Senile Dementia: Symptoms And Phases

Some of the symptoms present in first phases of dementia are:

• Forgetting recent events (distant or old memories are also forgotten when dementia is in more advanced stages).
• Difficulties in reasoning, calculation and adaptation.
• Confusion about time, places, addresses, etc.
• Alterations in the trial
• Personality changes

In the intermediate phases of dementia, some symptoms are:

• Loss of cognitive skills such as learning, reasoning and judgment
• Emotional instability, irascibility, agitation…
• Need for some help to carry out basic activities of daily living.
• Nighttime and daily confusion, which can affect the sleep of people who live with the person with dementia.

Symptoms of the final phase in senile dementia:

• Loss of all cognitive abilities
• Inability to self-care, such as eating, bathing…
• Lack of personal hygiene
• Incontinence
• Gradual weight loss
• Walking unsteadily until finally falling

Health professionals often talk about phases of dementia to refer to the progression of the disease. Defining dementia in phases helps doctors determine the most appropriate guidelines. There are numerous scales, the most used is usually the Reisberg Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), which establishes 7 phases of dementia depending on the degree of cognitive impairment This makes it suitable for dementias such as Alzheimer’s and not so much for those in which cognitive abilities are not greatly affected, as is the case with frontotemporal dementia.

The 7 established phases by the GDS are:

Phase 1. No dementia. No cognitive impairment

In this phase the person functions normally, there are no subjective memory complaints and they are in good mental health.

Phase 2. No dementia. Very mild cognitive impairment

The person presents forgetfulness associated with aging. For example, forgetting names and familiar objects. But these losses are so slight that they are not perceived by family members or doctors. The affectation is not clinical, they are forgetfulness considered normal.

Phase 3. No dementia. Mild cognitive impairment

In this phase there is already an increase in forgetfulness, more difficulty concentrating and a decrease in activity. The person may get lost at some point or have difficulty finding the right words. It is in this phase when family members begin to notice the symptoms in the person. It can start 7 years before the onset of dementia.

Phase 4. Early dementia. Moderate cognitive impairment

This phase includes problems concentrating, memory loss of recent events, and difficulties handling money or traveling alone to new places. The person has difficulty performing complex tasks efficiently or accurately and may deny any of the symptoms. They may isolate themselves from their family or friends, as socialization becomes very difficult. In this phase, doctors can clearly detect cognitive problems during an interview or evaluation. This phase can last on average 2 years.

Phase 5. Moderately severe cognitive impairment

Here they appear more severe memory deficits and help from others to perform basic activities of daily living (dressing, bathing, preparing food) is necessary. Memory losses are more frequent and interfere more with life. For example, not remembering your address, phone number, or not knowing what time or day it is. This phase can last on average 1.5 years.

Phase 6. Severe cognitive impairment

Needed total attendance to carry out activities of daily living. There is forgetting the names of close people, difficulty counting, completing tasks, and memory deficits about recent events (only some details from the first years of their life can be remembered). Incontinence is a problem in this phase. Speech is also greatly affected and personality changes, delusions (believing something is true or real when it is not), compulsions (repeating a simple behavior, such as cleaning), or anxiety and agitation occur. This phase can last on average 2.5 years.

Phase 7. Late dementia. Very severe cognitive impairment

The person already has no ability to speak or communicate, needs assistance with basic aspects such as going to the bathroom or eating and has a loss of psychomotor skills, such as walking. The duration of this phase can be 2.5 years.

Senile dementia caused by depression, poor nutrition, thyroid dysfunction, alcoholism… can be corrected if these underlying problems are treated.

Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia are degenerative diseases Today there is no effective treatment. It is better to recognize the early symptoms of the disease so that the person can be evaluated and diagnosed in order to begin making guidelines and taking some type of medication that helps slow the progress of the disease.

If you recognize the symptoms of senile dementia in a family member, some steps to follow are the following:

• Consult the doctor to confirm the diagnosis.
• Participate in self help groups of relatives of people with senile dementia. This can help you relieve the pressure of caring for a person with dementia, since to care for a dependent person you must first be well. That is why you should try to avoid caregiver burnout syndrome or caregiver syndrome.
• Use the available resources at your fingertips: home help, day centers, etc.
• Discuss the situation with the rest of your family or close people, so that there is greater understanding from those around you.
• Make necessary changes at home to prevent accidents.
• Establish a daily routine to reduce feelings of confusion.

There is currently no effective way to prevent Alzheimer’s dementia. However, vascular dementia is due to vascular problems and can be prevented through healthy lifestyle habits.

This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Senile dementia: symptoms and phases we recommend that you enter our Neurosciences category.