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economist sunsuntribune health saturday aug 6 2005 spotting dementia common warning signs of demen tia include memory loss affecting daily function people with dementia forget things more often and dont remember them later they may ask questions repeated ly forgetting youve answered them difficulty performing familiar tasks they may be unable to do things that used to be second nature such as preparing a meal problems with language forgetting simple words or substituting with inap propriate terms time and place disorientation victims of dementia can become lost on their own street or think theyre living in another time period pooror decreased judgment this can range from wearing seasonally inappro priate clothing or worse such as neglecting oneself or treatment for an infection orother illness problems with abstract thinking for getting how to use numbers or how to make a shopping list are common problems misplacing items people with demen tia may place items in severely inappro priate places for example theyll place an iron in the freezer and be incapable of finding it later dramatic mood changes people with dementia are subject to rapid emotion al swings for no apparent reasons personality changes suspect a poten tial problem if a loved one demon strates extreme confusion or becomes fearful suspicious or withdrawn and loss of initiative victims become pas sive and refuse to see people or visit places early detection helps control dementia by chris traber staff writer it can begin with memory loss changes in mood and behaviour poor judgment and reasoning dementia usually attacks the elder ly leading to a gradual loss of inde pendence alzheimers the most common form of dementia becomes the dis ease of indignity nadene lebofsky knows only too well her mother ester suffered with alzheimers for eight years until she died last year there comes that day when you walk in and they dont recognize you anymore said the thornhill caregiver you see that vacant look in their eyes the worst is when they dont callyour name anymore its the most painful experience and if takes every ounce of your strength i felt cheated my mom was there in body but hot in mind she had become a different per- son with an aging population more canadians than ever are being diag nosed with alzheimers and other forms of incurable dementia early intervention beginning with a recognition of the onset warning signs is crucial to the patients wellbeing and quality of life say york region experts because of the patients deterio rating mental abilities the most dif ficult initial stage is making him or her realize whats happening said unionville family physician rafik staff photosjoerd witteveen bernice henry left and colin prescott both residents of sunrise living of unionville keep their memories sharp by looking through photo albums with executive director debbie acadio bechbache its usually the family member or loved one who comes in and says mom is leaving the stove on or is forgetting things dr bechbache said if the dementia is diagnosed and treated early medications can slow the progression of the disease an estimated 364000 canadians have alzheimers or related demen tia a slight majority are female the vast majority 97 per cent male 89 per cent female are over age 65 vigilance by family members and friends is crucial to detect tell tale signs among this group if dementia is suspected the doctor will conduct tests including a mental status exam to determine the cause extent and type dr bechbache said several recentlyapproved drugs including aricept exelon and reminyl can treat mild to moderate cases of alzheimers prescribed medications for alzheimerstype dementia alone increased 413 per cent between 1998 and 2002 once diagnosed and under a treatment regime the patient and family have several options to care for the patient in the home requires a relative or other person to provide emotional sup port as well as physical care and supervision if a patient cant be tended full time but wishes to stay at home services are available thornhillbased qualicare inc has registered nurses to coordinate whatever is needed to make the patient comfortable at home we focus on preventing further problems and keeping people out of hospitals where symptoms of dementia clearly worsen due to change- of environment and rou tine executive director andrea nathanson said most of ontarios longterm care and retirement residences cater to the special needs of those with dementia ours is a noninstitutional envi ronment thats very homelike said sunrise of unionville executive director debbie acacio on arrival an assessment is done on top of the medical report a profile is also completed to help meet not only their physical requirements but their social and emotional needs as well sell it fast residential industrial no agent necessarily cash or mortgage- i t commercial land no showing any closing call 2 star care star smile services general dentistry childrens esthetic dentistry minor orthodontics invisalign orthodontics convenient onsite dental lab office frours v mon tues n00am800pm wed 8arn8prh thurs 730am300pm fri 8am20ppm 7676 woodbine avenue markham 9054749205 hhbra insurance on edi accepted