Dementia Care- Not all forms of Dementia are Permanent

When the doctor tell you that your mom, dad, or spouse has dementia, what is your first response? Grief, sadness, loss, then comes the questions of why, how could this happen, How long has this been going on, was I in denial, or when did this begin? I have heard all those questions from relatives or friends of people newly diagnosed with Dementia. A series of questions and reactions tend to be the general responses to the diagnosis of Dementia.
When I have my encounters with families of a patient with dementia, I usually ask, What type of dementia does your mom, or dad have? The answer may be Alzheimer, or "I don't know".  Then the conversation may continue like this, "Well, why don't you know?", "because I never asked". A lot of time people never ask the doctor for further clarification regarding a diagnosis of Dementia.
Dementia is a broad name to classify a series of disorders that affect the brain causing a person to have cognitive problems. So when a doctor says someone has dementia, you need to ask for specifics, such as-What type of dementia, and depending on the type of dementia this will determine if the disease process is reversible or not.
Yes, there are a few forms of dementia that are reversible. They are but not limited to: Dementia caused by anesthesia, dementia caused by poor nutrition, depression, dehydration,infections, or circulatory disorders. And the list goes on. The non-reversible dementia's are usually Alzheimer's disease, Vascular dementia, Picks disease, Lewy Body disease, Huntington disease, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
So, if a doctor tells you that your family member or friend has dementia. Ask him or her what type, and is it reversible or not. Ask if specific tests will be conducted to determine the type. If the dementia is reversible ask what steps the doctor and family need to take to ensure a great recovery, and how long would it take to see some progress towards the recovery. Usually post-operatively it may take a person 30-60 days to fully recover cognitively from anesthesia.