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 person with dementia can feel confused. When they get something wrong they may feel annoyed and angry. They might feel upset with other people too. They may not know they are upset and can't descibe why they feel like that.
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.
Pain is one of the most common symptoms that people with dementia experience. However, often it is poorly recognised and undertreated in dementia. The main reason for this is that, as dementia progresses, the person's ability to communicate their needs becomes more difficult. Pain is what the person says hurts.
In some cases, the short answer is no, they're not aware they have dementia or Alzheimer's. Cognitive impairment can cause people with Alzheimer's, dementia, stroke, brain tumors, and other types of damage in the brain to believe that there's nothing wrong.
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.
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.
Signs of the final stages of dementia include some of the following: Being unable to move around on one's own. Being unable to speak or make oneself understood. Eating problems such as difficulty swallowing.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Often when a person with dementia asks to go home it refers to the sense of 'home' rather than home itself. 'Home' may represent memories of a time or place that was comfortable and secure and where they felt relaxed and happier. It could also be an indefinable place that may not physically exist.
In the middle stage of dementia, symptoms become more noticeable and the person will need more support in managing daily life. This stage of dementia is often the longest. On average it lasts about two to four years.
Tiredness and concentration – tiredness can cause people with dementia to not eat or give up partway through a meal. It can also lead to other difficulties such as problems with concentration or with co-ordination. People with dementia may have difficulties focusing on a meal all the way through.
If the person's mental abilities or behaviour changes suddenly over a day or two, they may have developed a separate health problem. For example, a sudden deterioration or change may be a sign that an infection has led to delirium. Or it may suggest that someone has had a stroke.
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.
Loud noises, overactive environments, physical clutter, large crowds, or being surrounded by unknown people are common factors in patients feeling overwhelmed. In this case, environment and emotional factors go hand in hand.
Confusion is one of the leading causes of anger and aggression in people with Alzheimer's and dementia. Confusion can arise from a lost train of thought, going to a new place, meeting new people, mixed-up memories, too many choices, or a sudden change in the environment, such as a shift from one caregiver to another.
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.