The Whitworths of Arizona, bringing science to you in everyday language.

Monday, October 16, 2017

Lewy Body Word of the Month for 10-16: Stress

When dealing with dementia, there is lots of stress. Each person has a stress threshold, the amount of stress they can handle without calling in the reserves. Any illness, including dementia, stresses the body which lowers this threshold.

The body gives managing stress overload high priority. When it overflows one's threshold, the body diverts resources from lower priority tasks, such as managing dementia symptoms, to deal with this overload.

Stressors are anything that causes physical, emotional, or environmental discomfort or distress.

You can often decrease dementia symptoms (or the symptoms of any disease) by decreasing their stressors.

For more information about Lewy body disorders, read our books:
A Caregivers’ Guide to Lewy Body Dementia
Managing Cognitive Issues in Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia

Helen and James Whitworth are not doctors, lawyers or social workers. As informed caregivers, they share the information here for educational purposes only. It should never be used instead of a professional's advice.

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