We realize that no one really wants to truly talk about the latter parts of dementia and neurodegenerative diseases. We believe that this is the exactly sort of discussion that is needed for people to truly understand what it’s like.
Late stage dementia is the point wherein the brain has sustained a significant amount of degeneration. This means that any normal processes that our brain are able to do are no longer possible. A person who is undergoing the latter stage or advanced dementia is generally considered to be mentally frail. Here are a few things that they may be experiencing:
Significant Loss of Memory
Our brains are where we store our memories. When our brains are no longer healthy or are subjected to a degenerative illness, we no longer have the capacity to store new memories or even access the memories that we have stored for years and years.
As you can imagine, it can be utterly terrifying having to reorient yourself every time you open your eyes. Imagine a life where you constantly need to be told who you are, where you are, and why you are there. What is difficult about this is that there are small periods wherein a person with dementia and other neurodegenerative disorders can slightly remember or recognize family members but it never lasts.
Difficulty Eating, Drinking, and Breathing
It is our brain that tells the other parts of the body what to do. When the brain has sustained significant damage or massive deterioration, even the things that are second nature to us can be a mountain to overcome each time.
The brain is what tells our muscles to chew the food or to drink the water and not put it into our lungs. When the brain is no longer at the point where it can do its job, those in latter stages of neurodegenerative disorder may find extreme difficulty in eating, drinking, or breathing successfully and safely.
It is to be noted that not all of the symptoms listed above may show up or may be something that they experience for sure.
While no one who personally undergoes the latter stages of dementia and neurodegenerative diseases can tell us from their standpoint what it is like, we have enough observation based data. What we also have a lot of is the accounts from family members who were there and got to see how this diseased ravaged someone that they loved.
The tales of those who have witnessed the latter stages of a life wasted away can tell you what it is like from their point of view. What tale do you have to share regarding the latter part of dementia and neurodegenerative disease?
The trouble with neurodegenerative disease is that it will end up affecting every single part of life in general—not just your own. So we highly believe that people should be more aware of any symptoms that they should be looking out for.
Loss of Inhibition
One of the biggest factors of polite and functioning society is the rules of propriety that we all follow. When there is someone in your life that otherwise adhered to these rules but then suddenly seemingly started to disregard them, you may have something to worry about.
It starts small but can be quite drastic. For example, we tend to forgo the use of pants in our own homes. If someone or you thinks its perfectly okay to take off your pants before you sit down to eat at a restaurant, there might be something neurological going on which can affect the behavioral response.
Loss of Coordination
While there are people that are naturally clumsy, the loss of coordination due to neurodegenerative illness is truly disruptive and drastic. For example, a person cannot use their hand to grip an object. Hand-Eye coordination is important to do a lot of things in our life like driving or even writing.
The thing about loss of coordination is that it is easy to pass it off as something that happens because ‘you’re too tired’ or ‘you lack sleep’. So if you or someone around you tells you that you’ve been highly uncoordinated lately, you may want to go in for a checkup.
Otherwise known as a convulsion or a paroxysm, a seizure is normally attributed to a surge of neuron snaps in the brain. They are usually depicted as little lightning bolts in different part of the brain. Seizures usually involve uncontrollable muscle spasms and even rapid eye movement. Those that suffer from seizures must go in for an immediate checkup as this is a clear indication that there is a neurological condition that needs to be addressed.
Seizures can happen to anyone and should be taken seriously.
Neurodegenerative disease comes in many forms so it would be important to get checked if you or anyone you know start to showcase any of the symptoms we’ve mentioned above. Early diagnosis helps to determine the preparation of a person and their family regarding this difficult period of time.
Which symptom of neurodegenerative disease are you familiar with?
Anyone who is perfectly healthy will tell you that life can be pretty tough already. There is so much that needs to be done and yet fully healthy people struggle to get it done. So what would life be like for someone with a neurodegenerative disease?
What is a Neurodegenerative Disease?
This is any ailment that targets the nervous system. As an effect, the processes and relay of information which is normally attributed to the nervous system progressively gets damaged and deteriorates over time.
As you may know, our brain uses the nervous system to relay actions or decisions. You are able to move your fingers and other limbs because your brain is telling your nervous system to move your body. A neurodegenerative disease impairs that.
If you’ve ever watched Pokemon, you’re probably become familiar with the Slowpoke. It’s a hippo looking thing with a silly grin. It is said that the brain process of that thing runs so slow that they could lose their tail and by the time they realize it, a new one has already grown to replace the previous one. It’s kind of like that. Your brain is telling the body to do something but the relay is so slow it’s even perceived and mistaken to be partial paralysis.
The reason why we don’t just twitch all the time is because our brain tells our body that it shouldn’t. Someone with a neurodegenerative disease eventually cannot control what their body does. If you’ve ever seen any odd spasms or movements, chances are they have a neurodegenerative disease. This can make everyday life quite difficult. Constant movement means the muscles do not get to rest and are constantly sore or in pain.
Good luck trying to write, drive, or even cook when your hands are twitching uncontrollably.
There is no doubt that having neurodegenerative disease is highly impairing and really affects the quality fo life a person is able to have. We only hope that our medicine advances enough that we are able to have a cure one day.
From your own knowledge, how does neurodegenerative disease affect life?