I have a lovely friend who is a little further along than I am in her journey with being a caregiver for someone with dementia. We consider ourselves well informed on the topic and have previously discussed the types of dementia as outlined in the chart from the NIH at the end of this article. One sentence leapt out at me from that chart and reminded me of one our conversations. "There is currently no cure for these types of dementia." This was not a footnote for one particular type of dementia; it applied to all types in the chart. But should it?
Of all the dementias described, there is a possibility, and even a good chance, that with no further stroke damage a marked improvement can be had in those diagnosed with vascular dementia. The brain, even the elderly brain, is capable of regenerating pathways and returning some patients with vascular dementia, as can be done with many stroke patients, to a close to pre-mini stroke normal, again assuming further mini-strokes are prevented.
And a huge difference between vascular dementia and the other dementias in the chart is the sudden onset aspect. One week your 86 year old mother is playing duplicate bridge, has two book club meetings and has plans to go out for lunch or dinner several times, and the next week she is feverishly walking on a continuous loop around the dining room table with a walker we didn't know she owned, refusing to eat anything except chocolate milkshakes, has cut up all of her underwear and is wearing them with safety pins as fasteners because her underwear is now too small and "hurts", and calling her friends at 2 am to inform them that my father is either starving her or poisoning her.
That kind of behaviour absolutely points to vascular dementia and while the word "cure" may be too strong a descriptor, by the time my mother turned 87, she was playing bridge again, had returned to her first love - reading, and joined their condo board because she was sick and tired of listening to my father complain about their actions and decided to do something about it since he wouldn't.
In other words, the feisty, independent woman I had known my whole life, came back. She remembered her behaviour during that time - another differentiator from the other types of dementia - and it embarrassed her immensely.
So, should vascular dementia be on this chart? Yes, but only if it is recognized that it is treatable and your loved one could very well recover from it.
Thank you for your comment. This is why I think it's important to share our personal stories! Dad had several episodes in 2015, behavioural glazed, out-of-it moments that scared us with his Vascular Dementia. After a few months, those 'calmed', but he had several other more significant issues that overtook, and drove his decline. His cognitive abilities & logic were weakened but things were less scary for us. Dementias' are different as you said. Each person's response varies. My Dad's cardiovascular issues meant he wasn't going to 'recover' from it though.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and experience. I hope others will do the same so other readers can read real-life, diverse experiences vs theory.
Thank you Victoria. I was careful in my response because not everyone will recover as well as my mother and unless the underlying vascular issues are addressed - which ain’t easy as they say - the mini-strokes will just keep happening and the brain will never be given sufficient time to recover from the repeated onslaught of oxygen-depriving clots.
I have a lovely friend who is a little further along than I am in her journey with being a caregiver for someone with dementia. We consider ourselves well informed on the topic and have previously discussed the types of dementia as outlined in the chart from the NIH at the end of this article. One sentence leapt out at me from that chart and reminded me of one our conversations. "There is currently no cure for these types of dementia." This was not a footnote for one particular type of dementia; it applied to all types in the chart. But should it?
Of all the dementias described, there is a possibility, and even a good chance, that with no further stroke damage a marked improvement can be had in those diagnosed with vascular dementia. The brain, even the elderly brain, is capable of regenerating pathways and returning some patients with vascular dementia, as can be done with many stroke patients, to a close to pre-mini stroke normal, again assuming further mini-strokes are prevented.
And a huge difference between vascular dementia and the other dementias in the chart is the sudden onset aspect. One week your 86 year old mother is playing duplicate bridge, has two book club meetings and has plans to go out for lunch or dinner several times, and the next week she is feverishly walking on a continuous loop around the dining room table with a walker we didn't know she owned, refusing to eat anything except chocolate milkshakes, has cut up all of her underwear and is wearing them with safety pins as fasteners because her underwear is now too small and "hurts", and calling her friends at 2 am to inform them that my father is either starving her or poisoning her.
That kind of behaviour absolutely points to vascular dementia and while the word "cure" may be too strong a descriptor, by the time my mother turned 87, she was playing bridge again, had returned to her first love - reading, and joined their condo board because she was sick and tired of listening to my father complain about their actions and decided to do something about it since he wouldn't.
In other words, the feisty, independent woman I had known my whole life, came back. She remembered her behaviour during that time - another differentiator from the other types of dementia - and it embarrassed her immensely.
So, should vascular dementia be on this chart? Yes, but only if it is recognized that it is treatable and your loved one could very well recover from it.
Thank you for your comment. This is why I think it's important to share our personal stories! Dad had several episodes in 2015, behavioural glazed, out-of-it moments that scared us with his Vascular Dementia. After a few months, those 'calmed', but he had several other more significant issues that overtook, and drove his decline. His cognitive abilities & logic were weakened but things were less scary for us. Dementias' are different as you said. Each person's response varies. My Dad's cardiovascular issues meant he wasn't going to 'recover' from it though.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and experience. I hope others will do the same so other readers can read real-life, diverse experiences vs theory.
Thank you Victoria. I was careful in my response because not everyone will recover as well as my mother and unless the underlying vascular issues are addressed - which ain’t easy as they say - the mini-strokes will just keep happening and the brain will never be given sufficient time to recover from the repeated onslaught of oxygen-depriving clots.
I appreciate you sharing and your empathy for others. We all need to share these rollercoasters!