Common personality and behavior changes you may see include: Getting upset, worried, and angry more easily. Acting depressed or not interested in things. Hiding things or believing other people are hiding things.
This is known as sundowning and these behaviour changes can become worse after a move or a change in routine. The person with dementia may become more demanding, restless, upset, suspicious, disoriented and even see, hear or believe things that aren't real, especially at night.
In the early stages of Alzheimer's disease patients may experience behavior and personality changes such as increased irritability, anxiety and depression. Often times these changes are the motive why families decide to seek out medical help.
increased agitation. aggression (shouting or screaming, verbal abuse, and sometimes physical abuse) delusions (unusual beliefs not based on reality) hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that do not exist)
In the combined data sets, the scientists found more amyloid and tau deposits in participants who scored higher in neuroticism and lower in conscientiousness.
Dr. Petersen says, “Many times, when people develop Alzheimer's disease, their personality traits sort of become exaggerated. So if they're a genuinely nice person and have been quite affable throughout most of their life, that continues into the disease process.”
memory loss. difficulty concentrating. finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping. struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word.
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.
Aggression is one of a number of behaviours – often called 'behaviours that challenge' – that can result from dementia. These behaviours can be just as challenging for the person as for those supporting them. Others include agitation and restlessness, walking about, and being sexually inappropriate.
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.
Behavioral disturbances in dementia are often globally described as “agitation” including verbal and physical aggression, wandering, and hoarding. These symptoms create patient and caregiver distress, and lead to nursing home placement.
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.
When looking at individual symptoms in dementia patients, the most prevalent BPSD are apathy, depression, irritability, agitation and anxiety, while the rarest are euphoria, hallucinations, and disinhibition.
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.
There is no way to be sure how quickly a person's dementia will progress. Some people with dementia will need support very soon after their diagnosis. In contrast, others will stay independent for several years.
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 disease
Alzheimer's often develops gradually and may be the slowest of all types to progress.
The main sign of mild cognitive impairment is a slight decline in mental abilities. Examples include: Memory loss: You may forget recent events or repeat the same questions and stories. You may occasionally forget the names of friends and family members or forget appointments or planned events.
The Mini-Cog© is a fast and simple screening test to help detect dementia in its early stages. In just 3 minutes, Mini-Cog© can help doctors and other professional care providers identify possible cognitive impairment in older patients.
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a tool that helps healthcare professionals detect mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease in people. A 2021 study found that it is a better measure of cognitive function than the MMSE. It consists of 30 questions that take 10–12 minutes to accomplish.
Age. Age is the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's, as it is for most types of dementia. This means that a person is more likely to get Alzheimer's as they get older. Above the age of 65, a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's doubles about every five years.
Memory problems
Difficulties with memory are the most well-known first signs of dementia. For example, a person may not recall recent events or may keep losing items (such as keys and glasses) around the house. Memory loss is often the first and main symptom in early Alzheimer's disease.