Stages of Dementia
In general, dementia is progressive, meaning that symptoms tend to become worse over time in more advanced stages. Specific signs in each stage are as follows:
– Mild cognitive impairment: The elderly tends to go through this phase but would never have dementia or further mental impairment. Common symptoms include issues with short-term memory, difficulty remembering words, and forgetfulness.
– Mild dementia: Some cognitive functions can still work independently at this stage of dementia. Common signs include trouble expressing ideas or emotions, difficulty with problem solving or complicated tasks, forgetfulness, misplacing stuff, personality and behavior changes, short-term memory lapses.
– Moderate dementia: People with dementia would require support from a professional or family member at this stage because the condition would affect their daily activities and tasks. Typical signs include considerable personality changes, requiring assistance with simple tasks, both short-term and long-term memory loss, increasing frustration and confusion, and reduced judgment.
– Severe dementia: Symptoms become worse at this stage. These include needing full-time support, communication problems, problems with many bodily functions, and higher risk of infections. [5]
