It's common for a person living with dementia to wander or become lost or confused about their location, and it can happen at any stage of the disease. Six in 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once; many do so repeatedly.
Changes in behaviour tend to start from the middle stage of dementia. These changes are common and individual symptoms may come and go. Changes in behaviour are some of the most challenging symptoms for people with dementia and for those who support them.
Feeling lost
If a person with dementia is in unfamiliar surroundings, they might walk about because they feel lost. For example, when they move house, attend a new day centre or move into a care home. If the person's living environment has changed, try showing them familiar items such as photographs or furniture.
Overall, dementia symptoms can fluctuate for a number of reasons, including the underlying causes of dementia, the complexity of the brain, external factors, and individual coping strategies. Understanding these factors can help individuals and their caregivers to manage dementia better and support cognitive function.
Coping Strategy. "Don't stress. Recognize that some things may become more difficult for you to do. Try to accept that these changes are out of your control and focus on the things you can still do."
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.
There is no specific “angry stage” in dementia. However, pronounced mood, personality, and cognitive function changes often appear during the middle or moderate stage of dementia.
other long-term health problems – dementia tends to progress more quickly if the person is living with other conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, particularly if these are not well-managed.
Anxiety and depression can make symptoms of dementia worse — particularly symptoms that affect a person's attention, short-term memory, planning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Depression may also change behaviors, with patients becoming agitated and aggressive or experiencing problems sleeping and eating.
Wandering is a common response to overstimulation and overwhelming situations. Fear, agitation, and confusion commonly lead to dementia wandering outdoors or in public environments. Some emotional cues that can cause wandering include: Stress or fear.
In stage 6 of dementia, a person may start forgetting the names of close loved ones and have little memory of recent events.
For seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer's, living at home is often ideal because it provides them with benefits, like: Comfortability with their surroundings. Higher level of trust in caregivers.
People with dementia differ in the patterns of problems they have, and the speed with which their abilities deteriorate. A person with dementia's abilities may change from day to day, or even within the same day.
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.
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 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.
Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia.
Stay mentally and socially active. Engaging in mental or social activities may help to build up your brain's ability to cope with disease, relieve stress and improve your mood. This means doing these activities may help to delay, or even prevent, dementia from developing.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease causes a type of dementia that gets worse unusually fast. More common causes of dementia, such as Alzheimer's, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia, typically progress more slowly.
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.
People in the early stages of dementia may understand their diagnosis and its implications. However, it is important to note that dementia affects every person differently and that symptoms vary between people. In the later stages of dementia, individuals may not be aware of their condition.
If you aren't sure which stage of dementia you or your loved one are in right now, take an online Alzheimer's test. This can help pinpoint an individual's symptoms and stage.
Try gentle touching, soothing music, reading, or walks. Reduce noise, clutter, or the number of people in the room. Try to distract the person with a favorite snack, object, or activity. Limit the amount of caffeine the person drinks and eats.
Dementia stage 5: Moderately severe cognitive decline
At this point, a person may no longer be able to carry out normal activities of daily living (ADLs), such as dressing or bathing, or Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) without some caregiver assistance.