Symptoms of Dementia
Dementia is noted for the losing of function to certain areas of the brain. Abilities we take for granted are often adversely affected. These include language, cognitive function, attention, and memory. The blockage of the small vessels that enable the brain to get the oxygen and nutrients it needs causes the damage. Some of the Symptoms of Dementia are the loss memory capacity, abrupt changes in mood, disorientation, and a loss in the ability to communicate.
In the beginning the loss of memory manifests itself in an absentmindedness or forgetfulness. The way home is difficult to remember, names are forgotten, and events earlier in the day are not clearly remembered. Memory problems progressively become worse in the latter stages of the disease. Family members are confused with one another or not recognized at all, familiar places and objects are not remembered, and every day tasks become increasingly difficult to accomplish.
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.
Dementia also causes disorientation. A sufferer tends to wander and get lost in familiar surroundings. Nighttime excursions can also occur because the illness causes a person to become confused about the time of day. Judgment eventually is impaired as evidenced be the fact that a person is unable to perceive dangers to himself, or herself, or others. Sometimes the impairment is also evident when an ill one is unable to choose appropriate clothing to don.
Communication difficulties causes the dementia sufferer to have problems in reading, talking and being understood. Words inappropriate to the conversation are at times slipped into the conversation in place of the correct ones without them realising it or their speech is slurred. Thus coherent speech becomes an increasing challenge, simple words are not remembered, and finding the words for things they want to say is almost impossible.
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.
Do you need to learn more about memory loss and find out What is Dementia? You can learn about dementia and memory and the Symptoms of Dementia here.
