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Kristine: EVERY THURSDAY
WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT A HEALTH
ISSUE OR CONCERN AFFECTING MANY
PEOPLE, BAG DOWN -- BREAKING DOWN THE
INFORMATION AND TELL YOU WHAT
YOU NEED TO KNOW.
DR. KALANI BRADY FROM THE JOHN
A. BURNS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
JOINS US WITH THIS WEEK'S TOPIC.
SOMETHING THAT MANY OF US ARE
FAMILIAR WITH.
DEMENTIA.
ALMOST EVERYONE KNOWS SOMEONE
WHO HAS DEMENTIA OR HAS A FAMILY
MEMBER, FRIEND DEALING WITH
DEMENTIA.
FIRST OF ALL, HOW DO YOU DEFINE
DEMENTIA?
DEMENTIA IS A PROGRESSIVE
LOSS OF THINKING.
THAT INCLUDES LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT, JUDGMENT, AND
MEMORY.
IT'S PROGRESSIVE OVER TIME.
AND IT BEGINS TO AFFECT YOUR
ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIFE.
Kristine: OKAY.
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
DEMENTIA AND ALZHEIMER'S?
THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT
KINDS OF DEMENTIA.
NOT ENOUGH TIME TO ADDRESS IT IN
THIS SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
HOWEVER, ALZHEIMER'S IS THE MOST
COMMON FORM OF DIE-- DEMENTIA.
THERE INCLUDE LOUIS BODY
DEMENTIA.
BUT THEY ARE TREATED SIMILARLY.
THERE ARE SOME SPECIFIC
TREATMENTS THAT ARE DONE
INCLUDING WITH MULTIIN PARK
DEMENTIA.
GOOD BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL TO
PREVENT FORMER STOKES.
Kristine: ALZHEIMER'S IS A
FORM OF DEMENTIA.
MOST COMMON.
Kristine: WHAT ARE RISK
FACTORS?
THERE A LOT.
THEY INCLUDE A LOW GERMANY --
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT.
MIDLIFE EBEESTY.
HEARING LOSS, LATE LIFE
DEPRESSION.
DIABETES, WHICH DOUBLES THE RISK
OF DEMENTIA.
PHYSICAL INACTIVITY.
SMOKING, SOCIAL ISOLATION.
AND OF COURS THE BIG ONE,
INCREASING AGE.
Kristine: AT WHAT AGE DOES
DEMENTIA USUALLY DEVELOP?
AFTER 60.
THE INCIDENTS OF DEMENTIA BEGINS
TO DOUBLE EVERY TEN YEARS.
SO BY 75, 80% OF ALL DEMENTIA
CASES IT HAVE.
Kristine: I WAS TALKING TO
YOU EARLY AND YOU SAY PEOPLE AS
YOUNG AS 40 HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT ONLY OUR
KUPUNA ARE DIAGNOSED WITH.
CORRECT.
IT CAN HAPPEN WHY VERY YOUNG
PEOPLE BUT IT'S PRETTY UNCOMMON.
A HALF TO TWO THIRDS OF ALL
PATIENTS IN NURSING HOMES HAVE
DEMENTIA.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS OF
NURSING HOMES THAT'S A LOT OF
PEOPLE.
AND BY 90, AGE 90, IT AFFECTS
50% OF ALL PEOPLE.
IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER THAT
HAS DEMENTIA, IT DOUBLES YOUR
RISK OF GETTING DEMENTIA.
Kristine: SO IT CAN RUN IN
THE FAMILY?
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY.
Kristine: AND HOW IS IT DO
I FOCUSSED? -- DIAGNOSED?
FIRST OF ALL, YOU CONVINCE
THE PATIENT TO GO TO THE DOCTOR.
SECONDLY I MAKE SURE THE DOCTOR
IS SPENDING EXTRA TIME WITH THAT
PATIENT.
THERE ARE MEMORY TESTS WHICH THE
DOCTOR WILL FORM WHICH ARE
BASICALLY THE HALLMASH OF HALLMARK OF THE
TOYING NO -- DIAGNOSIS.
THE DOCTOR WILL MAKE SURE THE
PATIENT DOESN'T HAVE DEPRESSION,
WHICH IS COMMONLY MASKS AS
DEMENTIA IN ITS PRESENTATION.
AND BLOOD TESTS INCLUDE A
VITAMIN B 12 LEVEL AND THYROID
TEST.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, IN ALMOST
ALL CASES, A CAT SCAN OF THE
BRAIN IS DONE.
Kristine: IF YOU ARE
DIAGNOSED WITH DEMENTIA, WHAT
ARE SOME TREATMENTS AVAILABLE?
THERE ARE MEDICATIONS, BUT
IT'S IMPORTANT WITH MEDICATIONS
TO KNOW THAT THEY DON'T REVERSE
THE DEMENTIA.
UNFORTUNATELY THEY ONLY SLOW THE
PROGRESSION.
AND THEY INCLIEWLD DONEPEZIL,
AND MEMANTINENE, AND THEY SLOW
DEMENTIA.
USUALLY THEY'RE GIVING FOR -- GIVEN
TO A SIX TO EIGHT WEEK COURSE.
AND THERE ARE FAMILY THINGS THAT
CAN BE DONE.
LIMITING DRIVING IS IMPORTANT.
LIMITING COOKING SO THEY DON'T
BURN ON CAUSE A FIRE.
AVOIDING FALLS IS ALSO
IMPORTANT.
Kristine: A LOT OF PEOPLE
WATCHING MIGHT BE TAKING CARE OF
A PARENT, GRANDPARENT OR FRIEND
WHO HAS DEMENTIA.
ANY ADVICE FOR CAREGIVERS?
CARE GIVING IS THE GOLD
STANDARD FOR TREATMENT OF
DEMENTIA.
AND AS YOU SAY, IN HAWAI'I WE
FREAKILY TAKE THE PATIENT IN AND
MAKE THEM PART OF OUR FAMILY.
ALTHOUGH NURSING HOMES ARE FULL
OF DEMENTIA PATIENTS.
IN ORDER TO BE A GOOD
CAREGIVER, YOU NEED A BUSLOAD OF
PATIENCE.
WHEN THEY START ARGUING YOU AND
THEY'RE WRONG, CHANGE THE
SUBJECT RATHER THAN CONTINUE THE
ARGUMENT.
FREQUENTLY THE BETTER PATIENT WILL
REMEMBER THERE WAS SOMETHING
WRONG WITH THE ARGUMENT.
THEY WON'T REMEMBER WHY.
WRITING LISTS IS IMPORTANT SO
ACTIVITIES AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS
WHICH ARE IMPORTANT ARE ON THE
WALL OF THE DEMENTIA PATIENT AND
THE RED BOOM.
BECAUSE OF INCREASED CONFUSION
AT NIGHT.
A NIGHT LIGHT IN THE BEDROOM IS
HELPFUL.
FALL PREVENTION.
SPEAKING SLOWLY TO THE PATIENT.
ENCOURAGING ACTIVITY AND VERY
IMPORTANT, RESPITE CARE.
IT'S EASY TO BURN OUT TAKING
CARE OF THE DEMENTED PATIENT.
YOU WANT TO HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE
WHY SOMEONE ELSE IS HELPING YOU.
Kristine: THANK YOU SO
MUCH.
YOU'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK.
AND OUR TOPIC FOR NEXT WEEK?
WEIGHT LOSS DIET.
Kristine: I'M GLAD YOU'RE
GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THAT.
SOMETHING THAT I NEED TO STAY ON
TOP OF.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.