dementia

(noun)

A progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain—beyond what might be expected from normal aging. Areas particularly affected include memory, attention, judgement, language and problem solving.

Related Terms

  • arteriosclerosis
  • geriatrics

Examples of dementia in the following topics:

  • Health Problems

    • Older adults are also more susceptible to certain neuropsychological disorders, such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease, that are virtually unseen in younger populations.
    • Dementia is a serious loss of global cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person—beyond what might be expected from normal aging.
    • Dementia is not a single disease, but rather a syndrome that is associated with a variety of different diseases, such as Alzheimer's.
    • Congestive heart failure combined with dementia—or even normal forgetfulness associated with aging—makes adhering to a strict regimen difficult for many older adults.
  • Mental Health

    • This lithograph illustrates the eight mental health disorders that were thought to be prominent in England during the early-19th century: dementia, megalomania, acute mania, melancholia, idiocy, hallucination, erotic mania, and paralysis.
  • Elder Abuse

    • Elders with dementia may not be able to consent to any sexual activity whatsoever.
    • Elder abuse can destroy a victim's quality of life by limiting his functional abilities, increasing dependency, increasing his sense of helplessness, increasing stress, worsening his psychological decline, inducing dementia, and risking malnutrition or overmedication.
  • The Labeling Approach

    • Shows personifications of dementia, megalomania, acute mania, melancholia, idiocy, hallucination, erotic mania and paralysis in the gardens of the Hospice de la Salpêtrière.
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
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  • Calculus
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  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

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