Shoalhaven Memorial District Hospital clinical nurse consultant Steve Swan was the guest speaker recently at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Milton-Ulladulla.
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Mr Swan, who has a wealth of knowledge on the subject of dementia, spoke on aged care, ageing and dementia.
Mr Swan spoke of the different types of dementia and how one’s lifestyle impacts on the chances of getting dementia as we are all at risk of dementia.
He discussed how and why everyone is at risk of getting dementia and who is at a more risk of attracting the disease. Mr Swan said disease is terminal, with most people given seven to nine years once diagnosed.
On ageing Mr Swan said that only one in 6,400 will make it to 100 years of age.
Mr Swan said people physically and cognitively peak at 25 years of age. He said this peak remains constant to 45 years, then starts to drop but drinking, smoking, trauma, illnesses, stress and having a parent who has reached 90 are factors influencing our quality of ageing.
Mr Swan offered statistics on age and chances of getting dementia such as those who are 65 years have one in thirteen chances of getting it, one in seven if you are 75 year, while those who are 90 years have one in two chances.
Dementia occurs in the part of the brain used for learning, memory, decision making and language, which are damaged or diseased.
Dementia’s causes are still unknown and there are several different types including Alzheimer, which is the most common, vascular which is caused by stroke, heart attack, respiratory problems and smoking all of which compromises the circulation.
Lewu body dementia is another type which is characterised with delusions and hallucinations that the patient incorporates into their life.
Parkinson’s, Huntington, bacterial dementia (Syphilitic Dementia) can be treated with antibiotics, while viral dementia such as CDJ (Creutzfeldt-Jakob and mad cow disease) can be contracted if you lived in England from 1980 to 1996 and Korsakoff Dementia which is most commonly caused by taking too much cocktails of alcohol and drugs.
Mr Swan impressed all the members as his address was extremely informative with great ideas on how to alter your lifestyle to minimise the risk of getting the disease, such as quitting smoking and reducing the alcohol consumption.
Mr Swan encouraged all members exercise and observe a healthy food intake and to stay fit.
There is currently no treatment nor cure for the disease, although researched is continuing.
