UCLA geriatric psychiatrist Stephen Chen, MD, addresses diagnosis and management of vascular dementia. Watch more webinars at www.uclahealth.org/uclamdchat
My husband was diagnosed with "dementia" in February and was gone in May, just three months later. He was 85 years old. I'd never heard of vascular dementia before. It was a horrible thing to witness and and even more horrific way to die. I hope they find out more about this nasty form of dementia which I was told is the worst type of dementia that one can have. May my poor late husband Rest in Peace. 🙏🙏🙏
@@dementiadiaries Its been just over a year since his death. I don't think it is possible to heal from something like this as a caregiver. Thank you for your condolences.
I just want to say, I am "one of these patients." Diagnosed this past Monday. I find this video very useful. I have co-existing conditions. As I am learning about this condition; it is the first time in my life I have heard exercise could help prevent this. Perhaps, this should be a part of public health information.
Great presentation. My mom and I Live in a rural location and after almost 3 weeks in rural hospital mom had to be transferred to a geriatric psychiatric unit in Chicago because our small hospital didn’t allow a psychiatrist into hospital to evaluate her. 2 &1/2 wks without psychiatric evaluation (in 1st hospital) while mom was going thru a sudden psychotic episode. (3 weeks in Chicago hospital)Eventually diagnosed with vascular dementia. behavior treated with risperidone and depakote (in Chicago hospital) She went from living (with help) in her own apt and walking with walker to being reduced to a wet Kleenex, zoned. 7 mos later she resides in a NH. Refuses meds albeit behavior is better. Cannot walk on her own. Not taking meds has resulted in TSH=78, so hypothyroid now. Agitated by smallest things Aggressive towards staff and me at times. Very hard and heartbreaking to see her thru this. When she was still home and I’d go to dr visits with her, I would let her physician know about depression and changes in her behavior and acute episodes of not recognizing things. Her doc blew me off over and over. I realize the vascular dementia can’t be cured but I thought her doc (a geriatric internist) should treat the depression and order tests to investigate the acute mental changes. Needless to say I was pissed that all my concerns over and over were dismissed. But where we are now with her erratic behavior hypothyroidism and decline I’m praying for strength for both of us as only our faith will bring peace and acceptance. I am an RN and understand connection between vessel disease and brain function. I wish her MD did.
Linny AtHome Sounds tough. I hope you're ok and you feel more supported. Regarding depression, I thought my mum (92 year old with vascular dementia) was depressed until I learnt recently about the high incidence of apathy in people with vascular dementia. It looks like depression but isn't. It's caused by the death of the parts of the brain that are responsible for "caring about stuff" (put very simply, I know). It makes it impossible for the person to care and often involves eating, hygiene, dressing and engaging in activity, including walking. It is resistant to anti-depressants.
Linny AtHome ah, ok, I've just watches the bit about psychiatric presentation in vd versus Alzheimers and he reported that depression is more common in vd. This contradicts Teepa Snow, a dementia specialist I like to watch....
Kylie Jones - Thank you for your reply. She’s still alive. I appreciate a clinical rationale. It’s what makes sense to me. Having her in nursing home during this time. Is horrible. Can only see her thru window and she keeps asking me to come see her, “just one more time.” 😔
Thank you! This so explains alot with my granddad. Why nurses and doctors and cna in nursing homes and hospice are not trained or made to watch viedos on the difference types is beyond me.
Sorry to say but as a healthcare worker who works directly with dementia patients, the differences in types is seldom clinically relevant from all but a doctors standpoint
@loriwelz2001: Because is not profitable to cure patients with dementia. Many industries are spinoffs from profit greedy organisations. As with Cancer... Imagine that one day cancer will be curable... hundred of thousands of emplyees will lose their jobs. Taxes will be lost. etc.
Thank you very much. I have Raynaud’s disease. I am wondering if this can be a precursor to Vascular Dementia. I’m 50 and beginning to draw a blank, forget my families names intermittently, balance issues, etc.
I have a form of Vasculitis. It has inflamed my arteries. Two years ago I was diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment. I believe that I am going into Vascular Dementia. Apathy has changed my life, and is puzzling. Vasculitis has to be a cause I have Polyarteritis Nodosa.
Hello Dr. what about if a person has not had strokes, but had a bleeding ulcer! My mom had a bleeding ulcer. The hospitals had to put 4 pts. of blood. Now she has all the symptoms you have described. She has not been tested for dementia because she doesn’t want to leave the house. Any advise? Thank you
Sir, I want to start PhD work on risk of developing dementia in hypertensive population.... can you please tell me what blood biomarkers can be useful in this regard.. thanks 🙏
Can a strong blow to the front right side of the head cause vascular Dementia? My mom fell and hit her head and had a very large bump and a lttle bleeding. She is showing signs of dementia. Thank you for the informative video.
My 82 year old mother started to show short term memory problems around 18 months ago,in addition walking has slowed over last couple of years started to fall (6 times in the last 9 months) Appetite gone down a lot,lost weight Extreme fatigue ,even after 10-12 hours in bed ,after a couple hours up wants to return to nap Her last CT scan from her last fall noted " Chronic microangiopathic changes" Can any UCLA Specialist throw any light on these symptoms? Thanks We are based in London
@@racsorange Hi, I am still caring for my mother full time. Cognition /memory pretty much the same,no or very little short term memory. We don't have the money to get a decent nursing home and I can't bear the guilt of her being in a bad one, so I will carry on doing what I can .
My Dad had a triple bypass 12 yrs ago. He hasn't known who the president is for 7 yrs now. He gets sundowner syndrome every night. He is 79 yrs old and he just keeps living. His quality of life is poor. He is and was a heavy smoker and always ate alot of carbs. Im tired of seeing him. And guilty because I wish this was over! I'm at my max. Hell , when you like of it this is my life too. According to this it seems like he has Alzheimers. My Dad could not remember 3 words but dr. Is right if I give him clues he can remember. He is very depressed and negative..ect ect
Could you tell me about the white Mass called there is a lifespan expectancy? Of what 7 to 8 years this is scary because I have that just found out from my m i r August 2022 and I'm 71 Plus this is scary stuff for the first time I was put on blood pressure and cholesterol by a doctor before I got the m i r results
treatment with antidepessants like snris showed efficacy in mood and also recovery of stroke symptoms i was surprised that it wasnt mentioned but then again this video was uploaded 7 yrs ago , but now there are effective drugs which can reduce disabilty and improve extent of recovery especially adrenergic agents!!
Why in the case of vascular dementia - if blood pressure is controlled through medication, colesterol is normal (managed), diabetes (no carbs) - why is the disease still progressing....?!
Dok umur saya 24 thn saya penderita diabetes yg saya rasakan sama seperti gejala dimensia vaskular susah berfikir, susah mengingat sesuatu, dan jalan saya banyak yg bilang slow motion, bahkan saya pernah 1 thn lalu gula saya naik saya ga bisa berbicara sama sekali. Dan skrng lebih nambah umur seperti lebih parah gimana solusinya ya dok
Cath Giles progression of mixed and vascular dementia can be slowed down by decreasing risks for recurrent strokes, by controlling blood pressure, blood sugar for diabetics as diabetes also increase risk for vascular dementia, by controlling cholesterol levels and stopping smoking. Stress reduction through meditation also helps. Check out Alzheimer’s association for more helpful tools
@@diseasessimplified7693 dear one my dad died in sep 2019 from vascular dementia he was on a decline from a stroke 3 years previous unfortunaly he kept falling and broke his hip he was talking fine before fall he never came back after the surgery of hip it surged the disease that he died 3 months after this is not nice to tell anyone but this is the hard truth we need to understand if i could do anything differently it would be a zimmer frame .
Jackieray Lacy - My aunt had a series of vascular incidents resulting in severe loss of mobility, memory and speech. The early expectation was that the brain would repair itself to some degree with the help of physical and speech therapy. This has happened, but full functions have not returned. I don't know if there were medication interventions, but I estimate the loss of function around 25-30%. My aunt had a healthy, social lifestyle in her 80s so the decline in her health has been difficult for the family. Grief and the physically caring for a loved one with vascular dementia are challenges requiring a good support system.
Sadly there hasn’t been any cures nor medications that repair vascular dementia. It has to be managed. Anything to prevent another stroke is highly recommended.
Rose Kress so sorry about your ex husband. This condition is so sad. :( my grandmother has it from a couple of strokes. My mom and I live with and take care of her. We are seeing the progression. One day to the next it can be so different. She can get so frustrated and says “I’m not stupid you know”. :(
Get yourselves coconut oil. My mum has vascular D and she bounced back soon after starting it. That was just about a year ago. She's also recently started taking cbd oil and I'm looking into lions mane mushroom. All totally natural so no side effects. Heard that turmeric is good too. And vit D3. Check these topics on RU-vid and you'll be amazed if you watch real folks experiences. Hope this helps on your journeys
@@rosanne3680 It can seem to be the cause of disturbances but one of the many things it does is rebalance what is going on in the gut. So maybe this is what was causing the issues you found. The brain benefits I saw in my mum were nothing short of a wee miracle. She started on just a small teaspoon and now takes a dessert spoon. Also I found she only likes one particular brand. We tried a few different ones before she was happy with this and refuses anything else. But nothing works for everyone. If you haven't heard of her try looking up Teepa Snow who is a dementia specialist and watch her techniques for dealing with all kinds of dementia you may find her approach holds useful information. I found her invaluable. Also music is a great medium. We use our left brain for language and the right for rhythm so any musical language will maybe help with communication with your ex. I really wish you the very best and that you find a way to break through again. Sometimes it's the smallest thing that yields the greatest reward.
@@rosanne3680 Look at Teepa Snow's "how dementia affects language skills" here on RU-vid. It's 30mins but worth every second. I think it may help to get something going to reconnect with your ex. I really hope so. This is such a cruel thing I only want to help you find some way to be able to connect him with the world about him and you... Good luck and best wishes
Problem for social. I lost all my friends due to knowing my condition. I think its best to say nothing . Seems the attitude your better off wearing a leg cast as the stigma for brain issues they cannot comprehend. Everyone loses their keys , wallet , or repeat themselves while drinking and all good in all eyes ,, but if I do the same but mention I have a brain disease I'm off limits.
I found this very unhelpful beyond the notion of mixed Dementia. The slide about making sure the patient has "what he needs,..." I though was ridiculous and addressed in a Clinical matter, when it's not clinical at all. Not criticizing the Dr, just the content. I have mixed dementia at 59, life long cardiac patient with an autoimmune disability. Telling someone to make sure patient is stimulated at home is a silly thought, as if you might have a Jar of Stimulation in the pantry. For me, finding the will to continue and how to plan the right time to Exit are most important things.
How long did your dad last from onset. My dad had stroke in 2015 and his condition progressed so fast that now he’s got difficulty moving and falls often, just last week he broke shoulder. He’s 79. And mom has to feed him and he’s saying how his days are numbered. Please I’m sorry for your loss
Dr. Chen, I think you have dementia - you aren't thinking clearly, you hem and haw around, you can't even tell us what the subject of your lecture is without looking at your screen
