Memory Loss

Prairie Senior Cottages provides assisted living care and services to those with memory loss. Memory loss may be a result of some form of dementia, including:
Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia
Multi-infarct Dementia
Pick’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease

Depression and other forms of mental illness may also induce memory loss characteristics. At Prairie Senior Cottages, the origin of a resident’s memory loss helps determine the approach for delivering care; however, it is not a factor in determining eligibility for residence. We believe there is value in providing care to individuals afflicted with memory loss in a specialized environment with specialized programs and services.

Dementia
Dementia is commonly defined as a decline in intellectual functioning that is severe enough to interfere with the ability to perform routine tasks. It is not a disease but a group of symptoms that several diseases and conditions share. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. The second most common form is multi-infarct dementia, which is caused by vascular disease and strokes. Other causes of dementia include Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Pick’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, brain tumors and head injuries.

Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in dementia - loss of intellectual functions (thinking, remembering, and reasoning) severe enough to interfere with everyday life. When German physician Alois Alzheimer first described the disease in 1907, it was considered rare. Today, Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting 10 percent of people 65 years old, and nearly 50 percent of those age 85 or older. An estimated 4 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease usually begins gradually, causing short-term memory loss and difficulty in performing familiar tasks. How rapidly the disease advances varies from person to person. As the disease progresses, a person requires assistance with more complicated personal activities, such as:
handling finances
preparing meals
housekeeping and laundry
learning new tasks
driving and navigating

As the disease moves into the moderate stage, physical assistance is necessary for many personal tasks such as:
choosing clothing
dressing appropriately
taking medications
bathing
toileting

Throughout the initial and moderate stages of the Alzheimer’s disease, individuals may experience severe behavioral and personality changes that result in:
paranoia
stubbornness
anger
wandering
repetition
hoarding
insults and accusations
concealing or denying memory loss

In its severest stage, individuals with Alzheimer’s disease become totally unable to care for themselves, losing the ability to communicate, walk, sit, eat, smile or hold their heads up. Unless another acute condition causes death first, individuals will die of Alzheimer’s disease.

Multi-infarct Dementia
Multi-Infarct Dementia, also known as vascular dementia, exhibits symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s disease. However, its origin is different. Those with multi-infarct dementia suffer multiple strokes or infarcts that result in brain deterioration. The progression rate depends on the frequency and severity of each infarct. As the infarcts occur, the individual’s ability to function independently on a daily basis declines.

Pick’s Disease
Pick’s Disease is a form of dementia characterized by slowly progressing changes in character and social deterioration leading to impairment of intellect, memory and language. Individuals suffering from Pick’s disease experience brain atrophy in localized areas. Unfortunately, Pick’s disease concentrates on those in mid-life and affects their ability to live independently. The disease results in impaired thinking and behavior, aggressive behaviors, social inappropriateness, speech problems, overeating and attention problems. Mathematical skills are usually well preserved. Some research indicates familial inheritance. Because definite diagnosis does not occur until autopsy, Pick’s disease is difficult to diagnose and is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease due to the similarity of characteristics.

Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive illness that may result in dementia and/or Alzheimer’s disease in its late stages. Initially, Parkinson’s disease symptoms may include tremors, stiffness, speech impairment, and difficulty controlling and/or initiating physical movement. As the disease progresses, and dementia and/or Alzheimer’s disease appears, victims may require assistance with routine activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and toileting. Although medication is available for the Parkinson’s disease symptoms, it will not change the dementia-like characteristics.

Depression
Depression is a psychiatric illness that exhibits symptoms of sadness, lack of initiative, difficulty with thinking and concentration, feelings of hopelessness, and thoughts and acts of suicide. Individuals suffering from severe depression may experience memory loss; however, unlike other forms of dementia, depression-related memory loss can be reversed with proper treatment.