If a relative or loved one, or even elderly parent, has reached a point where they have been diagnosed with dementia, it is normal to wonder if the problem came about as a result of Parkinson’s diseases or Alzheimer’s disease. Either could be the culprit, as can something else altogether, considering there are over 100 different kinds of dementia seen in people today. That includes a high number residing in nursing homes in Long Beach.
The Chances of Alzheimer’s Vs Parkinson’s Disease Being the Cause of Dementia
Up to 80% of dementia cases can be traced back to Alzheimer’s disease, and is most commonly seen in people that are at least 65 years of age. In sufferers below that age, the problem is termed as early-onset Alzheimer’s. Any way you take it, Alzheimer’s gets worse with time, although many people are able to cover up its symptoms in the early stages. By the time where it aggravates to beyond the point of healing, the sufferer may end up extremely unresponsive to outside stimuli.
Parkinson’s disease, on the other hand, does not cause dementia as often, but when it does, the condition is termed as Parkinson’s disease dementia. Up to 80 % of Parkinson’s sufferers can develop this form of dementia, but there are some sources that place this figure at 40%. The confusion there stems from the fact that people suffering from Parkinson’s disease already suffer from cognitive impairment at some level. Furthermore, in many people, dementia does not develop for as long as 15 years from the point when they were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
There are also no tests which a doctor can run to state conclusively that a dementia sufferer has a specific kind of dementia. There are multiple factors to be gauged and weighed, and even after all that, the most they can provide is an educated guess as to what might be wrong with your loved one’s physical and mental health. Picking a good long beach assisted living option helps in such cases.
For instance, you have Lewy body disease, where the sufferer routinely encounters movement problems including shuffling movements while walking, rigidity in the muscles, a hunched posture, and even issues when they start to move after having been still for a while. Dementia arising from this is much more probable than Parkinson’s disease dementia if the person has shown Lewy body symptoms inside a year before the dementia care symptoms were first diagnosed.
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