What is Lewy Body Dementia?
Lewy Body Dementia is the third most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular Dementia. It affects about 20% of the population yet it remains relatively unheard of by most.
Friederich Lewy, a German scientist discovered abnormal deposits of a protein (alphasynuclein) in the brain and it is these deposits that disrupt the brains normal functioning. From this we get the name Lewy Body Dementia. It is a progressive and neurodegenerative disease meaning that it gets incrementally worse with time.
Lewy Body Dementia can occur alone but more often it occurs in combination with Parkinson’s disease. Symptoms can look similar to the patterns of cognitive decline that are common in Alzheimer’s but those with Lewy Body Dementia are more likely to have these early symptoms:
- Depth perception problems
- Sleep disturbances
- Visual hallucinations
- Fluctuating Cognition
- Gait imbalance
- Slowness
Lewy Body Dementia can cause individuals to physically act out dreams/hallucinations which can be frightening and or dangerous. Sleep disturbances may begin years before other Lewy Body Dementia symptoms appear.
There is currently no medical cure for Lewy Body Dementia however ‘care’ plays a pivotal role in the wellbeing of sufferers. Because individuals experience Lewy Body Dementia in their own unique way individual person-centred care is imperative.
It is important that advances are made to improve the understanding and quality of care that is required to support individuals with Lewy Body Dementia. To achieve the best quality of life for sufferers, they need to be treated and supported with dignity and respect.