Gazhekwe:
Hearing the word, “dementia,” sends chills of sinister implications down the spines of
many people.
Peggy and I live in an “over fifties” Manufactured Home Park . 500 Homes. Heck of a
nice Park. We knew/know most of the occupants by name and sight.
Many of us use the word, dementia, simply as a generic reference, on a scale of one to ten. For
instance:
You are a number ‘one’ if you walk out of your house and forget your car keys.
You are a number two if you forget your keys and the house door closes and locks behind
you.
You are a three if you forget your keys, let the door lock, and forget where you parked
your car.
You’re a four if you do the above and then run into your next door neighbor and he tells
you he will take you to your car. He then takes you to his other neighbor’s car.
You’re a five if both of you decide to walk back home but neither of you know what
street you live on.
That may sound corny, but trust me. There is a ‘kernel’ or two of truth in it.
Seriously. Primary or True Dementia’s result from diseases. Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s,
Pick’s, Huntington’s, Creutzfeldt-Jacob’s are some of the disease’s.
Secondary Dementia’s can result from a host of physical conditions. Everything from
Alcoholism, Depression, Poor Nutrition, to.........ta da! Brain Tumor.
I know something about those last two scary words. “Brain tumor.”
More on that in my next post.