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.
But dementia can take away so much more than memory. Although a person's own experience of living with dementia varies, as does their needs for care and support, common everyday challenges for people with dementia include washing, getting dressed, eating and bathing. Dementia is a progressive condition.
It has an emotional, social and psychological impact on the individual. It causes confusion which can make individuals upset and angry. It changes the relationships that individuals have with family and friends and many are frustrated at having to ask for help and losing their independence.
Dementia is a progressive illness that, over time, will affect a person's ability to remember and understand basic everyday facts, such as names, dates and places. Dementia will gradually affect the way a person communicates. Their ability to present rational ideas and to reason clearly will change.
About dementia
Disorders grouped under the general term “dementia” are caused by abnormal brain changes. These changes trigger a decline in thinking skills, also known as cognitive abilities, severe enough to impair daily life and independent function. They also affect behavior, feelings and relationships.
Dementia has physical, psychological, social and economic impacts, not only for people living with dementia, but also for their carers, families and society at large. There is often a lack of awareness and understanding of dementia, resulting in stigmatization and barriers to diagnosis and care.
Younger people with dementia experience a range of challenges, which are often different to those that older people face. Younger people are less likely to experience memory loss as one of their early symptoms and may experience problems with behaviour, vision or language first.
The person's behaviour changes
One of the most difficult aspects of dementia is often when people start to behave in ways that others find hard to understand. This can be very challenging both for the person with the condition and for you as someone caring for them.
Dementia has an impact on skills, function and independence. Your loved one may have had an important job, responsibilities and a vital role within the family, losing these can shatter confidence and self-esteem. Aim to preserve a sense of purpose in their lives. Ask them to help you, so that they still feel needed.
The family member with dementia usually becomes the family's centre of attention. A Energy is focused on this person. This can lead to other family members, including spouses or other children, feeling neglected. They may become resentful because they feel they are not getting the attention they need.
As the disease progresses, individuals with dementia become more dependent on others for assistance with daily activities. Ultimately, in advanced dementia, people with the disease need assistance with basic tasks, such as eating.
Providing care for a loved one with dementia can be time-consuming, stressful, and costly, and may lead to caregiver burnout and other negative outcomes. At the community level, dementia can have significant economic impacts.
Dementia can have a very big effect on the person affected. They may fear their loss of memory and thinking skills, but they also fear the loss of who they are. They may also find they do not understand what's going on or why they feel they're not in control of what's happening around them or to them.
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.
Along with problems with memory, language, and decision-making abilities, dementia can cause other symptoms. These include changes in mood, such as increased irritability, depression, and anxiety. They also include changes in personality and behavior.
While everyone loses some neurons as they age, people with dementia experience far greater loss. The signs and symptoms can vary depending on the type and may include: Experiencing memory loss, poor judgment, and confusion. Difficulty speaking, understanding and expressing thoughts, or reading and writing.
Background. People with dementia describe experiences of loss that threaten their autonomy and ability to contribute to society. They often have difficulties with orientation, loss of roll function, and fear about the future, and need help from others.
What are the benefits of person-centred care? Person-centred care helps to ensure people with dementia can take part in the things they enjoy. It can be an effective way of preventing and managing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.
Helping a person with dementia have a social life
People with a dementia should continue to enjoy their hobbies and interests as much as possible. You can offer support by: including them in social activities and events. encouraging them to join a conversation.
As Alzheimer's worsens, people experience greater memory loss and other cognitive difficulties. Problems can include wandering and getting lost, trouble handling money and paying bills, repeating questions, taking longer to complete normal daily tasks, and personality and behavior changes.
A soothing, calming atmosphere is helpful for everybody. For a person with dementia, it can minimise confusion and help them to concentrate and rest. Ideally, the environment should also bring back happy memories.
The environmental factors that have been discovered to increase the risk of dementia include air pollution, lack of vitamin D and exposure to some types of pesticides.
We all feel our moods change from time to time. People living with dementia, however, can experience an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical or physical life. They may become depressed or withdrawn and lose interest in activities they used to enjoy.