If your senior loved one has been diagnosed with dementia, your first reaction will most likely be to start looking for treatments. However, many families realize there aren’t that many effective ways of completely halting or reversing dementia. It may be difficult to comprehend in an age with so many medical advancements, but dementia is still not entirely curable. Here are a few of the main reasons behind the lack of treatment for seniors with dementia.
A Variety of Underlying Causes
At the most basic level, dementia is brain cell damage that causes memory loss, confusion, and cognitive decline. However, the underlying causes behind dementia can vary, and there are up to 50. The brain can be damaged by physical harm, certain medications, vitamin deficiencies, excessive alcohol consumption, toxin exposure, and many other issues. Without being able to pinpoint the cause, it can be challenging for scientists and doctors to find a way of halting the progression of dementia.
Dementia is a serious health issue, but it’s not the only mental health condition older adults are susceptible to. Seniors can face a variety of challenges as they age, many of which can be mitigated with the help of professional in-home caregivers who provide high-quality elder care. Trust Home Care Assistance to help your elderly loved one age in place safely and comfortably.
A Lack of Understanding about Dementia Mechanisms
The brain is still one of the most mysterious parts of the human body. Without knowing the exact biological mechanisms that make dementia develop, it can be challenging to find ways to stop them. For example, most dementia research focuses on Alzheimer’s disease, a common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s occurs when tangles of beta-amyloid protein plaques build up between nerve cells, but researchers still cannot figure out what mechanism is responsible for regulating this buildup.
The Difficulty of Applying Medications
The body protects the brain from a variety of diseases and toxins with the blood-brain barrier. This barrier keeps most foreign substances from entering the brain. However, this protective mechanism makes it more difficult to find drugs that can treat dementia. Researchers are trying to create drugs that can reach the brain and cause changes there.
The Delay in Diagnosis
There may be some treatments that can slow brain damage, but there’s currently no way of reversing damage and regrowing healthy brain cells. Due to the way the body works, it’s difficult to generate new neurons once they are harmed. Dementia often progresses so slowly that seniors aren’t diagnosed until the disease is already very advanced.
Dementia can affect a senior’s health, independence, and overall quality of life. If your elderly loved one is living with a serious medical condition and needs help managing the tasks of daily living, reach out to Home Care Assistance, an Auburn homecare agency you can trust. Our caregivers are available 24/7, there are no hidden fees in our contracts, and we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our in-home care services.
A Lack of Funding
Lately, there have been many news articles about dementia treatment research being shut down due to a lack of results and funding. Many companies cannot afford to spend years working on medications that show no chance of effectiveness. Until the mechanisms of brain damage and neuron regeneration are better understood, many medical companies are cautious about putting funding toward researching dementia treatment.
A dementia diagnosis can be difficult for seniors and their families to face. For dementia care Auburn families can count on, reach out to Home Care Assistance. Our compassionate caregivers use revolutionary memory care programs to help seniors delay the progression of dementia, and they can also assist with a wide variety of important everyday tasks, including bathing, grooming, exercise, and cooking. Call Home Care Assistance at (334) 744-7100 to learn more about our flexible and customizable senior care plans.