Dementia in Valentine's day
All lovers are getting excited when they are about to reach Valentine's day: flowers, chocolates, gifts exchange, dinner in expansive restaurants, beautiful clothes are on the program, we all fall in love again. Imagine yourself loving someone with Dementia! Can you see yourself with someone who has Alzheimer?!!! Maybe a father, a brother, a mother, a sister, a love one...
We were joined by Karen who is the the director of DementiaSA to talk about Alzheimer. We learnt that the idea of the organization started in 2003 when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer disease. For over two decades she suffered from it.
DementiaSa is a South African non-profit organisation that assists families, communities and health professionals who have limited access to private health care, to live with dementia or care for those with dementia.
Alzheimer's disease is a chronic disease that usually starts slowly and worsens over time. It is the cause of 60-70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficult in remembering recent events (short-term memory loss),lack of initiative, change of personality, depression, decrease in judgement, need for assistance for familiar task, loss of ability to speak fluently, in general , change of behaviors within the patient.
DementiaSa raises awareness within the individual in a way that you should go to the hospital to check yourself if you see any of the symptoms mentioned before in order to seek treatment. There is nothing to be ashamed of as Alzheimer does not discriminate, don't be scared and the community around the patient should be supportive.
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