Guide to Lewy Body Dementia

Dementia isn’t one specific disease: it is a general term that encompasses a series of symptoms which affect a person living with the illness on a daily basis. Dementia affects a person’s memory, their critical thinking skills, their overall cognitive abilities, and even their personality.

Most people don’t know, however, that there are different types of Dementia. Knowing the nuances of each is important if someone you know has been diagnosed with a type of Dementia, as understanding different types of Dementia will allow you to better recognize what they are living with, allowing you to formulate a response plan that serves them effectively and accurately.

The four most common types of Dementia are Alzheimer’s, Vascular Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia and Lewy Body Dementia. At Integracare Home Care, our Caregivers receive up-to-date training on the different types of Dementia from the Alzheimer’s Society of Toronto. This is incredibly important and a fundamental part of compassionate Client care — it means that we can tailor our services to suit individuals based on their specific diagnoses.

Here, we will focus on one of the lesser-discussed types of Dementia, Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). LBD may also be known as Dementia with Lewy Bodies or Lewy Body disease. We’ll examine the reasons people develop LBD, its symptoms and the current treatment options that are available to people living with LBD.

What Is Lewy Body Dementia?

LBD is a type of Dementia that affects a person’s behaviour, mood, movement, and ability to think. The condition is often associated with hallucinations, a symptom that can start relatively early on. LBD is related to protein deposits in the brain. These deposits are called Lewy bodies and are made from the alpha-synuclein protein.

What Causes Lewy Body Dementia?

LBD is a progressive type of Dementia. It’s caused by the build-up of abnormal alpha-synuclein protein deposits (also known as Lewy bodies) that form in masses inside of the brain’s nerve cells. These protein masses block communication between brain cells and are what causes Lewy Body Dementia.

If these Lewy bodies first appear in the part of the brain responsible for mental responses, it is categorized as LBD.

If these proteins first present themselves in part of the brain that controls movement, a Parkinson’s Disease Dementia diagnosis may be given.

The build-up of alpha-synuclein proteins causes the depletion of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine and acetylcholine; this causes the physical and mental symptoms of LBD.

Dopamine Production Is Obstructed

The neurotransmitter dopamine helps the brain transmit messages that control our muscles and movement. For those living with Lewy Body Dementia, a mass of Lewy Bodies will obstruct the creation and transmission of dopamine, making physical movement challenging — causing tremors, shaking, muscle rigidity and stiffness.

Acetylcholine Production Is Impeded

The neurotransmitter acetylcholine operates in the part of the brain that is accountable for cognitive behaviours and responses. When alpha-synuclein protein deposits amass here, they disturb and impede acetylcholine production and transmission; this causes the trademark symptoms of Dementia, where those living with the illness experience challenges with thought, memory, and processing.

It’s presently not fully understood why these clumps of protein form. In some situations, LBD presents itself alongside Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease; this is known as ‘mixed Dementia.’

How and When Might Lewy Body Dementia Be Diagnosed?

While there are no current reasons or immediate answers for what causes Lewy Body Dementia in individuals, evidence suggests that some demographics are more prone to developing the disease.

Family History: If LBD or Parkinson’s disease runs in the family, individuals are at a greater risk of developing LBD.

Gender: Men are more likely than women to receive a diagnosis for this type of Dementia.

Age: People aged 60 and up are more at risk.

Other Diagnoses: Other health challenges may also be what causes Lewy Body Dementia to develop: People living with Parkinson’s disease or Rapid Eye Movement, also known as REM, and those with variants in the three genes APOE, SNCA and GBA may develop LBD.

Further ambiguity lies in the diagnosis of the illness. There is currently no single test to diagnose LBD. Instead, medical professionals proceed by ruling out other illnesses and diseases. Doctors might assess a person’s physical and neurological abilities by testing their gait, posture and the rigidity of their body and limbs. They will also test their mental abilities by conducting an MRI alongside physical and neuropsychological tests to formulate a diagnosis.

What Are the Symptoms of Lewy Body Dementia?

Despite being a common type of Dementia, LBD is often misdiagnosed in its early stages. Lewy Body Dementia symptoms are like those found in psychiatric illnesses, other types of brain disease, and as traits of Parkinson’s disease.

When it comes to symptoms, Lewy Body Dementia causes:

Cognitive Challenges

Persons with this type of Dementia may experience cognitive difficulties similar to those living with Alzheimer’s, such as confusion, memory loss, and a low attention span — which may lead to moments of exhaustion.

Physical Challenges

In its early stages, LBD can be misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s, as some of its indicators present the same way. Slowed movements, limb tremors, tense or rigid muscles and difficulties walking may arise.

Other physical symptoms may present themselves due to the nervous system being affected by LBD. This can affect a person’s blood pressure, causing irregular drops in pressure as the person stands — making them dizzy, sweat, and experience challenges with digestive and bladder processes, leading to bowel issues and urinary incontinence.

Distortion of Senses

One of the more distressing and recurring Lewy Body Dementia symptoms is sensory hallucination. Those with LBD might experience visual, olfactory, sound, or touch distortions and illusions, with visual hallucinations being the most commonly reported. This symptom is one of the reasons why this condition might be erroneously diagnosed as a psychiatric illness.

Disturbed and Erratic Sleep

Another of the Lewy Body Dementia symptoms is disturbed and distressing bedtimes if those living with the illness experience rapid eye movement (REM). REM is a sleep disorder that may make people thrash or lash out as they try to physically act out their dreams while sleeping.

Mental Health Challenges

Mental health might also be affected for those living with LBD. They may become apathetic, lacking motivation or seemingly indifferent to their surroundings, or depressed; depression is also categorized as another of the Lewy Body Dementia symptoms.

LBD varies from other forms of Dementia in three different ways:

• The sensory and hallucinogenic symptoms.
• The rigidity and stiffness of movements and lack of fluid motion.
• The varying degrees of mental capacity. People living with LBD might be alert and present for one minute, then quickly become confused.

The 7 Stages of Lewy Body Dementia

Once someone has received a diagnosis, it’s essential to understand the symptoms and how these symptoms progress throughout the stages of the illness.

As discussed, receiving an accurate LBD diagnosis in the early stages can be challenging due to its overlap with other diagnoses.

As with most illnesses, LBD symptoms vary between individuals, with the speed at which the illness advances varying based on a person’s general health, age, and the severity of their symptoms. These factors will also affect someone’s life expectancy with LBD. Medical professionals have classified 7 stages of Lewy Body dementia to help track the progression of the disease.

Stage 1: No Cognitive Decline

Symptoms are not noticeable at this time, and the disease may be undetectable. The conditions are present to progress, but at the moment, there is no cognitive decline.

Stage 2: Very Mild Cognitive Decline

The second of the Lewy Body Dementia stages is when symptoms first start to appear. A person may become more forgetful, forgetting things like people’s names. At this stage, it is very rare to receive a diagnosis, as the symptoms can be mistaken for simply aging.

Stage 3: Mild Cognitive Decline

Mild cognitive decline begins, including memory loss and a reduced ability to concentrate. This is one of the earlier Lewy Body Dementia stages where friends and family may begin to notice symptoms.

Stage 4: Moderate Cognitive Decline

As the disease progresses to moderate cognitive decline, daily activities become more difficult. This includes mental tasks like managing one’s finances or taking medications on time. This is the point at which most diagnoses are made.

Stage 5: Moderately Severe Cognitive Decline

Memory issues become more severe at this stage, and other people may find it more challenging to understand a Lewy Body Dementia patient. They may require help with tasks like cooking and meal preparation or shopping for groceries. They may forget things like addresses and phone numbers.

Stage 6: Severe Cognitive Decline

Severe cognitive decline entails significant memory loss and potentially losing the ability to speak. At this stage, personality changes may occur, and patients may only have access to early memories.

Stage 7: Very Severe Cognitive Decline

Finally, very severe cognitive decline can lead to the loss of the ability to communicate at all, as well as movement, such as walking. At this stage, extensive assistance is required from a Live-in Caregiver.

At Integracare Home Care, we highly recommend seeking assistance from professional Caregivers as soon as a Lewy Body Dementia diagnosis has been made; doing so allows the person living with the illness (and their loved ones) to understand the diagnosis and the treatment options that are available to them.

We offer compassionate, dignified in-home care for Clients living with Dementia in the GTA. Our dependable Caregivers understand the intricacies of caring for those with Dementia. Further, having a trained eye monitoring symptoms of Dementia will help loved ones navigate the stages of the illness as they arise, pivoting and adapting our personalized care to fulfill your loved one’s needs every step of the way.

Lewy Body Dementia Life Expectancy

The average Lewy Body Dementia life expectancy spans between five to eight years following a diagnosis. This is shorter than other types of Dementia, but it may be the result of lack of knowledge about LBD among health care providers leading to a delay in diagnosis. This is just an average, and some individuals can expect a life expectancy with Lewy Body Dementia from two to 20 years.

Treatment Options in Addition to Medication for Lewy Body Dementia

For Lewy Body Dementia patients — as with other types of Dementia — there is currently no cure. However, some treatments can help alleviate symptoms and slow the advancement of the illness.

In addition to pharmaceutical medication, physical and occupational therapies — which we proudly offer at Integracare Home Care in Toronto — can help alleviate physical symptoms, giving relief and comfort to those when they need it most.

Massage Therapy

Massage therapy from a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) is an effective Lewy Body Dementia treatment.

Physically: Massage therapy can help reduce the pain and rigidity in the joints and limbs that come with LBD.

Mentally: A specialized massage from an RMT can help calm an agitated individual while reducing feelings of anxiety and stress and improving their quality of sleep.

Emotionally: A gentle massage can help Clients receive a compassionate, human touch, which has much restorative value, especially if one is suffering.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy may also be administered as treatment in lieu of, or in addition to, medication. Physiotherapy has been shown to help those experiencing balance issues (common with LBD), gait challenges and Parkinson’s symptoms.

With physiotherapy, therapists will help facilitate a range of motion in the limbs, which helps our Clients retain a wider range of movement — and the consequential independence it provides — for as long as possible.

Reducing the Risk of Developing Lewy Body Dementia

While LBD can develop based on your age, family history or other medical conditions, there are some measures that people can take which can go towards reducing the risk of Dementia.

• Regular Physical Exercise: Frequent gentle exercise can improve mental cognition, muscle and bone strength, quality of sleep, and overall body condition.
• Regular Mental Exercise: Numerous studies have shown that completing mental exercises daily — like trivia, crosswords, Sudoku and Rubik cubes — can reduce cognitive decline and boost cognitive ability.
• A Healthy and Balanced Diet: A nutrient-rich and balanced diet that has managed sugar and salt levels may not only minimize the potential of developing Dementia, but it can also reduce an individual’s potential for developing diabetes, having a stroke (which may lead to Dementia) and other debilitating illnesses.

Talk to Us About In-Home Dementia Care

If a loved one or you have received a Lewy Body Dementia diagnosis — or another Dementia diagnosis — email or call us or fill in the Free Assessment Form on our website, and we can schedule an in-home assessment.

Shouldering the weight of caring for those living with LBD alone can be emotionally and physically tiring. We offer tailored at-home healthcare across Toronto and Mississauga, and in addition to massage and in-home physiotherapy services, we offer live-in and in-home Dementia Care. Our home care adapts to each individual Client as their symptoms progress, and our compassionate, highly qualified team is supervised around the clock by Registered Nurses.

Whatever the diagnosis, it is possible for Seniors living with Dementia to live a comfortable, dignified life from the secure comfort of their own homes.