Vascular dementia
There's currently no cure for vascular dementia and no way to reverse the damage to the brain that's already occurred, but treatments can help prevent further damage and may help slow downits progression.
When you are diagnosed with dementia, your future health and social care needs will need to be assessed and a care plan drawn up.
This is a way of ensuring you receive the right treatment for your needs. It involves identifying areas where you may need some assistance, such as:
This will usually involve making healthy lifestyle changes and taking medication.
Treating the underlyingcondition can help prevent further problems, such as Heat exhaustion and heatstroke , and may help slow down or stop the progression of vascular dementiaif it's diagnosed early.
Adopting a healthier lifestyle should help reduce your risk of experiencing further damage to your brain. This may involve:
The above links will take you to information and advice on making these lifestyle changes.
Any medication you're prescribed will depend on the underlying condition you have.You may be offered:
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors such as donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Reminyl) or rivastigmine(Exelon), which are commonly used to treat Alzheimer's disease ,aren't designed to treat vascular dementia specifically, but may sometimes be used.
They can be particularly helpful if you have a combination of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
There are alsoa number of therapies that can help make everyday living easier if you havedementia. These include:
Thisshould include ensuring that your wishes are upheld ifyou're not able to make decisions for yourself.
You may wish todraw up an advance decision after first receiving a diagnosis of dementia. This makes your treatment preferences known now in case you are unable to do this in the future.
You may alsowanttoconsidergiving a relativelasting power of attorney. This is the power to make decisions about you if you are unable to.
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If youcare for someone with dementia, you may find it helpful to read more about:
Vascular dementia is a common form of dementia that's estimated to affect more than 135,000 people in the UK.
Early warning signs of vascular dementia can be hard to spot, but if they are identified early, treatment may help slow or halt the progression of the condition.
Vascular dementia is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, which damages and eventually kills the brain cells.
Confirming a diagnosis of vascular dementia can be difficult, particularly when the condition is in its early stages.
There's currently no cure for vascular dementia and no way to reverse the damage to the brain that's already occurred, but treatments can help prevent further damage.