What is dementia?
Dementia is a term that describes a decline or a fall in cognitive ability. To be diagnosed, the affected individual must be mentally impaired in at least 2 brain functions. This condition affects the following functions:
Many people mistake
What is dementia?
Dementia is a term that describes a decline or a fall in cognitive ability. To be diagnosed, the affected individual must be mentally impaired in at least 2 brain functions. This condition affects the following functions:
Many people mistake dementia for a disease. No, it is not. Dementia may be caused by many injuries or illnesses. The status of a mentally impaired person may range from mild to severe. Dementia also causes changes in an individual’s personality. Some forms of dementia are progressive. What this means is that they worsen over time. Do you know that some forms of dementia can be treated or even reversed? Yes! A certain school of thought reserves the term dementia for irreversible deterioration of mental function.
What are the symptoms?
During the early stages of dementia, the patient may experience the following symptoms:
- Inability to cope with change: The patient may find it difficult to accept environmental or schedule changes.
- Subtle alterations in short-term memory: The patient can recall events that took place long ago, but cannot remember recent events.
- Inability to reach for the right words: There’s difficulty in word association or word recollection.
- The constant act of repetitiveness: patients that suffer dementia may repeat the same questions over and over again, perform the same task, and repeat the same story many times.
- Poor sense of direction: The patient fails to recognize “familiar” places. He or she may also find it hard to identify or recognize driving routes that he or she has used for years because it now looks very strange.
- Difficulty in following storylines: It becomes difficult for the patient to follow a story or description.
- Frequent mood changes: Frustration, depression, anger, are common in demented patients.
- Lack of interest: Apathy is common in people with dementia. The individual loses interest in activities or hobbies that he or she once enjoyed.
- Confusion: A person with dementia may start to see familiar places, events, or people, as being unfamiliar. You might be unable to remember people that know you.
- Inability to complete daily tasks: You may struggle to recall the number of tasks that you’ve done for years.
You should also note that having memory problems doesn’t mean that a person has dementia.
What are the stages of dementia?
Dementia is a progressive condition. This means that it worsens over time. The progress differs in everyone. However, the following stages are experienced by most sufferers:
Mild cognitive impairment
Elderly people may develop a mild form of cognitive impairment, but then, this may never progress to dementia. People who have mild cognitive impairment usually find it hard to recall words, they are always forgetful, and they struggle with short-term memory problems.
People at this stage may be able to function without depending on anyone. Symptoms include:
- Short-term memory lapses
- Changes in individual personality e.g. depression or anger
- Struggling to express ideas or emotions
- Difficulty with problem-solving or complex tasks
- Forgetfulness or misplacing things
People who have the moderate form of this condition may require assistance from a friend or a care provider. The reason for this is because dementia interferes with daily activities and tasks. Symptoms include:
- Poor judgment
- Increasing frustration and confusion
- Memory