While Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, there are also other common types such as vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia and Frontotemporal dementia. There are also rarer types of dementia that are caused by other diseases and conditions.
Overview of disease progression
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.
Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease patients have plaques and tangles in their brains.
The symptoms of BPSD can include: increased agitation. aggression (shouting or screaming, verbal abuse, and sometimes physical abuse)
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.
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's often develops gradually and may be the slowest of all types to progress.
A person with dementia's abilities may change from day to day, or even within the same day. What is certain though is that the person's abilities will deteriorate; this may happen rapidly in a period of a few months or slowly over a number of years.
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.
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 people affected by dementia are concerned that they may inherit or pass on dementia. The majority of dementia is not inherited by children and grandchildren. In rarer types of dementia there may be a strong genetic link, but these are only a tiny proportion of overall cases of dementia.
While Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, there are other types as well.
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.
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.
other long-term health problems – dementia tends to progress more quickly if the person is living with other conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, particularly if these are not well-managed.
Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia and is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. (Source: Alz.org) This brain disorder is an irreversible, progresses slowly and continually gets worse by destroying memory and thinking skills.
Sudden changes in awareness, thinking, mobility, or personality could be due to delirium, stroke, or simply a change in routine that has caused distress. Because some of these potential causes require immediate treatment, it is important to consult a doctor if a person's dementia symptoms suddenly get worse.
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's been estimated that one in three cases of dementia is preventable. You can't do anything right now to stop or reverse the underlying mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease, but you can do something about hypertension and vascular disease risk factors.
Ice cream brings people with dementia to happier, warmer times when the treat was shared with friends and loved ones at special, joyous occa- sions. Ice cream has the power to immediately elicit soothing feelings at the very first taste of a single spoon-full.
Dementia stage 5: Moderately severe cognitive decline
At this point, a person may no longer be able to carry out normal activities of daily living (ADLs), such as dressing or bathing, or Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) without some caregiver assistance.
People in the early stages of dementia may understand their diagnosis and its implications. However, it is important to note that dementia affects every person differently and that symptoms vary between people. In the later stages of dementia, individuals may not be aware of their condition.