From the author: Why did I talk about dementia, this disease debilitates many healthy people, and not only depletes, but also leads to uncertainty, feelings of guilt, shame and many other very unpleasant emotions and feelings. For now I’m talking about the patient’s loved ones. And the most important point, its initial manifestations, depress the person himself, because he is trying to fight, but usually neither the knowledge nor the strength is enough for this, but he tries to fight, and is very ashamed to ask for help. More and more often at appointments with my clients the same problem comes up, depleting the psyche and taking away a lot of physical and mental strength from a person. The problem affects the health of every person who encounters it and the entire society, and most importantly, but this is just my opinion, I do not see an honest and calm attitude to this problem on the part of society. What kind of problem, you ask, dear reader? This is DEMENTIA. Let's figure out what it is and why I say that I hear about it only from narrow specialists, and there is very little literature on how to deal with it. Why did I talk about dementia, this disease debilitates many healthy people, and not only debilitates, but also leads to uncertainty, guilt, shame and many other very unpleasant emotions and feelings. For now I’m talking about the patient’s loved ones. And the most important point, its initial manifestations, depress the person himself, because he is trying to fight, but usually there is neither knowledge nor strength for this, but he tries and tries, and is very ashamed to ask for help. And it is from these two positions , and I would like to chat, and share my opinion, hear yours. So, dementia - (lat. dementia - madness) - acquired dementia, a persistent decrease in cognitive activity with the loss to one degree or another of previously acquired knowledge and practical skills, with difficulty or impossibility of acquiring new ones. In contrast to mental retardation (oligophrenia), dementia congenital or acquired in infancy, representing mental underdevelopment, dementia is a breakdown of mental functions that occurs as a result of brain damage. Today I would like to talk about senile dementia. Not about the one that arises in youth, as a result of addictive behavior or obsessive need for a certain activity, such as medicinal (drug addiction) and psychological (gambling addiction, shopaholism, fanaticism, etc.), I am talking about the one that arises in old age and is called senile dementia (from the Latin senilis - senile) or marasmus. I want to talk about the fact that every year 7.7 million new cases of dementia are registered in the world, each of which becomes a heavy burden for families and healthcare systems in different countries. It becomes clear to every person why official sources say that dementia becomes a burden for children, no matter what active age they are. Yes, it becomes a very difficult test for the psyche of children and grandchildren to watch their grandfather, who set an example in honor old people and women, suddenly began to accuse his formerly beloved son, or daughter-in-law/son-in-law, or sister/brother, that he robbed him, moved him, took his things/furniture or something like that. And very angrily, aggressively, and so convincingly, with tough, and sometimes cruel, argumentation, with a list of things or an amount of money, with a clear sequence of actions, so that everyone else around him, neighbors, distant relatives, even close relatives who do not live with him, believe it. Moreover, the one who is accused understands that some kind of misunderstanding has overtaken him, because... Usually, that character trait of the accused is voiced that does not apply to him at all or very indirectly. But public opinion is so strong and so great that the accused suffers greatly and, most importantly, the charges are greatly delayed. I told you about the most common option. And the patient himself, at this stage, no longer understands the changes that are happening to him, butfor those who live next to him, caring for him, containing outbursts of anger that happen more and more often, it becomes harder and harder. The horror of the problem is that these manifestations are hushed up in society, and the person who first encountered this phenomenon does not know what to do, what to do, where to go. And his psyche begins to collapse from the polarity of events in his soul and around him. He is accused of something he did not do, without listening to his arguments, he is accused not by one person, but by everyone around him, and on the other hand, he suffers from the fact that he cannot leave and abandon his loved one, even to the detriment of himself. And to figure out what to do and what to do to find out about the severity of the disease, there are only 3 of them. Mild dementia. The patient's work and social activities are significantly impaired, but the ability to live independently and self-care is preserved, with the observance of personal hygiene rules and relative safety of criticism. Moderate dementia. A certain period of supervision is required; the patient can already harm himself. If he lives alone, he may forget to turn off the gas, forget how to turn on the shower, how to dial a number on a mobile phone, and most importantly, where and what he put, if there is no clear established order or, which is more common, he begins to hide documents, money, valuables, etc. P. And most importantly, compassion and interest in the close people around him completely disappear, and manifestations of anger and aggression are not just isolated, but daily and quite frequent phenomena. Severe dementia. Daily activities are so disrupted that constant supervision is required, for example, the patient is unable to follow the rules of personal hygiene, does not understand what is said to him, and practically cannot speak himself. There is also a lack of compassion and interest in the people around him, and manifestations of anger and aggression are daily occurrences. But we understand that some signs of severe dementia can also appear in milder forms, individually and not often. How can we determine whether we are dealing with dementia or not? There are some criteria and symptoms that will allow us to determine what kind of disease we are faced with, what relatives and the patient himself should pay attention to: Memory impairment (both long-term and short-term). A person cannot remember recent events and has difficulty remembering new information, which is why many older people do not like new household appliances. Disorientation in space and time. For example, the patient may get lost in his home area. Loss of desire to learn something new, as the brain becomes unable to process and assimilate new information. For example, you cannot force your father or mother to use a mobile phone, thinking that he does not see the keyboard, which happens quite often, and he simply forgets all the instructions - where to press, where to speak. Reducing the criticality of one’s own perception. Typically, this symptom appears when planning the next period of life. In the future, there is an increase in the manifestation of these signs and the appearance of new, even more destructive ones. And what to do, you ask, how to act? Do not abandon your loved one, who raised, taught, gave the most important thing that is in your life today, all the values, but it is impossible to tolerate the behavior of the patient with mental and physical strength. Sometimes, you really want to wake up and realize that this is just a bad dream, feeling that you are completely destroyed. Since I myself have been through this situation, I want to share some options for maintaining mental and physical health. The very first step is to consult a general practitioner if you suspect dementia, be sure to request a referral to a neurologist, psychiatrist, neuropsychologist or geriatrician (a specialist in diseases of the elderly ). One of the modern approaches to the treatment of dementia is a complex of measures of sociotherapy, psychotherapy, pharmacology, psychopharmacology and drug therapy. Speaking about the treatment of dementia, I am only talking about slowing down the process, relieving symptoms, and the personal and social adaptation of the patientand extending its life. There cannot be a complete recovery of this disease, this must be accepted, there are no miracles here. To my great regret, the signs voiced above are noticed so late that it is almost impossible to do anything regarding prevention. This point is no longer about the patient , but about ourselves, we try not to notice, we are afraid to think, unconsciously realizing that it will only get worse. Without information on what to do, we bury our heads in the sand. It is at this moment that the decision is made on how and with whom the patient will continue to live. The second and perhaps the most important step for caregivers will be the following - to understand that a loved one is seriously ill. This is exactly what I asked to find confirmation in point 1. And do not listen to the statements of some pseudo-doctors who refer only to age, because different people have genes and health are very different, even if they are in the same age category. Moderate dementia is a fact of recognition by the person himself of his uselessness, of his unwillingness to live. And for everyone who is close to him, understand and not expect, and most importantly not demand, from him the past loving relationship. No matter how much I would like this and how unbearably painful it would be to realize. This is very important to understand, it is important to stop blaming yourself - this is his decision, his end to the struggle with life. And find a professional nurse or a boarding house that provides good care and where you can come as often as you wish. But care must be professional, if you don’t want to leave, go to nursing courses yourself, look up everything about this disease and be patient and help. Everyone makes this decision themselves. It’s just important to remember not to fall into the arms of your children and grandchildren, and for this I propose to start following at least the minimum life prevention rules. I will remind you of them below. And in a moment of unbearable mental heaviness, take care of yourself, assemble yourself from the molecules into which you have been disassembled, and recover. But I want to remind you of one more important point: long-term and severe stress destroys us, many short-term stresses only strengthen us. But after severe long-term stress, this is a scientifically proven fact, immunity decreases, severe hormonal changes in the body trigger incurable diseases. Start taking care of yourself, and in environmentally friendly ways, i.e. without taking all the strength and nerves from those around you. What can you advise carers together with the patient? It is necessary to create a quiet home environment with a constant circle of people communicating with the patient. This will help eliminate feelings of anxiety, confusion and excitement. New situations and people that a person is not able to remember can have a negative impact on his condition and provoke an acceleration of the development of the disease. It is recommended to create a clear daily routine with the obligatory allocation of sufficient time for night rest, most importantly, hang it in a visible place so that the patient can see and read it at any time. And also, in the early stages of the disease, it is very important to provide the patient with the necessary level of physical activity. This could be walks in your favorite places, physical therapy, simple work in the garden or on a personal plot. This is what I wanted to talk about. I will wait for your opinions and thank you in advance. Help: Sociotherapy: counseling on memory problems, legal aspects, providing proper care, creating a comfortable living environment for the patient. Psychotherapy with the patient and close relatives, including group therapy and special “self-preservation therapy” for working with memory. Pharmacotherapy in combination with physical treatment - physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, massage, therapeutic baths. Antidementia therapy is carried out with the most active substance in each case. Psychopharmacological therapy of disorders associated with dementia, for example, the use of antidepressants. Drug therapy is the most important method in the treatment of dementia, because in some cases.