Dementia and Alzheimer's disease does not affect every person in the same way. Despite the differences, people who suffer from it do tend to exhibit many of the same symptoms as the diseases progress.
Related Blog: Normal Signs of Aging: Memory Loss vs Dementia & Alzheimer’s
About Dementia
The term dementia refers to a variety of symptoms that include cognitive difficulties. You should note that it does not refer to the disease itself. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of Dementia, but there are many others. Other dementias include vascular Dementia, Lewy Body dementia and Parkinson's disease.
Common signs of Dementia include:
- A tendency to ask the same questions repeatedly
- Can become lost or disoriented, even in familiar locations
- An inability to follow instructions
- Inability to recognize family members or friends
Research has shown that Alzheimer's disease usually has three stages. The first stage has no symptoms but a patient in the second stage may have some symptoms of mild cognitive impairment. The final stage is Alzheimer's disease. At the present time, it is not possible to predict which patients who suffer from mild cognitive impairment will go on to develop Alzheimer's disease.
About Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer's disease accounts for about two-thirds of the diagnosed cases of Dementia. If there is a diagnosis of the condition early enough, an individual may be able to delay its most severe symptoms. The earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's are usually seen in cognitive areas that have nothing to do with memory. For instance, a person with Alzheimer's may exhibit signs of impaired reasoning. Their vision may also be affected, as well as their spatial awareness.
Common signs of Alzheimer's include:
- Memory loss that is severe enough to affect daily life. They may forget information recently learned, along with important dates.
- The inability to solve problems, which includes loss of the ability to work with numbers.
- Difficulty completing tasks that were once familiar. This can include remembering the rules to games or completing familiar assignments.
- The tendency to misplace items, which includes placing items in strange locations and the inability to retrace steps to find a misplaced item.
All dementias affect cognitive function but there are many different conditions that can cause the same set of symptoms. Other health conditions can cause some of these symptoms as well. In all cases, it is important to get a diagnosis from a medical professional. If you or a loved one has the symptoms listed above, seek help right away.
