This essay is about Parkinson’s disease and dementia. My grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and within a year developed dementia that sometimes goes along with Parkinson’s. I was part of his “Care Team”. Although he lived with the disease for six years and I saw the way it progressed and how it affected him, my family never really knew why or how it was happening. The following information will discuss the reasons for Parkinson’s disease and how the disease progresses. Parkinson’s Disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and affects more than 10 million people worldwide including age, sexes, races, and cultures. (Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, Statistics on Parkinson’s). The causes are unknown
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(Parkinson’s Disease Foundation: “What is Parkinson’s Disease?”) The symptoms include memory loss, change in motor skills and communication. People with dementia experience psychological changes which affect their daily lives as well as those of their families and caretakers. These changes (or symptoms) can include mood swings from happy to sad to angry for no apparent reason; watching a TV show or hearing something on the radio and thinking it is your real life; seeing things, people and situations that are not there. Memory is affected; a person with dementia might recall a situation from 60 years ago, but not what happened 30 minutes ago. They don’t always recognize their family and caretakers that are with them daily. Because of these changes, they often feel frightened, threatened and can sometimes become combative. (“Dementia” …show more content…
Their job is to transmit information to other parts of the brain and body. The neurons produce dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that sends a message to one part of the brain that has control over movement and coordination. As the neurons start to die, they stop producing the Dopamine and it decreases. With the Dopamine levels in the brain decreasing it shows abnormal brain activity. The decrease in Dopamine causes the person to lose control over their body movements.” (NIH Senior Mind: “Parkinson’s Disease”).
Although the causes of Parkinson’s disease are unknown, the researchers have found several factors they think may be important. Sometimes when there are several cases of Parkinson’s in the same family researchers could find specific genetic mutations that could have cause this. They have also found genetic variations which increase the risk of someone developing Parkinson’s. The third common factor found in people who have developed Parkinson’s are environmental triggers-being exposed to certain toxins or environmental factors have been found to increase the risk of developing
(Parkinson’s Disease Foundation: “What is Parkinson’s Disease?”) The symptoms include memory loss, change in motor skills and communication. People with dementia experience psychological changes which affect their daily lives as well as those of their families and caretakers. These changes (or symptoms) can include mood swings from happy to sad to angry for no apparent reason; watching a TV show or hearing something on the radio and thinking it is your real life; seeing things, people and situations that are not there. Memory is affected; a person with dementia might recall a situation from 60 years ago, but not what happened 30 minutes ago. They don’t always recognize their family and caretakers that are with them daily. Because of these changes, they often feel frightened, threatened and can sometimes become combative. (“Dementia” …show more content…
Their job is to transmit information to other parts of the brain and body. The neurons produce dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that sends a message to one part of the brain that has control over movement and coordination. As the neurons start to die, they stop producing the Dopamine and it decreases. With the Dopamine levels in the brain decreasing it shows abnormal brain activity. The decrease in Dopamine causes the person to lose control over their body movements.” (NIH Senior Mind: “Parkinson’s Disease”).
Although the causes of Parkinson’s disease are unknown, the researchers have found several factors they think may be important. Sometimes when there are several cases of Parkinson’s in the same family researchers could find specific genetic mutations that could have cause this. They have also found genetic variations which increase the risk of someone developing Parkinson’s. The third common factor found in people who have developed Parkinson’s are environmental triggers-being exposed to certain toxins or environmental factors have been found to increase the risk of developing