What are the Symptoms of Dementia?

For many people, dementia is a disease, but it is actually a series of symptoms that cause damage to the brain that is caused by different diseases. Alzheimer’s is one of the most well-known. The symptoms are different depending on the way that the brain is damaged.

Common early symptoms

One thing that anyone working in residential care in Wolverhampton can tell you is that dementia affects everyone a little differently. When you work in old age residential care and offer dementia care, you see first hand that each person with the symptoms is a little different. But there are some general symptoms that can appear before the condition manifests fully. These include:

• Loss of memory
• Trouble concentrating on things
• Difficulty carrying out common tasks such as getting the right money for shopping
• Losing track of a conversation or being unable to get the right word
• Confusion about time and place
• Mood changes

At the start, this is often termed as ‘mild cognitive impairment’ (MCI) and isn’t severe enough to be classed as dementia. In some people, that’s all that will happen and symptoms will not get worse. But for others, they can go on to develop more symptoms and this is where they may need more help.

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is a serious disease and has some very severe symptoms. People with the condition will often need more than just old age care – they may eventually need to live in residential care where trained professionals can help them. Specialists in mental health condition care say the most common symptoms include:

• Major memory problems such as forgetting names, faces and recent events
• Asking the same question over and over
• Inability to manage tasks that require planning and organisation
• Being unfamiliar with familiar surroundings
• Having problems with words, numbers or money
• Being withdrawn and anxious

Alzheimer’s is one of the most well-known diseases that cause dementia, but it isn’t the only one. There are others that each has their own symptoms including vascular dementia that has some stroke-like symptoms and Lewy Bodies which includes visual hallucination and sleep disturbance.

Later stages of dementia

Dementia doesn’t progress in everyone but for some in the later stages, the condition is severe enough to require physical disability care or sensory impairment care. People looking after a loved one will need respite care for them or may even have to look at long-term care options. Some of the symptoms include:

• Major memory problems such as forgetting family members or where they live
• Communication problems such as not being able to talk
• Mobility problems such as being less able to walk
• Behavioural problems such as agitation, depression, anxiety, aggression and even hallucinations
• Appetite problems including weight loss, trouble eating and swallowing

Conclusion

If you are noticing signs of dementia or MCI with a friend or family member, it is worth talking to a doctor to get a further diagnosis and see how best to manage the condition. While it is scary, not everyone moves through to Alzheimer’s or other severe conditions but either way it is worth knowing.