What is dementia and how can we help?

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There are many thousands of care providers who support customers who have dementia, we are going to touch on some areas that will help you support your loved ones.

‘An Alzheimer’s Society survey revealed that 69 per cent of people with dementia said that the main reason they stop going out is a lack of confidence. Your encouragement and support will help people living with dementia to remain part of the community, be more active in the local area and live better, more fulfilled lives.’

We are going to be discussing dementia and we can help support those we care about. Remember that if your loved one has been diagnosed with dementia, Saffron Support will be happy to help! Visit our contact us page and we will give you the advice and support that you need.

What is dementia?

First of all, we are going to start off with discussing what dementia is. Dementia is not a disease which is where a lot of people go wrong, it is a group of symptoms that are caused by other conditions and can result in thinking, memory and reasoning.

Different types of dementia

There are lots of different kinds of dementia that people can get so in this section we are going to be looking into a few of them and discussing what they are exactly. There are lots of different types of dementia so we are going to touch on a few of them in this article for you to have more information. If you have any questions about anything we have written or need to chat with one of our team give us a ring and we will be happy to help!

Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common causes of dementia and is a progressive condition, meaning that the ‘symptoms develop gradually over many years’. This form of dementia usually starts off with minor memory loss and develops more over time. However people with Alzheimers can usually live for several years before they start to develop the symptoms.

There are many medicines that help to relieve some symptoms of Alzheimer’s and we also help with making it available for them to live in their own home and in a comfortable environment to them. There are also some psychological treatments that could be offered to help support the memory that can be tried out.

If you would like to read more about the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease take a look at this link from the NHS website.

Vascular dementia

Vascular dementia is caused by a reduction of blood flow to the brain. This type of dementia again gradually worsens over time however it is possible to slow down the symptoms.

Treating this type of dementia aim to tackle the underlying cause, which may reduce the speed at which the symptoms are occuring. There are many ways in which you can do this listed below:

  • Losing weight (if you are overweight)
  • Getting fitter
  • Drinking less alcohol
  • Stopping smoking
  • Taking medication
  • Eating healthily

As well as Alzheimers there are also some psychological therapies that can help reduce the impact of existing problems.

Dementia with Lewy bodies

This type of dementia is very similar to Alzheimer’s disease, take a look at the symptoms here.

A positive about this type of dementia is that they are treatments that can slow it down for any years, these are (Taken from the NHS website)

At Saffron Support we can help to support you and your family with dementia and help to make it easier for the whole family. Contact us today for any advice and we will help with anything that you need.

Helping people with dementia

Next we are going to be talking about helping and supporting people with dementia.

‘In the UK there are 850,000 people living with dementia. They – along with their carers, friends and family members –depend on a wide range of products and services. They are looking for organisations that show support and understanding for people with dementia.’

Everyone experiences dementia in different ways, some people feel isolated, some feel sad, some feel happy it differs from person to person. We want to provide the care and support that these people need for them to be able to do more of what they want to do.

Helping with things like, everyday tasks, going to the shops, cooking them a meal, speaking over a cup of tea can really help to improve on their mental health and help them to achieve outcomes that are important to them.

If you want to read more about what we do visit the services that we provide and if you want to learn more about what you can do to help a loved one with Dementia, visit our blog post about what you can do in your home and together we can all help to make a positive difference!