While multiple senses decline, the sense of smell (olfaction) is often the first and most significantly affected by dementia, acting as an early indicator because the olfactory bulb directly connects to memory centers like the hippocampus, which are damaged in diseases like Alzheimer's, leading to an inability to detect smells and changes in taste, with hearing, vision, and touch also impacted later.
Many people with dementia will have some kind of sensory impairment, such as sight loss, hearing loss, or both. This can cause them more difficulties with their communication. However, there is still a lot you can do to understand each other.
The sense of smell is closely linked with memory, possibly more so than any of our other senses, and declining smell sensitivity can foreshadow dementia.
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.
The cause of roughly 70% of all dementia cases is Alzheimer's disease, a progressive brain disorder characterized by the buildup of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, leading to memory loss and impaired thinking that interferes with daily life, making it the most common form of dementia.
Common changes in behaviour
The "2-finger test" for dementia involves an examiner showing a hand gesture (like interlocking index and middle fingers) and asking the patient to copy it, testing motor skills, visual memory, and coordination, as difficulties can signal early cognitive decline, but it's a screening tool, not a definitive diagnosis, prompting further medical evaluation. Other related tests include finger-tapping and finger-to-nose, looking for hesitation or misjudgment in movement.
As Alzheimer's disease progresses, it can lead to significant changes in eating habits, including appetite loss and a behavior known as “pocketing,” where food is held in the mouth without swallowing.
Although the early signs vary, common early symptoms of dementia include: memory problems, particularly remembering recent events. increasing confusion.
Memory loss affects everyone differently but many people with dementia experience some of the following:
Reduce your risk of dementia
The three most commonly prescribed dementia medications are typically Donepezil, Rivastigmine, and Galantamine, all cholinesterase inhibitors that boost acetylcholine for memory, with Donepezil often being the most prescribed. Memantine, which regulates glutamate, is also very common, often used with or for moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's.
Tests of the sense of smell could help identify people who are developing Alzheimer's at an earlier stage. Munich/Germany, August 15, 2025. A fading sense of smell can be one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease even before cognitive impairments manifest.
Two-thirds of clinically diagnosed cases of dementia and AD are women, according to U.S. [1] and most European reports. The primary reason offered for this gender difference is women's greater longevity [2], as risk of developing dementia increases with age.
It includes the amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus and thalamus. Damage to the limbic system is common in most forms of dementia. It may change the way a person feels or would normally react to things. A person may feel more excited, anxious, sad or apathetic than before they developed dementia.
Changes in posture and balance, sometimes called dementia posturing, can be caused by brain damage in people with dementia rather than normal aging.
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.
Poop. Pee. Pain.
The SAGE test is a short, self-administered evaluation that screens for early signs of memory or thinking problems like dementia. You take it on your own, at home or at your provider's office. It's simple and there's no studying needed. It can catch issues early.
Age. 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.
Symptoms
Weird Things Dementia Patients Do: Strange Behaviors, Odd Symptoms, And Tips. Dementia can manifest in unexpected and often unsettling ways. From hoarding and wandering to aggression and hallucinations, these behaviors can be distressing for both the individual and their caregivers.
Sleep changes in Alzheimer's may include: Difficulty sleeping. Many people with Alzheimer's wake up more often and stay awake longer during the night. Brain wave studies show decreases in both dreaming and non-dreaming sleep stages.
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