Welcome to Geriatrics MD

There are many types of dementia in the elderly such as Alzheimer’s, lewy body dementia, vascular dementia and mixed type ( combination of alzheimer’s and vascular).
Family members sometimes start noticing that their loves one is becoming isolated(remains at home instead of going out), or changes in behavior or changes in personality or sometimes refusing to take a shower or eat. Their memory loss is progressive and eventually start affecting their activities of daily living such as taking a shower, hygiene, cooking, shopping or doing accounting. Usually patients denie that they are having a “memory problem”, instead they do the opossite, they do a “cover-up” and pretend that there is no memory loss. As the disease progresses, the memory loss becomes more evident and changes in behavior and personality and ability to remember vocabulary and eventually patients might end-up in a nursing home. Complications of dementia includes pneumonia, urinary tract infections, pressure ulcers, malnutrition, failure to thrive, blood clots and others. It is important to do an evalaution as soon as possible, so the earlier the more interventions can be done.

 Vascular Dementia: Usually patients have Diabetes, history of heart attacks, cardiac arrhtymias such as atrial fibrillation. Then patient develops a transient ischemic stroke or a stroke leaving the patient with motor deficits or paralyzed on one side. Then the memory loss appears and then there is some improvement but then after a second stroke the memory gets worse. Patients will need to have a CT scan or MRI of the brain. The treatment focus on treat the underlying diseases that triger the stroke such as the high blood pressure or the hyperlipidemia.

 Please call for an appointment at 407-771-0404 or www.geriatricsmd.com

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