More and more people are suffering from dementia in old age. In Bocholt, there is special help for those affected and their relatives.

Dementia - what is it?

In 2024, around 1.8 million people in Germany were suffering from dementia. Over 300,000 new cases are added every year.

Recognising the first signs
Dementia begins gradually, almost imperceptibly and many people hardly notice it at first. Symptoms and the different types of dementia are often not recognised.

The best-known types of dementia are diseases that develop directly in the nerve cells or their immediate blood supply. The damage to the brain can be caused by a sudden traumatic event such as a respiratory or cardiac arrest or a head injury. Or it can be the result of longer-lasting change processes, e.g. due to diseases of the nerve cells or disruption of the blood supply.

The most common forms of dementia are

Alzheimer's disease
is the most common form of dementia: almost two thirds of all dementia sufferers are affected by this diagnosis. Alzheimer's is a slowly progressive disease. The areas of the brain that are affected are those that are important for thinking, language and the ability to orientate oneself.

Vascular dementia
is the second most common form of dementia. It usually occurs as a result of circulatory disorders caused by small and often unnoticed strokes. The symptoms can occur suddenly or gradually. Similar to Alzheimer's dementia, there is a loss of mental capacity and often depressive moods.

Frontotemporal dementia
is a rather rare form of dementia. In this case, the focus is not so much on memory loss and impaired mental performance, but on changes in personality and behaviour. Living with a person with frontotemporal dementia can be a great challenge and an enormous burden for relatives.

People affected by Lewy body dementia
often suffer from visual hallucinations even in the early stages. There are significant fluctuations in attention. Motor function disorders can occur that are reminiscent of Parkinson's disease.

First signs

Not every impairment of mental capacity is a sign of the onset of dementia. However, it is important to clarify early and professionally what triggers the forgetfulness in order to treat possible causes or, in the case of Alzheimer's disease, to start therapy at an early stage.

On the one hand, memory problems can have causes that are easy to treat; on the other hand, medication that can delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease is most effective at the onset of the disease.

If you experience the following symptoms and warning signs, you should consult a doctor to clarify the causes:

• Forgetting recent events
• Difficulty carrying out familiar activities
• Loss of interest in work, hobbies and socialising
• Difficulty finding your way in unfamiliar or familiar surroundings
• Problems with language
• Loss of overview of financial matters
• Misjudgement of dangers
• Unprecedented mood swings
• persistent anxiety, irritability and mistrust.

The first point of contact for clarifying the above symptoms is the family doctor, who may then refer the patient to a specialist, neurologist or psychiatrist, or to a memory consultation. Memory consultations, also known as memory clinics, are departments attached to hospitals that specialise in brain disorders.

Here are two links to the clinics in Essen and Münster:

Memory Clinic Essen

Memory Clinic Münster