depressed and start to be happy and enjoy life again.

> > > > > > > > What do YOU think?


LoVe,
Rhapsody -

good point indeed, let's get happy.......... huggies

My Dad has dementia and now its what they think ( but cannot be truly dx'd till they can do an autopsy) as early onset of alzheimers now. I havn't the heart to tell him this yet. Dementia can also lead to Parkinsons from what I hear. Not sure quite how. But you might want to look into that as that could be something that starts up for her earlier . Just a suggestiom. I am sorry to hear this . As it can be frustrating to loved ones and the person themselves. You'll be in my thoughts.
Ohh btw .. a good thing to have them do is to make lists .. thats something they can always count on having near by . Hope that helps.

Hugz~
Beth