Dementia Research - FMP
- Hannah Couch
- Mar 10, 2018
- 2 min read
The main topic I'm covering in my Final Major Project is dementia. I have had lots of experience with it and seen first hand the horrible effects it has on people. Worldwide, approximately 50 million people have been diagnosed with dementia and around 10 million new cases occur each year [1]. However, there are no known treatments or a cure for this disease [2].
Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of different diseases, the most common is Alzheimer's disease, which can often cause problems with memory and other thinking skills which severely impacts a persons ability to perform everyday activities. Dementia symptoms are progressive, which means they start off slowly and hardly noticeable and gradually get worse. The main symptoms of dementia are:
Memory loss
Impaired communication and language
Inability to focus and pay attention
Lack of reasoning and judgment
Impaired visual perception [2]
Mood changes
Dementia sufferers often have problems with their short-term memory, for example, keeping track of a purse or wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing meals, washing and keeping up hygiene or remembering appointments or occasions [2]. Additionally, as the disease progresses and they no longer have any short term memory, they solely rely on their long term memory. This means they can forget the majority of their life and revert to a past memory of when they were a child.
The biggest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s is age. Most individuals with the disease are 65 and older. One in nine people in this age group and nearly one-third of people age 85 and older have Alzheimer’s.
I think this research will be beneficial to my project as I can develop my idea for the evil creature from these symptoms, I've also learnt a little bit more about dementia in general which will help my overall understanding of it and improve scene ideas. To improve on and add to this research I can also look at how dementia and other mental illnesses are portrayed in film.
Other research and influence sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HobxLbPhrMc
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