Symptoms and types of dementia
In the early stages of dementia, people function relatively normally with some
support. As dementia progresses, more specific symptoms occur (such as
difficulty with speech and language, poor judgement and lack of insight).
Difficulty with personal care tasks (such as bathing) and other everyday tasks
(such as cooking, shopping and managing money) may become apparent.
Often there are enduring changes in personality and behaviour as well.
People with dementia can be perceived to be aggressive, uncooperative and
unpredictable. They may also present with hallucinations and delusions.
These ‘behaviours of concern’ and others can best be classified as
‘behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia’. All the signs and
symptoms are a result of progressive damage to the brain. For example,
damage to the limbic system is associated with memory dysfunction,
unstable mood and personality changes. The behaviours are not the result of
deliberate attempts to be difficult or to upset carers.
Dementia can be caused by a number of disease processes. Approximately
60 per cent of people with dementia have Alzheimer’s disease and about 20
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Dementia
per cent have vascular dementia. Dementia related to Parkinson’s disease is also common, and
excessive alcohol consumption is another prevalent cause. Other illnesses (such as multiple
sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, Huntington’s disease and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease) are less common
causes.