Dementia wipes out body and mind

SHOOT: I can't think of a more frightening way to check out of this world, not only for the victim, but for those close to the victim.

clipped from www.nytimes.com Dementia is often viewed as a disease of the mind, an illness that erases treasured memories but leaves the body intact. But dementia is a physical illness, too — a progressive, terminal disease that shuts down the body as it attacks the brain. Although the early stages can last for years, the life expectancy of a patient with advanced dementia is similar to that of a patient with advanced cancer. “You can go to an intensive-care unit in most places,” said Dr. Greg A. Sachs, chief of general internal medicine and geriatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, “and you’ll find people with dementia getting very aggressive treatment.” Advanced dementia patients are particularly prone to infections because of incontinence, risk of bedsores, a depressed immune response and inability to report symptoms.