December 21, 2009A program on Lewy Body Dementia was presented by our guest speaker, Barbara Hutchinson. Barbara has spent the last few years traveling across America informing people about Lewy Body Dementia. She had hands on experience with her own husband when he developed this progressive brain disease. LBD is the second most common cause of neurodegenerative dementia in the elderly after Alzheimer's Disease. Barbara spoke about this disease while showing film of her own husband and his progress through the disease prior to his death.
Some of the signs and symptoms of LBD are progressive memory loss, changes in mood and behavior, disorientation regarding times and places, difficulty with language and tasks. Physical symptoms include muscle stiffness and rigidity, balance difficulties and shuffling gait, repeated falls, delusions, sleep disturbances, vivid dreams and nightmares. There are drugs that are often prescribed to help with the symptoms, but may cause worsening of the symptoms.
For more information contact Barbara at bbhutch44@yahoo.com or look up the Lewy Body Dementia Association at lbda.org. Barbara's phone is 252-269-9748.
