It is a state in which various brain disorders continue to interfere with daily life.
There are several types of dementia, but the four main types are:

• Alzheimer's dementia
  Abnormal proteins such as "β-amyloid" and "tau protein" accumulate in nerve cells, mainly in the cerebral cortical association area and hippocampus region, causing the nerve cells to die and develop.
  From a relatively early stage, in addition to memory impairment and disorientation, anxiety, depression, and delusions may appear. Alzheimer's dementia accounts for approximately 60% of dementia.
• Dementia with Lewy bodies
  Abnormal protein masses called "Lewy bodies" are found in the nerve cells of the brain, and are associated with Parkinson's symptoms such as trembling limbs and short walks, as well as "visual hallucinations" in which people or objects that do not actually exist can be seen. , characterized by large variations in symptoms. Lewy body dementia accounts for about 10% of dementia.
• frontotemporal dementia
  Because the prefrontal cortex, which plays the role of the control tower, is impaired, it becomes difficult to control emotions, and there are characteristics that make it easy for people to act like they are going their own way.
• Vascular dementia
  Cerebral infarction (blockage of blood vessels in the brain), cerebral hemorrhage (cerebral hemorrhage), cerebral arteriosclerosis, etc., prevent nutrients and oxygen from reaching nerve cells, causing death of nerve cells and damage to the nerve network. This can lead to decreased motivation and inability to perform complex tasks. Symptoms vary depending on where the brain is damaged. Cerebrovascular dementia accounts for about 20% of dementia.

The symptoms of dementia are not uniform, depending on the original personality and what the person is good at or not good at.
Signs are that you can no longer do things you used to be able to do, or that things have changed.
Dementia is a familiar disease that can affect anyone.

Advantages of early detection and appropriate response

It is an erroneous idea to think that "dementia is a disease that cannot be cured anyway, so there is no point in going to a medical institution".

1. Depending on the cause of onset, it may be cured if treatment is started at an early stage.
2. Appropriate measures can be expected to alleviate symptoms and delay progression.
3. You will have plenty of time to prepare for your future life and discuss what-ifs.

Let's do the "Dementia Awareness Checklist"

"Are you forgetting things?" A family member or someone close to you can check it for you.
It is distributed at the Otoshiyori Health and Welfare Center (Regional Comprehensive Support Center) in the ward.

• Dementia awareness checklist (PDF 2.4MB)

From the link below, you can try the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Dementia Awareness Checklist" (web version). (With automatic score calculation). It's a simple check with just 10 questions to answer.

• Self-awareness checklist for dementia (Tokyo Dementia Navi) (External link)

If you are concerned about the results of the check

See the items below.

• I want to talk about dementia and forgetfulness