Nurse Practitioner Laura Shellman addresses Cancer Support Group
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Steve Edwards
Laura Shellman, a Nurse Practitioner at Sweet Medical Center since late May, spoke to the July gathering of the Cancer Support group. Her topic was on dementia and other impaired thinking diseases. Shellman and her family recently relocated to Chinook from Glendive, Montana.
Laura Shellman, a Nurse Practitioner who joined the Sweet Medical Center the end of May, made a presentation to the monthly meeting of the Cancer Support Group at the Chinook Senior Center last week. A native of Los Angeles, Shellman and her family recently moved to Chinook from Glendive, Montana. Despite growing up in a major urban area, she says, "Over the years I've come to find I really like living and working in small towns and rural areas." Before moving to Glendive Shellman worked in North Dakota.
The topic of Shellman's presentation was impaired thinking and dementia. She assured the audience that some loss of memory, as one ages, is normal. But, she said, "If you recognize a steady decline in memory of a loved one or friend, take them for a medical evaluation. Get them some help." She added, "Some medications can slow the progression of dementia or help impaired thinking, but there really is no cure at this point."
Despite the lack of a sure cure for dementia and impaired thinking, Shellman described some actions we can take to reduce the onset of dementia: exercise regularly; eat right; get plenty of sleep; keep your blood pressure in check and stay active physically and socially. She added, "All these actions will help slow the progress of impaired thinking."
Dementia, delirium or Alzheimer's?
Delirium is a sudden onset of symptoms related to impaired
thinking and confusion. Victims may experience anger or withdrawal. Shellman said symptoms from delerium are often the result of an underlying health problem, like infection or, more drastic, cancer. Though symptoms can be similar, dementia is a problem with the brain and usually gets progressively worse. She added, "Normally, when the underlying health problem is corrected, the delirium, and its symptoms, goes away."
A less familiar, and the second most common form of dementia, is vascular dementia. This dementia occurs when the blood vessels feeding the brain breakdown and mini-strokes result. Shellman said this form of dementia is most common among people with high blood pressure. The best prevention is to keep your blood pressure under control and have regular blood pressure checks.
Asked if dementia has always been around or is now more readily diagnosed, Shellman explained that impaired thinking diseases are better understood and diagnosing them has improved. She added, "The percentages of people getting dementia are actually increasing as people are tending to live longer as other diseases are better controlled." She said there are currently 5.3 million Americans with Alzheimer's, that number doesn't include the other forms of dementia and impaired thinking. About 60-80% of the diagnosed cases of dementia are Alzheimer's, making it the most pervasive brain disease.
Shellman said it's very important to be aware of worsening symptoms that might suggest dementia or Alzheimer's. Bouts of confusion, inability to find the right word to express a thought, difficulty with tasks that were once done routinely and getting lost in familiar places are all signs of some sort of dementia. Shellman added, "It's important to get a baseline of one's mental state, then the progression of the disease can be tracked. Your medical provider has ways to get a baseline for future reference to determine how quickly the symptoms are developing."
Shellman offered some tips for caregivers helping dementia and Alzheimer's victims. She said the most important strategy is to be empathetic to the victim-trying not to judge their behavior and being sensitive to what they are feeling and experiencing. She also recommended preparing for long-term financial and care issues before a crisis occurs. Finally, as a caregiver, take care of yourself. She said it's not unusual for a caregiver to find themselves sick or incapacitated from physical, emotional or mental stress.
Here are some resources if you are dealing with an Alzheimer's patient or other victim of dementia: Alzheimer's Foundation of America, http://www.alzfdn.org, toll-free helpline at 866-232-8484 or Alzheimer's Association, http://www.alz.org, phone at 800-272-3900. Locally an Alzheimer's Support Group meets each first and third Thursday at 1:30pm at the coffee room at the Grand Villa in Chinook. Call Sherry Edwards, 357-4174, for more details about programming or other resources.
