What Are The Symptoms Of Dementia?

By Victor Hugo

Dementia causes a loss of function to specific areas of the brain. Memory, language, attention, and cognitive function are often affected. Its cause is an interruption of the flow of nutrients and oxygen to the brain caused by the blockage of small blood vessels that feed the brain. The Symptoms of Dementia are memory loss, moodiness, disorientation, and communicative difficulties.

Signs of memory loss in the early stages of the disease are absentmindedness or forgetfulness. For example difficulty remembering the way home, names, or what happened earlier in the day. In later stages the memory problems become progressively worse. Family members are not recognized or confused with one another, regular tasks became more difficult to accomplish, and familiar objects and places are not remembered.

Mood swings manifest as the areas of the brain that govern emotional control are damaged. Anxiety and fear may also affect the ability to control emotions as the dementia patient becomes terrified by the things that are happening to them. Changes in personality, apathy, or irritability are also probable as the disease progresses.

Sometimes a person with dementia becomes lost and disoriented in known surroundings and wanders off. Dressing appropriately is also a problem because the patient cannot judge which article of clothing is the correct choice to wear a given situation. Time of day can also be confused which can cause a person to have an overwhelming need to go outside in the dead of night. The perception of danger to oneself and others is also off because judgment is impaired.

Difficulties in communication for the dementia patient makes them harder to understand and harder for them to talk or read or write. Inappropriate words are substituted in their sentences without them realizing it and speech can be slurred. Simple words are forgotten, coherent speech becomes more challenging and finding the right words for what they want to say is problematic.

Further Symptoms of Dementia are dizziness, troubles in the solving of problems, difficulty in the handling of money, and a lack of concentration. Sadly as the time passes the afflicted one will progressively lose the ability to care for himself, or herself. Thus needing full time support and care at some point. - 31803

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