Senility
is a disease commonly referred to as dementia. It affects
4 million Americans every year and is a major cause of disability in old
age (Bunch, 1997, p. 106). Its prevalence increases with age (Bunch, 1997,
p. 106). Dementia is characterized by a permanent memory deficit affecting
recent memory in particular and of sufficient severity to interfere with
the patient's ability to take part in professional and social activities
(Bunch, 1997, p. 106). Although the aging process is associated with a
gradual loss of brain cells, dementia is not part of the aging process
(Horton and Smart, 1984, p. 320). It also is not synonymous with benign
senescent forgetfulness, which is very common in ...
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are acutely aware of
their memory deficit, while those with dementia - except for in the early
stages of the disease - have no insight into their memory deficit and often
blame others for their problems.
In addition to the memory deficit interfering with the patient's
daily activities, patients with dementia have evidence of impaired abstract
thinking, impaired judgement, or other disturbances of higher cortical
functions such as aphasia (the inability to use of comprehend language),
apraxia (the inability to execute complex, coordinated movements), or
agnosia (the inability to recognize familiar objects) (Bunch, 1997 p.107).
Dementia may result from damage to the cerebral cortex, as in
Alzheimer's disease, or from damage to the subcortical structures, such as
white matter, the thalamus, or the basal ganglia. Although memory is
impaired in both cortical and subcortical dementias, the associated
features are different (Bunch, 1997, p. 107). In cortical dementias, for
example, ...
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in
patients over the age of sixty-five and is responsible for 8 percent to 20
percent of all dementia cases (Bunch, 1997, p. 107). It is caused by
interference with the blood flow to the brain (Bunch, 1997, p. 107).
Although the overall prevalence of vascular dementia is decreasing, there
are some geographical variations, with the prevalence being higher in
countries with a high incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular
diseases, such as Finland, and Japan (Bunch, 1997, p. 107). About 20
percent of patients with dementia have both Alzheimer's disease and
vascular dementia (Bunch, 1997, p. 107). Several types of vascular
dementia have been identified (Bunch, 1997, p. ...
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Senility. (2005, March 21). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Senility/24051
"Senility." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 21 Mar. 2005. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Senility/24051>
"Senility." Essayworld.com. March 21, 2005. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Senility/24051.
"Senility." Essayworld.com. March 21, 2005. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Senility/24051.
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