Vital Information on Lewy Body Dementia and Assisted Living in AZ

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Lewy body dementia is the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer’s disease dementia. It is not only Alzheimer’s that account for the majority of cases of dementia, there are other types as well with Lewy body dementia (LBD) being one of them.

LBD encompasses two clinical diagnoses: Parkinson’s dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. It causes a progressive decline in mental abilities. It impairs parts of the brain responsible for thought, movement, behavior, memory, and sleep. Alongside, it also impairs bodily functions such as bowel and bladder control, blood pressure, and more. An estimated 1.4 million people in the US live with this form of dementia which can be attributed to misdiagnosis due to lack of awareness about this disease. Before going ahead with describing the symptoms, learn more about the valuable assisted living facilities or senior housing communities.

A senior family member with memory or mobility issue would require round the clock care and support to be able to live a stable life. The best option in this regard is going for an assisted facility such as Anthem Senior Living in Phoenix, AZ. Well-trained and experienced caregivers take care of the residents at all given times. ASL is an award-winning Anthem assisted living facility in the region.

LBD symptoms include:

Movement Disorders– Slowed movement, rigid muscles, tremor or a shuffling walk may occur.

Visual Hallucinations– This is one of the first symptoms which involves seeing shapes, animals or people that aren’t there. Sound (auditory), smell (olfactory) or touch (tactile) hallucinations are possible.

Sleeping Difficulties– An individual may have rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder which may cause an individual to physically enact the dreams while asleep.

Cognitive Problems– Some of the cognitive problems include confusion, poor attention, visual-spatial problems and memory loss which are similar to those of Alzheimer’s.

Decreased Attention Span– Long periods of staring into nothingness, long naps during the day, slurry speech, drowsiness, etc.

Poor regulation of body functions– Lewy Body Dementia affects the part of the nervous system that controls the blood pressure, pulse, sweating and the digestive process which can result in dizziness, falls and bowel issues such as constipation.

Depression and lack of motivation.

Treatment Options:

Medical professionals focus on using palliative measures to treat the symptoms of the disease in the face of currently there being no cure for LBD which often includes development of a care plan inclusive of physical, occupational, and speech therapy; working with a sleep disorder specialist and preventing or managing hallucinations using pharmacological interventions.

LBD Risk factors:

A few factors seem to increase the risk of developing Lewy body dementia which include:

1. Being older than 60
2. Men are more at risk
3. Having a family member with Lewy body dementia or Parkinson’s disease

Managing a senior loved one’s care in the house can be challenging. The best decision would be to consider a short-term respite care option or a long-term memory care community for their well-being. Get in touch with Anthem Senior Living in Phoenix to know more. The senior health challenges that we work with are dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy Bodies Dementia, high blood pressure, companionship care, wound care, bed bound patients, Feeding Tubes/Picc Lines, heart disease, cancer, Arthritis, respiratory diseases, diabetes, falls, depression, etc.