Perm State Medical University. General information

1.

Perm State Medical University

2.

General information
History of dementia
Understanding dementia by music
Visualization of dementia
Modern methods of dementia care and
prevention

3.

Dementia manifests as a set of related
symptoms, which usually surface
when the brain is damaged by injury
or disease. The symptoms involve
progressive impairments in memory,
thinking, and behavior, which
negatively impact a person's ability to
function and carry out everyday
activities. Aside from memory
impairment and a disruption in
thought patterns, the most common
symptoms include emotional
problems, difficulties with language,
and decreased motivation.

4.

Until the end of the 19th century, dementia was a much
broader clinical concept. It included mental illness
and any type of psychosocial incapacity, including
reversible conditions. Dementia at this time simply
referred to anyone who had lost the ability to reason,
and was applied equally to psychosis, "organic"
diseases like syphilis that destroy the brain, and to the
dementia associated with old age, which was
attributed to "hardening of the arteries".
Dementia has been referred to in medical texts since
antiquity. One of the earliest known allusions to
dementia is attributed to the 7th-century BC Greek
philosopher Pythagoras, who divided the human
lifespan into six distinct phases: 0–6 (infancy), 7–21
(adolescence), 22–49 (young adulthood), 50–62
(middle age), 63–79 (old age), and 80–death
(advanced age). The last two he described as the
"senium", a period of mental and physical decay, and
that the final phase was when "the scene of mortal
existence closes after a great length of time that very
fortunately, few of the human species arrive at, where
the mind is reduced to the imbecility of the first epoch
of infancy".[218] In 550 BC, the Athenian statesman
and poet Solon argued that the terms of a man's will
might be invalidated if he exhibited loss of judgement
due to advanced age. Chinese medical texts made
allusions to the condition as well, and the characters
for "dementia" translate literally to "foolish old
person"

5.

Much like other diseases associated with aging,
dementia was comparatively rare before the 20th
century, because few people lived past 80.
Conversely, syphilitic dementia was widespread
in the developed world until it was largely
eradicated by the use of penicillin after World War
II. With significant increases in life expectancy
thereafter, the number of people over 65 started
rapidly climbing. While elderly persons
constituted an average of 3–5% of the population
prior to 1945, by 2010 many countries reached
10–14% and in Germany and Japan, this figure
exceeded 20%. Public awareness of Alzheimer's
Disease greatly increased in 1994 when former US
president Ronald Reagan announced that he had
been diagnosed with the condition.
In the 21st century, other types of dementia were
differentiated from Alzheimer's disease and
vascular dementias (the most common types).
This differentiation is on the basis of pathological
examination of brain tissues, by symptomatology,
and by different patterns of brain metabolic
activity in nuclear medical imaging tests such as
SPECT and PETscans of the brain. The various
forms have differing prognoses and differing
epidemiologic risk factors. The main cause for
many diseases, including Alzheimer's disease,
remains unclear.

6.

Author: “The Caretaker” (Leyland James
Kirby)
“Everywhere at the End of Time”,
released from 2016 to 2019, consists of
six studio albums depict the progression
of dementia through degrading loops of
ballroom recordings.
The album covers for Everywhere at the
End of Time are abstract oil paintings by
Kirby's long-time friend Ivan Seal. They
are minimalist in style, presenting a
single object in a featureless room with
no text.

7.

William Charles Utermohlen
(05.12.1933 – 21.03.2007) was an
American figurative artist who
became known posthumously for
the self-portraits that he created
after his diagnosis of Alzheimer's
disease in 1995.
In August 1995,[34] at the age of
61, Utermohlen was diagnosed
with Alzheimer's disease.
Following his diagnosis,
Utermohlen was initially sent to
the Queen's Square Hospital. One
of the nurses at the hospital, Ron
Isaacs, was interested in
Utermohlen's drawings, and told
him to start drawing self-portraits.

8.

MODERN METHODS OF
DEMENTIA CARE
Memory Bridge: “What people with dementia
most need from us—is us. Memory Bridge exists
to end the emotional isolation of people with
dementia. We bridge people with and without
dementia to each other in life-changing ways”.
Music of dementia: “Music isn’t a nicety. It’s a
necessity for people living with dementia”.
Alzheimer’s Society: “There are a range of non-
drug treatments available that can help
someone to live well with dementia. These
include information, advice, support, therapies
and activities. The GP, memory service or local
Alzheimer’s Society are good places to start for
more information on what is available”.

9.

The number of people with dementia is rising.
Predictions about future trends in dementia
prevalence vary depending on the underlying
assumptions and geographical region, but
generally suggest substantial increases in overall
prevalence related to an ageing population.

10.

And remember to care about your health and brain to
prevent dementia!