In the earlier stages, memory loss and confusion may be mild. The person with dementia may be aware of — and frustrated by — the changes taking place, such as difficulty recalling recent events, making decisions or processing what was said by others.
Individuals with dementia may experience memory difficulties, issues with their ability to think, and trouble completing daily tasks. They may be aware of their symptoms in the early stages of dementia. However, a person may lose this awareness by the late stages of dementia.
Many dementia patients are not aware of their condition. Memory loss and a loss of cognitive abilities are fundamental symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, which makes it extremely difficult for sufferers to realize that they are having problems, or to understand their condition.
People with Alzheimer's disease (AD) demonstrate a range of alterations in consciousness. Changes in awareness of cognitive deficit, self-awareness, and introspection are seen early in AD, and dysfunction of awareness and arousal progresses with increasing disease severity.
Some people with advanced dementia may appear to be completely unresponsive, but in fact we don't know – they may or may not be aware of what is going on around them. And the person's awareness may fluctuate from day to day or from hour to hour, too.
Instead of lying to hurt or manipulate a person, which is bad, these are fibs used to validate, reassure, and comfort someone with memory loss. The first thing to realize is that telling someone with dementia the truth can be cruel and unkind, causing distress and pain rather than helping them.
Common symptoms of dementia include: confusion and needing help with daily tasks – such as shopping or paying bills. problems with language and understanding – including often being unable to find the right word, or having trouble following a conversation.
People with dementia often experience changes in their emotional responses. They may have less control over their feelings and how to express them. For example, someone may overreact to things, have rapid mood changes or feel irritable. They may also appear unusually distant or uninterested in things.
A number of case reports refer to an unexpected return of mental clarity in individuals with longstanding dementia or other neuropsychiatric conditions. It's been called “paradoxical lucidity” due to its puzzling nature, or “terminal lucidity” because it seems to occur at the end of life.
In stage 6 of dementia, a person may start forgetting the names of close loved ones and have little memory of recent events.
Administration: The examiner reads a list of 5 words at a rate of one per second, giving the following instructions: “This is a memory test. I am going to read a list of words that you will have to remember now and later on. Listen carefully. When I am through, tell me as many words as you can remember.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.
I'm going to discuss five of the most basic ones here: 1) Don't tell them they are wrong about something, 2) Don't argue with them, 3) Don't ask if they remember something, 4) Don't remind them that their spouse, parent or other loved one is dead, and 5) Don't bring up topics that may upset them.
Detailed case reports of 124 dementia patients who experienced an episode of paradoxical lucidity were received. In more than 80% of these cases, complete remission with return of memory, orientation, and responsive verbal ability was reported by observers of the lucid episode.
There is currently no "cure" for dementia. In fact, because dementia is caused by different diseases it is unlikely that there will be a single cure for dementia.
Those who suffer from dementia and other kinds of psychological or brain disorders frequently have a difficult time distinguishing between what is real and what is not. A fully functional brain is required to discern between reality and dream state.
One of the most common causes of death for people with dementia is pneumonia caused by an infection. A person in the later stages of dementia may have symptoms that suggest that they are close to death, but can sometimes live with these symptoms for many months.
Staring With 'Reduced Gaze' and Trouble Reading
“Reduced gaze” is the clinical term for the dementia symptom that alters people's ability to move their eyes normally. “We all move our eyes and track with them frequently,” says Rankin. But people showing early signs of dementia look like they're staring a lot.
The average life expectancy figures for the most common types of dementia are as follows: Alzheimer's disease – around eight to 10 years. Life expectancy is less if the person is diagnosed in their 80s or 90s. A few people with Alzheimer's live for longer, sometimes for 15 or even 20 years.
Providing the person doesn't appear to be uncomfortable or distressed, then sleeping more during the day isn't normally a reason to be worried. However, if a person is lying down in bed and asleep for most of the time they will need to be looked after to make sure they don't develop any physical health problems.
Dementia affects the way a person thinks, which can impact on their ability to respond appropriately or follow a conversation. This could be because they: do not understand what you have said.
People with dementia may find it hard to remember recent conversations and events, even in the early stages. Due to the damage that is causing the person's dementia, their brain may not have stored the information.
In many cases, the embarrassing behaviour can occur because the part of the brain that controls inhibitions has been damaged by their dementia. This means they have lost the ability to recognise social 'cues' or 'stoppers' to certain types of behaviour such as bad language, lewd comments or nudity.