Although this sounds like The Oxymoron of All Time, it is actually a widely observed phenomenon, where the person with dementia tends to have a pleasant demeanor, being easygoing, sunny, even cheerful. Particularly when the person used to be more demanding, prickly, or anxious, this can be a welcome change.
Pleasant Dementia is a well-recognised phenomenon. Anecdotally, of course, we've all heard about people with dementia who remain generally placid. Whilst this definitely wasn't true of my mother who had vascular dementia and was often tormented by fear and confusion, it was true of her sister.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition in which people have more memory or thinking problems than other people their age. The symptoms of MCI are not as severe as those of Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. People with MCI can usually take care of themselves and carry out their normal daily activities.
SPECAL sense begins with three Golden Rules: Don't ask direct questions. Listen to the expert – the person with dementia – and learn from them. Don't contradict.
The 7 'A's of Dementia, or anosognosia, amnesia, aphasia, agnosia, apraxia, altered perception and apathy, represent changes that can happen in dementia patients because of damage to their brain(opens in a new tab).
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.
Dementia describes a variety of brain disorders, and the 8 A's of dementia refer to a group of symptoms that commonly appear in individuals with dementia. The 8 A's consist of: anosognosia, agnosia, aphasia, apraxia, altered perception, amnesia, apathy and attentional deficits.
Introduction: The five-word test (5WT) is a serial verbal memory test with semantic cuing. It is proposed to rapidly evaluate memory of aging people and has previously shown its sensitivity and its specificity in identifying patients with AD.
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.
It is important to note that dementia progresses at different speeds for every person, and for different types of dementia. The most well-known form of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, is just one specific type of dementia, and tends to have the slowest progression of all types.
Stage 1: Normal functioning with no noticeable decline. Stage 2: The person may feel like they are experiencing some decline. Stage 3: Early disease which may show effects in demanding situations. Stage 4: Mild disease, in which the person requires some assistance with complicated tasks.
Signs and symptoms of mild dementia include memory loss, confusion about the location of familiar places, taking longer than usual to accomplish normal daily tasks, trouble handling money and paying bills, poor judgment leading to bad decisions, loss of spontaneity and sense of initiative, mood and personality changes, ...
In the early stages of dementia, individuals may be aware of their symptoms and condition. They may receive an early diagnosis that helps them and their loved ones prepare for the future. A dementia diagnosis can be challenging for an individual and their loved ones.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be an early stage of the disease continuum for Alzheimer's if the hallmark changes in the brain are present. However, not all people with MCI develop dementia. The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease worsen over time, although the rate at which the disease progresses varies.
Mild Dementia – Memory loss is moderate, especially for recent events, and interferes with daily activities. The average duration is 2 years. Moderate Dementia – More profound memory loss, generally retaining highly learned material. The average duration is between 2 and 4 years.
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.
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. Through a process scientists don't yet understand, misfolded prion protein destroys brain cells.
The biggest risk factor for dementia is ageing. This means as a person gets older, their risk of developing dementia increases a lot. For people aged between 65 and 69, around 2 in every 100 people have dementia.
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.
Introduction: The five-word test (5WT) is a serial verbal memory test with semantic cuing. It is proposed to rapidly evaluate memory of aging people and has previously shown its sensitivity and its specificity in identifying patients with AD.
Don't correct, contradict, blame or insist. Reminders are rarely kind. They tell a person how disabled they are – over and over again. People living with dementia say and do normal things for someone with memory impairment.
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. Vascular dementia – around five years.
Change in routine
People with dementia often rely on their routines as a source of comfort. A daily routine helps a person know what to expect. This means that a sudden disruption in routine may cause dementia symptoms to get worse. This is especially true if a person experiences stress.