Stages of Dementia -Signs and Symptoms

Defined as a condition involving progressive brain failure, seen mostly in the elderly population, leading to decline in social,occupations, and daily life activities, DEMENTIA is divided into three stages.

Stages of dementia -signs and symptoms

I) Early stage is marked by deficits in:

Memory: Short term memory loss; Misplaces items; Misidentifies items; Loss of sense of direction.

Cognitive ability: May not be able to do simple arithmetic or tell the time.

Coordination: Reflexes become slower; May not be able to drive safely; Difficulties in carrying out activities of daily living;May need assistance with hygiene, bathing, dressing,etc.

Mood and behaviour: May have mood swings; social isolation; depression; delusions.

Language: May be less talkative; vague expressions; May have difficulty finding the right word.

II) Middle stage

Memory: loss of both short and medium term memory; unable to form new memories.

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Cognitive ability: Inability to make decisions and problem solve(jig-saw puzzles);Disorientation to time, place, person, event; Loss of ability to make proper judgement; Needs to be told repeatedly inorder to understand.

Coordination: Higher risk of accidents and falls; shows clear thought and action disconnect; Loss of balance; clumsy and/or poor coordination;More dependent with hygiene, dressing;Loss of coordinating actions for toileting, sitting and specific tasks;Incontinence occurs.

Mood and behaviour:Mood swings; Increasingly self-absorbed and less sensitive to others’ feelings and shows little emotional warmth;Loss of understanding of relationships; Restlessness, pacing, wandering;delusions or hallucinations, paranoia(becoming suspicious);Increasingly self-absorbed; Disturbed sleep.

Language: Speech slows, can be repetitive, have pauses and interruptions and have broken sentences;Loss of vocabulary, uses made-up words, sentence construction is poor;Reduction in understanding of spoken and written language.

III) Last stage

Extensive memory loss and cognitive decline.

Coordination: Often unable to walk or stand by themself. Eventually may be unable to swallow. Inability carry out activities of daily living; Becomes totally dependent for all care needs.

Mood and behaviour: Often agitated; Socially withdrawn; Loss of recognition of person, place, event and time

Language: Loss of vocabulary; Echoes other people’s words and repeats own words; Inability to comprehend information and instructions;