The documentary “Infinite Memory” tells the love story of journalist Augusto Gongora and actress Paulina Urrutia. Over 50,000 viewers watched the film the weekend before the premiere. The never ending search for memories Augusto, don’t forget your partner due to Alzheimer’s disease.
This is an opportunity taken by the Antofagasta Health Service to talk about the symptoms of people with dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that causes changes in the body. daily activities. Brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, taking a bath, or taking out the trash can be difficult tasks for those who have been diagnosed.
Michel Fagioni, a kinesiologist at the Community Support Center for People with Dementia Quintún de Peñalolén, who has trained primary care teams in the region’s capital, has estimated that “in Chile, more than 200,000 people suffer from dementia, which is about 1% of the current population. This figure could reach 3% by 2050.”
How does this pathology arise?
“Dementia is a chronic disease that is not necessarily caused by the aging of people, but rather is associated with pathologies acquired Lifestyle unhealthy,” says the specialist, who has a degree in public gerontology and a master’s degree in gerontological kinesiology.
The specialist points out that during risk factors The causes of this disease are, among others, diabetes, hypertension, lack of formal education in the first years of life, tobacco and alcohol use.
“The most common type of dementia is what is known as Alzheimer’s disease, which is characterized by the fact that people suffering from it suffer attention deficit and memory impairment Short term. That is, they remember old events or situations, but not the most recent ones,” Fagioni explains.
Although the most difficult will be the manifestation of psychological and behavioral symptoms associated with dementia. “Because this damaged brain does not understand what is happening to itself and to its environment, it will present symptoms such as physical aggression, yelling, restlessness, inappropriate behavior, verbal outbursts, eating and sleeping disorders. In addition, there are psychological symptoms such as anxiety, apathy, depressed mood, euphoria, hallucinations and delusions,” the professional describes.
Effective Communication
For Fagioni, it is very important that the medical teams are trained and have the appropriate tools, Let me helpboth people with dementia and their families or caregivers.
In this sense, he recommends communicate effectively with people with dementia, as they often become anxious because they are not understood.
“Not all people with dementia are aggressive, but sometimes I don’t understand What I am saying. Often a person with dementia has to come to eat and may not be hungry. If a person is used to being an active person, this role cannot be taken away overnight, you need to be able to convey the message so as not to feel underestimated, ”advises the kinesiologist.