Yes, people with dementia very commonly feel sad, often experiencing depression due to the disease's impact, loss of abilities, social isolation, and the stress of diagnosis, leading to symptoms like loss of interest, low energy, and hopelessness, which can manifest as increased confusion, agitation, or tearfulness. While these feelings are real, they can be hard to spot as they overlap with dementia symptoms, but treating depression significantly improves quality of life.
Dementia can cause intense emotional outbursts in older adults, and you may find your loved one screaming, yelling, and crying inconsolably for long periods. Screaming and crying in dementia patients can be a disheartening and disturbing experience for both the patient and caregiver.
Never argue, correct, or overwhelm your loved one with dementia; instead, avoid telling them they are wrong, don't bring up upsetting topics like the death of loved ones, and don't treat them like a child or talk down to them, focusing instead on validation and gentle redirection to maintain their dignity and reduce anxiety.
Treating depression in a person with dementia
When someone gets the diagnosis of dementia, a cure is only very rarely possible (see p2 About Reversible Dementias). In the current issue of Neurology, Sacks and Shulman1 report one of these rare cases of a reversal of dementia involving a patient on steroid medication.
You can live with dementia for an average of 4 to 10 years after diagnosis, but this varies significantly, with some people living 20 years or more, depending on age, overall health, and dementia type, with Alzheimer's averaging 8-10 years and vascular dementia closer to 5 years. Factors like diagnosis stage, age, gender, other health conditions (e.g., heart disease, frailty), and dementia subtype greatly influence life expectancy, with people often succumbing to infections or complications rather than the disease itself.
Seroquel is the brand name for quetiapine, an atypical antipsychotic that is used off-label to treat severe behavioral signs of dementia. It can help with bad symptoms, including agitation, aggressiveness, and hallucinations, that other drugs don't help with.
Depression is very common among people living with Alzheimer's, especially during the early and middle stages.
Most people who have dementia continue to be interested in the same things they were interested in before their diagnosis. The way they express their interests may be different, and they may not be able to remember as much. But they likely think about the same things they did before they were diagnosed.
Find out what may be causing the agitation, and try to understand. Provide reassurance. Use calming phrases such as: "You're safe here;" "I'm sorry that you are upset;" and "I will stay until you feel better." Let the person know you are there. Involve the person in activities.
The most common cause of death among Alzheimer's patients is aspiration pneumonia. This happens when, due to difficulty in swallowing caused by the disease, an individual inadvertently inhales food particles, liquid, or even gastric fluids.
Remaining at home but with extra support can be a good option for some people with dementia. It allows them to stay in a place that feels familiar and safe to them. It is important to make sure that the person can remain safe and well and get the support they need at home.
If you have a close family friend or a family member who has dementia and not wanting to be alone, that is an important sign for you that they need extra care. Of course, being left alone means that there are some important dangers of living alone with dementia which should ultimately be avoided as far as possible.
Signs of late-stage dementia
Though the capacity for happiness may continue in AD, studies suggest the experience of happiness eludes many. Prevalence rates of major depression range from 5% to 40%, adding to the suffering, disability and functional impairment of people with dementia.
Donepezil (also known as Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon) and galantamine (Reminyl) are used to treat the symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Donepezil is also used to treat more severe Alzheimer's disease.
Playing music, having objects to touch and interact with, and hand massage can all help people with dementia in the later stages.
Life expectancy with dementia varies greatly but averages a few years to over a decade, often 4 to 8 years for Alzheimer's, depending heavily on age at diagnosis (younger means longer), type (Alzheimer's generally longer than Vascular), and other health conditions, with newer research showing averages like 5.1 years for women and 4.3 for men from diagnosis, but with wide ranges from shorter for older adults to longer for some.
Scientists have proposed several hypotheses: One is that, as neurons begin to deteriorate, areas of the brain associated with mood are affected. Another idea is that as people with mild dementia notice their minds aren't as sharp as they once were, they may respond by becoming depressed.
You Miss Out on Sleep
You do a few things you know you shouldn't -- we all do. But some of those bad habits can take a toll on your brain. For example, lack of sleep may be a cause of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. It's best to have regular sleeping hours.
Rapidly progressive dementias (RPDs) are dementias that progress quickly, typically over the course of weeks to months, but sometimes up to two to three years. RPDs are rare and often difficult to diagnose. Early and accurate diagnosis is very important because many causes of RPDs can be treated.
Smoking, low physical activity, and a poor diet are all lifestyle and environmental influences that have been linked to rapid dementia decline. Physical activity promotes cardiovascular health, which in turn improves brain function. Those who lead a sedentary lifestyle may experience faster cognitive decline.
Donanemab, like lecanemab, is a type of drug called a monoclonal antibody. Antibodies form part of our immune system and bind to harmful proteins to destroy them. Donanemab contains antibodies that bind to a protein called amyloid, which builds up in the brain in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Create a Life Story
Try to think of things to do that might engage or evoke memories for the person with dementia. For example, you could build a scrapbook together using photos of their favourite memories. You could create a Life story book with the person with dementia.