Signs - ReaDementia

5 Types of Vascular Dementia And Symptoms

Rok Krivec Blog, Signs, Types February 5, 2021October 16, 2021dementia, types of dementia, types of vascular dementia, vascular dementia

At the time of writing this, there are several different types of vascular dementia you should be aware of.

If you are ready to learn about all different varieties of the disease, this article covers all the necessary and then some.

Note, vascular dementia occurs when one starts to experience damaging blood vessels in the brain.

This can happen for an assortment of different reasons from poor oxygen flow and lack of nutrition to infarct and other brain diseases and injuries.

Have in mind, strokes are one of the most common reasons for the development of destructive vascular dementia.

While some of the types of vascular dementia are pretty similar, they still have particular details that are exclusive to the condition.

In other words, some are more common than others and the same goes for their symptoms.

Also, each type progresses uniquely if not treated early enough.

Of course, we all need to know that so far there is still no cure for dementia. However, if we act quickly enough, we can lighten the progress of the disease and ensure a more comfortable life.

With that in mind, let’s further investigate the different variations of vascular dementia and some of the causes.

By having the right knowledge, you can seek help from a doctor or a practitioner early enough for the older adult to get appropriate treatment as soon as possible.

Different Types of Vascular Dementia

1. Multi-Infarct Dementia (MID)

Vascular Dementia is a broad name that describes an umbrella of signs and symptoms related to brain damage caused by cerebrovascular disease.

The condition is marked by the impairment of blood flow to the brain owing to injured or damaged cells. In turn, it also hampers oxygen flow to the brain.

The impaired blood flow affects several functions initiated by the brain including memory, reasoning, judgment, and planning.

Vascular dementia presents itself in several ways depending on the specific cause and it also affects each individual person in different ways. Multi-infarct dementia (MID) is one of the types of vascular dementia.

What Causes MID

MID comes about when the brain suffers from several minor strokes causing injuries to several areas of the brain referred to as infarcts.

The strokes also cause extensive lesions in the brain’s nerve fibers. Physicians also explain that most of these “silent strokes” go unnoticed without any clinical symptoms.

That is how they manage to cause the severe and often irreparable damage to the brain cells resulting in the MID symptoms.

Since the infarcts affect secluded brain areas, the symptoms often have an adverse effect on specific functions like language or it can attack only one side of the body.

2. Subcortical Vascular Dementia

One of the other types of vascular dementia is Binswanger’s disease. For your information, many as well call this particular one subcortical vascular dementia.

It is marked by extensive damage to multiple tiny areas of the brain.

The result is an impairment in the arteries that supply blood to the brain’s subcortical regions which, in turn, diminishes blood circulation within the brain.

The more narrow the arteries get, the lesser the amount of blood that goes to the brain’s tissues, and the ultimate result is the inevitable death of the brain.

The condition could come about as a result of untreated diabetes or high blood pressure.

Symptoms of Subcortical Vascular Dementia

Notably, Binswanger’s disease is stroke-related and it presents even more impairments to the brain’s white substance as a result of the hardened arteries and several lunar infarctions.

Often, a person with this condition experiences memory difficulties and their reasoning skills deteriorate.

The condition also presents itself at the tail end of the fourth decade in life and its severity increases with age.

One of the symptoms characteristic of this type of vascular dementia is psychomotor slowness.

It presents itself with an increased length of time that a person takes to perform the simplest of tasks like writing the shape of a letter on a piece of paper.

Other symptoms include changes in speech, personality/ mood shifts, unsteady gait/clumsiness, or frequent falls.

3. Strategic Infarct Dementia

A single stroke can at times lead to vascular dementia depending on stroke’s size and its origin within the body.

The type of vascular dementia that comes about from these types of strokes is known as Strategic Infarct Dementia.

It occurs after the destruction of a significant cognitive process by an infarct in a specific area of the brain.

It is associated with the sudden onset of behavioral changes that take place after the stroke. Its symptoms depend on the function of the brain that the stroke damages.

If there are no subsequent series of strokes symptoms like impaired memory and decreased attention can often go unnoticed. Otherwise, the chances of the symptoms becoming worse are quite high.

Symptoms Associated With Strategic Infarct Dementia

Someone with Strategic Infarct Dementia often starts by presenting acute symptoms including fluctuating alertness and attentiveness.

Memory loss, psychomotor retardation and apathy are also some of the primary symptoms which suggest frontal lobe dysfunction.

When the stroke damages the left-sided infarcts it results in verbal memory loss while damages to the right-sided infarcts cause problems with visuospatial memory.

A state of altered consciousness also results in a lack of motivation as well as severe personality changes.

People who experience thalamic infarcts and hemorrhages might also experience motor aphasia and transcortical sensory issues.

4. Stroke-related Dementia

Note, many also use Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) when talking about this type of vascular dementia.

It affects the blood vessels within the brain as well as those in close proximity to it. This condition comes about when an artery feeding the brain with blood raptures.

It also comes about when part of the brain is deprived of enough blood affecting its normal functioning (termed ischemia) leading to the death of the cells (infarction).

Ischemia, which is also known as atherosclerosis, occurs when arteries supplying blood to the brain are narrow as a result of plaque, a fatty deposit.

These fatty deposits can rupture forming a blood clot that together can travel to arteries in the brain and block the vessels causing a stroke.

Symptoms Of Stroke-related Dementia

The symptoms that come about after a stroke leading to dementia vary based on the part of the brain that is affected.

The most common symptoms of stroke-related dementia include paralysis or weakness experienced on either side of the body. It can lead to the complete or partial loss of sensations or voluntary movements related to the arms or legs.

Also, it can cause speech problems owing to weakened face muscles, and drooling is often a symptom too.

When a stroke hits the base of the brain it affects functions like balance, consciousness, swallowing, and even breathing.

Strokes are a medical emergency and it’s important to seek medical assistance when you suspect someone is having a stroke.

5. Post-Stroke Dementia

Another common vascular dementia type is Post-stroke Dementia (PSD) that often occurs after suffering from a stroke. It uniquely comprises of the symptoms associated with other types of dementia collectively.

It could be degenerative dementia Alzheimer’s disease or a mix of both. At this point, cognitive abilities usually deteriorate, unlike the temporary physical disability symptoms experience post strokes.

Since the vascular system in the brain is damaged due to an insufficient supply of oxygen and nutrients, a person with vascular dementia often exhibits depression with rapid mood fluctuations.

Post-stroke cognitive damage may also affect a large number of stroke survivors. People with pre-stroke cognitive decline have a high risk of also developing PSD.

Dementia and Eyesight – How Vision Changes

Rok Krivec Blog, Signs January 31, 2021October 17, 2021dementia, dementia and eyesight

When talking about how dementia affects a person’s life, it is important to touch on one crucial topic, which is dementia and eyesight.

In addition to causing multiple changes in the brain, dementia also affects how the brain processes information the eyes deliver as well as how the eyes see.

This implies that some behavioral changes in people with dementia may be as a result of vision changes.

Five common changes that happen to the eyes when a person has dementia explained below.

How Vision Changes With Dementia

1. The Field of Vision Becomes Narrow

One of the changes that occur when a person has dementia is the fact that the field of vision becomes narrow.

This is common with old age because, by the time a person is in their mid-70s, the normal vision peripheral reduces a little so that a person does not notice or see as much as they were able to when they were younger.

With dementia, the field of vision narrowing is not the same as what happens when a person becomes older.

The disease causes the field of vision to decrease by about 12 inches.

Experts compare this to a person who wears binoculars. It is not possible to move about normally when you are putting on binoculars.

2. Blurring

A person with dementia may not be able to see things as sharply as before because the illness causes them to experience blurring.

Because of this, everyday and familiar objects become more challenging to recognize.

3. The brain does not Effectively Process Information from the Eyes

Worth noting when talking about dementia and eyesight is that someone with the illness may find it challenging to see the things that are in front of them.

This normally happens as the disease advances, and the brain starts shutting down information that comes from the eyes.

At some point, the brain finds the details from the eyes overwhelming; thus, it cannot begin processing the information.

When this happens and you have dementia, you may be forced to only see through one eye.

As a result, you will end up losing perception of depth where you can’t tell if something is two or three-dimensional.

This makes it difficult for an individual to know different things like whether they are looking at a picture of an apple of the real fruit, whether there is a print on a fabric, or whether there is an object on a surface.

4. Pupils React to Light Slowly

Persons with dementia and eyesight problems may also have slow reactions to light that makes it difficult for them to move from a light to a dark space and vice versa.

Going out when it is sunny can also be an overwhelming experience.

5. Changes That Don’t Make Sense to “Healthy People”

When it comes to the effects of dementia on eyesight, you may start seeing a person doing things that you consider strange.

For instance, a person may be trying to flip something in the air.

While this may not make sense to you, the person with the illness may be thinking that they are switching on the lights because the switch appears to be closer than it is.

Because the persons with dementia lack the perception of depth, they will respond to the world as they see it in the best way they know-how.

Causes of Vision Problems in People with Dementia

There are several reasons thousands of people with dementia will experience issues with vision, such as:

Development of eye conditions like macular degeneration and cataracts
Health conditions like stroke
Dementia itself
Normal aging of the eyes

The above causes damage to the visual system which can lead to sight loss.

Symptoms of Eyesight Issues for People with Dementia

People with dementia can exhibit certain symptoms that show they have problems with their eyesight. This is where they can have challenges with things like:

Reading
Avoiding obstacles
Recognizing familiar faces
Finding personal items
coping with bright lights, dim lights or both
Seeing well even when they have glasses
Locating food on plates

To confirm that the symptoms are a result of dementia, a person with the neurodegenerative illness needs to go through eye-tests.

Eye-specialists can adapt the eye tests for individuals with dementia if need be to get the proper results.

Coping with Dementia and Eyesight Problems

A person with eyesight issues because of dementia is likely to experience more problems with mobility, expansive disorientation, and increased risk of falls.

They may also have increased problems communicating, learning new tasks, lack of motivation, and the need for more social isolation.

Some of the tips caregivers can work with to make the people with dementia as comfortable and productive as possible include:

Taking care of the eyes

The suffering individuals and their carers need to make the most of the individual’s sight.

This means having regular eye rests and making sure that if a person wears glasses, they are correct, current, and clean at all times.

Making adjustments to the environment

This might need simple projects like improving the lighting, keeping areas clutter-free and familiar, as well as the use of contrasting colors. In short, making a dementia-friendly home.

You might also have to go the tech-way and use equipment like audio labels and automatic lights.

Enhancing communication techniques

This might include speaking clearly to a person who has dementia and eyesight issues.

You may have to introduce yourself when talking to the person, practice patience as they try to figure out what you are saying, and even using pictures and charts for ease of communication.

Extra help

When you are at a loss of how to help, there are numerous resources online as well as support groups where you can get ideas on how to move forward without harming the person with dementia.

Professionals like occupational therapists and visual rehabilitation workers can also offer help.

Closing Thoughts

A person may become more confused and fearful when suffering from dementia and eyesight problems.

Their behavior might also change because of the alterations happening in the brain.

It is important to accord people with illnesses as much support as possible so that they can live long quality lives.

The Link Between Dementia And Epilepsy

Rok Krivec Blog, Signs January 25, 2021October 18, 2021dementia, epilepsy

While studying the symptoms of dementia, you will come across dementia and epilepsy.

Epilepsy is one of the lesser-known symptoms that people with dementia may experience along the course of the illness.

To date, it is still not clear how epileptic seizures occur because, most of the time, they are usually subtle.

Many individuals with dementia will experience a type of epileptic seizure that is known as focal onset seizure.

This is different from the generalized tonic-clonic seizures that you see on TV where a person falls to the ground, becomes stiff and unresponsive as their whole body shakes in a convulsion.

Focal onset seizures are quite the opposite because they generally involve short periods of increased unresponsiveness or amnesia. The weak person may showcase involuntary repeating movements of the arms, hands or face like swallowing, chewing, or lip-smacking.

In most cases, this is a symptom that might go unnoticed, especially if the person with dementia goes back to normal after a short period.

Seizure incidents typically vary depending on an individual. Records, however, state that about 20% of persons with dementia will experience an unprovoked seizure.

What is the Link Between Epilepsy and Dementia?

For many people, the seizures occur in the late stages of the illness, say after six years of diagnosis.

Worth noting is that time matters when it comes to seizures.

Many seizures will last for about 30 seconds to 2 minutes. If one lasts for over five minutes, it is considered a medical emergency.

With this in mind check out more vital information about dementia and epilepsy below.

Do Seizures Increase the Risk of Dementia?

In the past, experts believed that only people who had lived with dementia for long could experience seizures.

They thought that this was a result of the changes that occurred in the brain because of the neurodegenerative disease.

More research was conducted on this, and researchers uncovered that seizures could also happen at the onset of dementia.

In fact, for some people, seizures may occur even before the loss of memory becomes apparent.

This raises the possibility that epileptic episodes may be tied up intimately with the progression of dementia.

Numerous studies have been done looking into the relationship between dementia and epilepsy.

An example is a study with 55 participants between the ages of 50-69. All the participants had experienced a seizure before getting admitted to an Israeli medical center.

A quarter of the population developed dementia after about an average of 81/2 years. Another study followed 300,000 U.S. veterans who were all above 55 years.

Researchers, in this case, found that seizures were associated with double the risk of dementia development between 1-9 years.

Other studies also indicate that persons who have dementia are at higher risk of seizures when compared with individuals who do not have the illness.

One of the studies was presented by Ruby Castilla MD, DrPH, and MBA. It has participants who were over the age of 60. Among the participants, 2.8% had dementia and the rest did not have the illness.

Results stated that individuals with dementia had 61/2 times the risk of partial seizures and 5.2 higher risks for generalized epilepsy.

What Causes Epileptic Episodes in People with Dementia

Naturally, anything that contributes to changing the brain structure can result in seizures. Mostly, people suffer from epilepsy after a head injury, stroke or brain infection.

In line with this, it is safe to say that something similar happens in the brain of those with dementia. The brain shrinks in size as some of its cells die off, leading to epilepsy.

Tau and amyloid are two proteins that can build up in the brain of individuals with dementia. This affects how the nerve cells in the brain communicate with each other.

At times, the cells can behave uncontrollably resulting in epileptic seizures.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Seizures in Persons with Dementia

Keep in mind that it is not everyone who has dementia will get seizures. Proper diagnosis is crucial.

The seizures can be challenging to diagnose because some of the behaviors may mimic those of dementia. The input of an epileptologist may be necessary because these are experts who can help with the diagnosis process.

Thankfully, there is an effective way to deal with dementia and epilepsy. Doctors can recommend medication that can reduce or even stop epileptic seizures. These can include anticonvulsants like Neurontin, Depakote, and Lamictal.

There is also evidence that administering drugs like Keppra can help to reverse some loss of memory in persons with dementia.

Other than the drugs, an individual with dementia may also go through deep brain stimulation. This is a more invasive option for treating epilepsy.

This is only recommended when other pharmaceutical options have failed and the epilepsy symptoms are severe because it requires surgery.

Dementia and Epilepsy Closing Remarks

Scientists are now doing more research concerning dementia and epilepsy in the hope of offering deeper insight into the progression of the illness which may lead to uncovering new treatments.

Loss Of Smell And Dementia

Rok Krivec Blog, Signs January 22, 2021October 18, 2021dementia, loss of smell

There is a need to have a conversation about the loss of smell and dementia.

This is after several studies suggest that a poor sense of smell, especially in old age, may be a warning sign for dementia.

In the past, experts linked the inability to identify certain smells to untimely deaths.

In a new study, researchers now claim that individuals who cannot name at least four out of five common fragrances are at risk of developing dementia in five years.

Why make this conclusion.

Find out more about the study below.

Loss Of Smell can be a Sign of Dementia

To begin with, it is vital to point out that the study on loss of smell and dementia had three thousand adult participants aged 57-85.

The five scents experts used for the study are:

Leather
Peppermint
Rose
Orange
Fish

At the begging of the study, 78% of persons tested had a normal sense of smell because they could name at least four of all the five scents.

14% were only able to identify three smells while 5% could name two. 2% of that population were able to identify a single smell, and 1% could not tell any scent from the list above.

Results of the Study

The study to determine the relationship between loss of smell and dementia was conducted over five years.

After this period, the researchers found out that almost everyone who could not identify a scent was diagnosed with dementia.

This was the case for the participants who could only identify one or two smells because almost 80% also developed dementia.

Take-Home from the Study

Based on the results of the study, Jayant M. Pinto otolaryngologist and the lead author of the study deduced that sense of smell has a close connection to how the brain functions and overall health.

She continued to state that it is not only smell ability but the overall sensory function that may be a significant warning sign for persons who are at greater risk of developing dementia.

Pinto also added that it is vital to understand the basic principles so that the team can have a more in-depth insight into the disease to perhaps develop new preventative measures as well as treatments for loss of smell and dementia.

Related Studies

After the above study was conducted, more researchers gained an interest in the topic. An example of this is a study by researchers from Stockholm University.

The experts looked into a person’s sense of smell in association with the inability to identify odors and the increased risk of early deaths.

The study involved persons aged 40-90 for ten years.

They uncovered that those who lost their sense of smell had a higher risk of early death as compared to those with a normal sense of smell.

Mayo Clinic’s Rosebud Roberts and a team of researchers also conducted a study to assess the sense of smell of 1,430 persons without any cognitive disorders.

The study ran from 2004 to 2010 with participants getting clinical evaluations after 15 months. The professionals used six food-related smells and the same number of non-food related odors.

These included turpentine, soap, smoke, paint thinner, gasoline, rose, pineapple, lemon, onion, cinnamon, banana, and chocolate.

After about three and a half years, it was evident that people whose smelling ability decreased were also having trouble with their thinking capacity.

Many persons with dementia usually have problems with thinking.

How Loss of Sense of Smell can lead to Dementia Development

The smell ranks amongst the most primitive human senses.

Loss of this sense can negatively affect an individual’s lifestyle, wellbeing, mental health, and nutrition.

The inability to smell is also associated with depression because affected people do not get to enjoy life as much.

Persons with an inability to smell face challenges every day. These are individuals who cannot detect smoke in the event of a fire.

Assess whether they need to jump into the shower after a long day. Or even tell whether food is spoilt, etc.

As a person loses their sense of smell, experts reckon that it also affects the brain’s ability to rebuild some key components that decline naturally with age.

This according to Professor Martha McClintock results in the pathological changes that people with different types of dementias experience.

Closing Thoughts

At this point, it is not enough to conduct a simple smell test as a means of identifying the risk of dementia. However, there is also a somewhat successful study about the peanut butter test, which you should also investigate.

With time, however, things might change after more conclusive research has been conducted. Who knows, this may be a breakthrough in regards to preventing and curing dementia.

The Link Between Dementia and Hearing Loss

Rok Krivec Blog, Signs January 21, 2021October 18, 2021dementia, dementia and hearing loss, hearing loss

Researchers continue to work hard to establish the exact relationship between dementia and hearing loss.

This is after numerous studies suggest that hearing loss can increase dementia risk.

Dementia is a medical term that describes multiple symptoms characterized by deterioration in a person’s cognitive abilities.

Previously, experts believed that hearing loss was a normal aging process. Recent findings, however, point to the fact that it may play a significant role in brain health.

Worth noting is that there are common symptoms of both hearing loss and dementia such as:

Changes in communication methods
Confusion during conversations
Challenges in completing daily tasks
Feelings of stress or fatigue

Statistics reveal that hearing loss is the 3rd most common health condition in elderly persons.

About 30% of individuals aged over 65 and 55% of seniors over 80 suffer from some degree of hearing loss.

Around the globe, it is estimated that about 580 million people are affected by hearing loss. The Lancet Commissions published a study in 2015, revealing that 47 million in different parts of the world are living with dementia.

By 2050, this number will most likely be up by X3 or more.

The Link Between Hearing Loss and Dementia

An associate professor of epidemiology and otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins University Frank Lin M.D, Ph.D. kin 2011 conducted one of the studies seeking to uncover the link between dementia and hearing loss.

His study involved 639 cognitively stable participants. The individuals underwent regular supervision for 12-18 years.

The results of this study stated that participants with normal hearing had lower risks of developing dementia.

The risk of developing dementia was twice as much for older adults with mild hearing loss, triple for the ones with moderate hearing loss and shoots to up to 5 times for the elderly with severe hearing loss according to Lin’s findings.

Let’s gain more insight into how hearing loss increases the risk of dementia. Not just that, but some of the solutions that experts recommend.

Theories on How Hearing Loss can Increase Risk of Dementia

Several theories try to explain how dementia and hearing loss relate because the exact link is still a mystery such as:

Cognitive Load

One of the theories that try to explain how hearing loss increases dementia risk; states that the brain has a difficult time with degraded sounds.

As a result, the organ allocates more resources to processing the sounds causing a “cognitive load” which leads to a decrease in cognitive functioning because the brain is working overtime to try and figure out what other people are saying.

Straining to hear for long periods depletes mental energy and taps into the brainpower that the brain uses for other functions like thinking, remembering and acting.

Additionally, hearing loss has been known to accelerate atrophy in the cerebrum; a part of the brain that plays a role in memory and the processing of sound.

Changes in Brain Structure

Another theory on the relationship between dementia and hearing loss is that loss of hearing can affect the normal brain structure in that it leads to cognitive issues.

Through brain imaging studies, it has been noted that seniors with hearing loss tend to have less gray matter in the section of the brain that is responsible for receiving and processing sounds from the ears.

In most cases, this does not mean that a person is losing brain cells. It might imply that some brain cell structures are shrinking because of a lack of adequate stimulation.

Social Isolation

Social isolation also comes into play when talking about hearing loss and cognitive issues.

A study by NCOA (National Council on the Aging) of 2,300 hearing-impaired participants found that persons who go through untreated hearing loss are most likely to experience worry, loneliness, paranoia, depression, and anxiety.

When a person is hard of hearing, a majority would rather not socialize in groups.

They will also avoid going to social places like restaurants or clubs.

Social isolation for the longest time has been recognized as one of the risk factors that intensify the risk of dementia and cognitive decline.

Solutions

Although there has not been much research in terms of looking into treating hearing loss to treat dementia, there are a few studies that can offer hope.

Isabelle Mosnier, M.D a French researcher recommends the use of cochlear implants for individuals who have intense hearing loss.

This is after conducting a study with 94 seniors who were experiencing profound deafness for at least one year.

She found that hearing rehabilitation enhanced cognitive functioning and speech perception.

Closing Thoughts

If experts can establish the exact link between dementia and hearing loss, it will not be all gloom and doom.

This is because it may lead to more aggressiveness when treating hearing loss a factor that might end up starving off dementia and cognitive decline.

In the meantime, it is vital for any person experiencing hearing loss to get appropriate treatment as soon as possible.

This is because untreated hearing loss is one of the conditions that increase the risk of developing dementia.

Diabetes and Dementia – Are They Related?

Rok Krivec Blog, Causes, Prevention, Signs January 18, 2021December 19, 2023dementia, diabetes, signs of dementia

Scientists, over the years, continue to link diabetes and dementia. Does sugar have a negative effect on a dementia-infected brain?

There are over twenty million people with diabetes in America alone.

Around six million of these individuals do not even know that they have diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the USA.

What is Diabetes

Diabetes is an illness that decreases the ability of the body to convert sugar into energy. When a person with diabetes fails to control the condition, the blood remains with too much sugar.

Over time, this can lead to the damage of multiple organs in the body, including the brain.

It creates a dangerous spiral where the causes of diabetes can also result in mental deterioration.

Dementia, on the other hand, is a brain disorder that affects emotions, thinking, behavior and, to some extent, the ability to perform daily tasks.

It can reduce life expectancy as well as the quality of a person’s life.

Some studies reveal that people who have both diabetes and dementia die faster than the ones who only have dementia.

Researchers and scientists are finding more evidence linking diabetes primarily Type 2 diabetes to memory loss issues such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

However, it is worth mentioning that there is still no concrete evidence on precisely what cause’s dementia and how diabetes comes into play.

It is also worth mentioning that not everyone who has diabetes will end up with dementia.

Doctors, however, do know that high insulin or blood sugar levels can harm the brain in multiple ways like:

Causing Chemical Imbalance in the Brain

Your brain depends on several chemicals in the body to function properly. Too much insulin can affect these chemicals, causing an imbalance.

Such changes occurring in the brain can trigger dementia, as well as other illnesses.

Development of Other Medical Conditions

A person who has diabetes has a high risk of developing other medical conditions like:

Stroke
Heart disease
Joint and bone problems
Kidney diseases
Digestive problems
Nerve damage
Eye damage
Yeast infection

These could hurt organs like the heart and blood vessels as well.

Damaged blood vessels usually imply that the brain will not get enough oxygen and nutrients; another factor that can contribute to vascular dementia.

This is a kind of dementia that occurs because of brain damage that mostly comes about because of blocked or reduced blood flow to the brain.

Increasing Risk of Cerebrovascular Diseases

A high percentage of people who have diabetes are at high risk of developing cerebrovascular illnesses.

These are triggered by things such as oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance, and inflammation.

Additionally, as the brain continues to age, because of changes in amyloid metabolism and other related factors, it becomes easier to develop memory issues.

Structural changes in the brain show some evidence of the association between diabetes and dementia.

Affecting How the Brains Handles Insulin

Ongoing research also points out that the link between the two medical conditions may happen as a result of the ways that diabetes affects the brain’s ability to respond to insulin and use glucose (sugar).

Note that glucose is the main source of energy for the brain.

Therefore, when cognitive function is affected, because of low levels of blood glucose, the outcome can be severe neuronal damage.

Insulin resistance makes the body producing more insulin than necessary in a bid to keep the glucose levels within a healthy range.

This can also affect the brain in that high levels of insulin can damage small blood vessels and other brain cells. Insulin resistance also affects other parts of the body.

When not enough insulin is making its way to the brain, it does not only cause the brain to function normally. It can also be the cause of a person developing small strokes, which increases dementia.

Causing Inflammation

When there is a spike in blood sugar, it can easily lead to inflammation affecting the brain and other parts of the body. This naturally leads to the damage of brain cells.

It is another factor that can lead to the development of dementia.

Chronic inflammation often leads to the formation of tau tangles and amyloid plaques brain abnormalities that are hallmarks of dementia illness.

Increase the Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment

When talking about diabetes and dementia, it is worth noting that diabetes also contributes to the increased risk of developing MCI (mild cognitive impairment).

This is a condition where you end up experiencing more memory and cognitive (thinking) problems than the ones present as people age.

It is a set of symptoms where individuals struggle to remember things that they already know and also have issues with the ability to think.

Initially, these memory problems are usually not severe enough to bring about challenges with day-to-day living.

Eventually, some studies claim that people with MCI get dementia. MCI has been known to accompany or precede dementia.

Build-Up of Proteins in the Blood

Diabetes has also been known to contribute to the build-up of toxic proteins in the brain that is associated with dementia.

When there is too much protein in the brain, it disrupts the functioning of synapses, which are the connections that are formed between brain cells helping information to circulate to and from the brain.

The brain, at this point, may not be able to clear out the waste products.

In line with this, recent studies also reveal that elevated glucose levels in the blood can increase amyloid beta levels.

This is one of the significant components of brain plague in persons who have dementia. A build-up of plaque is thought to be a driver of complex changes in the brain leading to the development of different types of dementia.

Diabetes makes it challenging to control healthy levels of blood sugar.

This results in harmful effects on a person’s brain, increasing the risk of dementia onset.

When there is a lot of glucose in the blood, it may lead to increased neuron activity in the brain, which promotes the production of amyloid beta.

Type 1 Diabetes Causes Higher Risk of Dementia

Earlier, the article mentioned that most people with type 2 diabetes are likely to develop dementia as well.

There have also been other studies indicating that people who have Type 1 diabetes are also at risk of developing dementia.

Research shows that individuals with this type of diabetes typically face a higher risk of developing memory and thinking problems as they age compared to the general population.

Around 83% of seniors with type 1 diabetes are at risk of getting dementia as well.

With type 1 diabetes, a person’s immune system attacks insulin mistakenly triggering the production of beta cells in the pancreas. This leaves the persons with this type of diabetes with little or even no insulin in the body.

Insulin is an essential hormone in the body that enables the body to use up carbohydrates as fuel.

Individuals with type 1 diabetes are also at risk of getting hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) that could be another link between diabetes and dementia.

A Decline in Cognitive Function

It is common for people who have diabetes to experience a progressive decline in cognitive function. This has been recorded as one of the factors that usually cause the development of dementia.

The risk of getting one or more types of dementia is two-fold in seniors who have diabetes compared to their age mates.

This does not happen all at once but rather as the diabetes disease progresses, affecting more parts of the body.

With most diabetics, dementia is usually diagnosed after about three years of having diabetes.

Diabetes also accelerates issues like diabetic foot, microvascular diseases, cerebrovascular illnesses, acute metabolic events, and depression, among many others that may accelerate the onset of dementia.

Closing Remarks

When a person has one chronic disease, it is usually too much to deal with.

Sadly, there are some chronic illnesses like diabetes that frequently compound the effects of another to not only worsen the condition but also increase an individual’s risk of developing new conditions like dementia.

To stay healthy, it is important to work with your health care team to manage or prevent diabetes in a bid to reduce or completely avoid the complications it brings.

Proper diabetes management may involve things like:

Sticking to your doctor’s advice on how to monitor blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood glucose.
Quit smoking.
Reduce alcohol intake.
Eating healthy foods including lots of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, lean meats, low-fat cheese, and milk.
Managing a healthy weight.
Keep physically active (try and work out at least thirty minutes daily).
Remain socially and mentally active and engaged to reduce the risk of getting dementia.
Taking any prescribed medication on time.
Examining your feet for sores on a daily basis.

Working with an effective diabetes prevention or management plan can successfully lower the development of various types of dementia.

There is still a need for further studies and research into the relationship between diabetes and dementia.

This way, we can fully understand the correlation to come up with the most appropriate solutions to tackle the conditions.

16 Warning Signs Of Alzheimer’s 2023

Rok Krivec Blog, Signs January 16, 2021February 25, 2023alzheimer's disease, dementia, signs of alzheimer's, signs of dementia

You must not ignore changes in an older adult and these signs of Alzheimer’s will help you pay attention. Instead of being lost and wondering what to do next, first skim through the different signs and go from there.

Bear in mind, if they forget a name or where they put their keys every once in a while does not necessarily mean they have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

However, if it happens repeatedly, it might already be a sign of the condition.

Once you are fully aware of the most common signs, you will easily recognize changes and act accordingly.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is not something that happens overnight.

It is a brain disorder that keeps evolving over many years. There are numerous different factors that contribute to the development, yet still, no scientist and doctor fully understand its development.

If you notice any of the signs and symptoms appear in your relative or friend, and they keep on repeating, we advise you to see a doctor.

Due to the complexity of the disease, you need to understand the signs vary from person to person.

Also, while it is most common that Alzheimer’s disease develops in the mid-60s, some experience it earlier while others in their 70s and beyond.

In other words, the progression of the condition is person-specific.

Study Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease Carefully

1. Memory Loss

Memory loss is one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s and initially, it might seem just like normal age-related forgetfulness.

In the later stages of the disease, it affects the ability to recognize places and people including family and friends. People with Alzheimer’s have a propensity to start wandering in the late afternoons and evenings.

Repetitive movement due to memory challenges is what causes the person to wander around. It poses challenges when they are unable to remember their way back home and they end up putting themselves in dangerous situations.

Memory challenges often lead to losing things, forgetting to keep appointments, and misplacing items or storing them in odd places.

2. Spontaneity/ Poor Judgements

Mood swings and personality changes are some of the signs of Alzheimer’s that are easy to spot. With Alzheimer’s, poor judgment is not only about questionable decisions.

Instead, it is a pattern of unfortunate actions and decisions.

You may find that a person with Alzheimer’s constantly uses vulgar language or can start undressing in public. Most people cannot even recognize danger.

You may find a person with Alzheimer’s constantly putting themselves in harm’s way. For instance, if a person underwent surgery of a broken hip, the doctor may put them on bed rest for a while.

People with Alzheimer’s will not listen to the doctor but will insist on moving around even when it hurts badly.

3. Problems in Completing Daily Tasks

One of the notable changes that affect someone with Alzheimer’s is their inability to see daily tasks to their completion. It includes activities like shaving, cooking, and cleaning which all of a sudden becomes challenging.

A shortened attention span is the reason why someone with Alzheimer’s will start working on a task and move to another activity without completing the first.

The progression of the disease eventually affects a person’s ability to organize their thoughts or think logically.

Another challenge sparked by memory loss is repetitiveness, which causes a person with Alzheimer’s to lose their chain of thought and repeat themselves severally.

4. Trouble Managing Finances

Managing money is a huge problem for people with Alzheimer’s. In fact, it is one of the first noticeable signs of Alzheimer’s.

Solving numerical problems becomes a big challenge. Coupled with memory problems, a person with dementia starts forgetting to pay bills or overpays for items when shopping.

As the disease becomes worse, the individual may not even realize that they can no longer handle money matters. Some will even try and hide financial problems in a bid to protect their independence.

A trustworthy family member or trustee needs to step in and check bank statements as well as other financial records monthly.

This protects the individual with Alzheimer’s from fraud or financial abuse.

5. Aggressive Tendencies

Increased anxiety, might cause someone to lash out aggressively when they feel out of their comfort zone. Often, the anger outbursts might seem out of the blue to onlookers and wildly inappropriate.

Someone with Alzheimer’s will also have problems coping or accepting new situations because they are always worried or restless.

The later stages can spark hallucinations and paranoia, which leads the person with Alzheimer’s to see things that do not exist.

Although no one certainly knows why it happens. Multiple factors can cause aggression. These include poor communication, stress, environmental factors, and physical discomfort.

6. Inability To Grasp New Concepts

As memory loss, entering the moderate stage of Alzheimer’s, it affects the ability to learn.

Difficulty with language is also experienced and a person with the disease often has challenges reading and writing legibly.

Repetitiveness is also experienced when the person might ask a question severally despite receiving an answer.

In the severe stages of the disease, the person with Alzheimer’s might lose their ability to communicate entirely. Other than learning impairments, some individuals with the illness block the information they think they should know.

This is one of the signs of Alzheimer’s that may pave the way, go together with, or follow a burst of other anxiety symptoms and sensations.

7. Over Sleeping

Someone with Alzheimer’s goes through many changes and one of them is tied to sleep. Disruption of the sleep/wake cycle is one of the negative effects of Alzheimer’.

Some individuals will sleep more than usual and this may include taking long naps during the day.

New research from Dr. Matthew Pase from Boston University suggests that sleeping for over nine hours a night is an Alzheimer’s warning sign.

Persons usually become sleepier as the disease progresses. Some people will even sleep during the day and stay awake all night.

Many individuals with Alzheimer’s will also experience sundowning. This is agitated behavior that normally occurs after the sunset.

It may involve yelling out, getting violent or pacing.

8. Weight Loss

Losing weight is a manifestation of Alzheimer’s disease. The medial temporal cortex responsible for memory and feeding behavior is affected at the onset of the illness.

Eating becomes more difficult in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

As the disease progresses, food tends to be less appealing to people who have Alzheimer’s. The primary reason behind this is that the disease dulls the senses of smell and taste contributing to the loss of appetite.

Some individuals will even lose a lot of weight despite eating enough food. People with Alzheimer’s may also struggle to recognize food or beverages; thus, end up not eating because of the damage the illness causes the brain.

9. Skin Infections

It is common for people with Alzheimer’s to pick or scratch their skin because of infections.

One of the signs of Alzheimer’s to look out for is incredibly dry skin that gets irritated and itchy. Use of harsh soaps and other body products can also cause this.

Another reason someone with Alzheimer’s may get skin infections is through pests such as fleas, lice, mites, ringworm, and bedbugs. The individual may also be experiencing allergies that cause scratching and itching.

It is advisable to seek medical treatment as soon as you notice this sign to treat the cause of skin infections fast. This way, the person with Alzheimer’s can live more comfortably.

10. Trouble Swallowing

A person with dementia may struggle to chew and swallow food. Caregivers may misconstrue this sign of Alzheimer’s thinking that the person simply does not like the food on the plate.

Some people simply forget to chew the food and end up holding it in their mouth.

In the later stages of the disease, dysphagia or swallowing difficulties become more prevalent. These can lead to dehydration, weight loss, high fever, belly pain, chest congestion, choking while eating and malnutrition.

Aspiration pneumonia is one of the unfortunate consequences brought about by difficulties in swallowing.

It’s pneumonia that causes the lungs to take in liquids or food instead of air.

11. Recurring Falling and Tripping

Before we even continue if you or anyone else who you know is falling or tripping frequently, you need to tell the doctor about it.

A study showed that the older adults who were falling the most during the research showed early signs of Alzheimer’s disease after they did the brain scans.

Have in mind, it is not a guarantee that someone who is on the floor a lot or simply becomes very clumsy will develop dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.

However, cognitive problems may occur as it is not normal for a healthy human being to misstep and slip very often.

Always watch after yourself and act early enough when you discover something uncommon.

12. Vision Changes

Because the eye and the brain work together, someone with Alzheimer’s may go through vision changes. Different areas of vision may be affected by the elderly generation.

One of them is the inability to detect movement. Persons with the disease may perceive everything around them to be a still photo instead of an ongoing video.

Individuals with Alzheimer’s may also experience limited peripheral vision. They may not be able to see both sides when gazing forward.

This results in intense disorientation where a person may end up bumping into things. Recognizing colors also becomes an obstacle particularly in the violet-blue range.

13. Social Withdrawal

Alzheimer’s can be an isolating and lonely illness. Many people with Alzheimer’s disease spend a lot of time alone and when in the company of others, they do not participate much.

It can lead to withdrawal from family, friends, and a lack of interest in familiar things and surrounding activities.

Persons with AD can start to remove themselves from the things they once loved including work projects and hobbies.

It is also likely that because of all the changes they are facing, they feel ashamed or embarrassed; thus, they do not want to face the world.

At times, a person may become withdrawn because they feel bored or isolated.

14. “Childlike” or Clingy Behaviour

Persons with Alzheimer’s can at one point become totally dependent on another individual. This is where they never want to leave the other person’s side and are constantly shadowing them.

Experts reckon that this mostly happens in the evenings as the day is about to end. This is where an individual with AD starts to feel fearful, worn down and confused.

They follow the person they trust around because they are not sure how long they will be gone if they leave their sight. This is why they do not have a problem following a person everywhere they go even to the bathroom.

15. Seizures

Seizures occur in people with dementia at a high rate. Unprovoked seizures affect a huge percentage of individuals with Alzheimer’s.

It is not yet clear the exact mechanisms that trigger the seizures. The seizures are also not easy to diagnose because the behaviors that the individuals present may mimic those of the illness.

Individuals may go through non-epileptic episodes triggered by confusion and inattention not to be confused with seizures.

Many studies conclude that seizures are uncommon for people with Alzheimer’s, but they do occur more in people with AD than those in the general population. With Alzheimer’s, younger age is also a risk factor.

16. Difficulty Communicating

As Alzheimer’s progresses an individual’s communication and language skills start to diminish. You may be talking to a person and in the middle of the conversation, they suddenly stop because they do not know what to say next.

Vocabulary can be particularly troublesome.

A person may struggle to identify the correct word; thus, end up using the wrong names to refer to things. For instance, an individual may call a house a car. Some individuals also have tendencies to invent new words and phrases.

Others will use one word repetitively. As time goes by, an individual may turn to the use of gestures.

15 Lewy Body Dementia Symptoms [LBD]

Rok Krivec Blog, Signs January 15, 2021October 18, 2021lewy body, lewy body dementia, sings, symptoms

It is essential to know the most common and not so common Lewy body dementia symptoms as it can help with treating a person early.

You also need to understand that this type of dementia is, according to statistics, the third most common one. Alzheimer’s disease/dementia and vascular dementia are the only two more frequent.

Fun fact: Robin Williams (August 2014) had Lewy body dementia (LBD), and it is one of the main reasons for suicide.

Someone who is affected by LBD develops problems with thinking, movement, mood, alertness and starts showing signs of depression.

Of course, diagnosing LBD is not as easy as it sounds. There are other brain diseases that also have similar symptoms and are often confused.

What is Lewy body dementia?

Lewy bodies are another name for the significant increase in the creation of proteins that occupy the brain. This same protein is also linked to Parkinson’s disease.

Similarly, those with Lewy body dementia have alike symptoms compared to Alzheimer’s disease.

Moreover, predominantly, more men than women are affected by LBD in their sixties and above. Also, if a family member has Lewy body dementia or Parkinson’s disease, relatives are at higher risk.

Common Lewy Body Dementia Symptoms

1. Changes In Reasoning

Lewy body dementia (LBD) or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) presents itself as progressive dementia that affects thinking, independent function, and reasoning.

Abnormal protein deposits that accumulate in certain areas of the brain over time damage its cells over resulting in the condition.

Depending on different circumstances, everyone affected by the condition will display differing symptoms from the onset. A few people experience changes in reasoning seeing them struggle to process information and plan.

Their flow of ideas may become unclear, disorganizer or seem illogical. Changes in behavior are also common when someone with the condition rationalizes things differently.

The person may gravitate towards risky behavior that is out of the norm because of their impaired judgment.

2. Visual Hallucinations

Hallucinations are amongst the most commonly experienced Lewy body dementia symptoms. In fact, about 80% of people with LBD experience hallucinations marked by seeing things that in real sense aren’t present.

In the beginning, someone with the condition will often see animals or children who aren’t present.

Rarely, a few people may also experience nonvisual hallucinations meaning that they respond to smells or hear things that don’t exist.

Often, if the hallucinations aren’t disruptive in nature then there isn’t a cause for concern or treatment isn’t required.

However, if the person begins to respond in harmful or dangerous ways concerning their hallucinations, it’s crucial to seek prescribed medication.

3. Movement Difficulties (Parkinsonism)

Some people suffering from DLB might never experience movement problems or it could take several years for them to start having this challenge.

It projects itself initially as things like handwriting changes in mild forms that it may easily be overlooked.

Often referred to as Parkinsonism, it describes the set of symptoms experienced during the offset of Parkinson’s disease dementia.

A person can experience the same symptoms with LBD in the later stages.

Some of the other signs that accompany it include:

Muscle stiffness
Loss of coordination
Slow movement when walking
Stooped posture
Shaking during rest
Balancing problems
Reduced facial expressions
A weakened voice when speaking
Difficulties swallowing

4. Changes In Body Function Regulation

People with LBD suffer from significant changes affecting the part of their nervous system that is responsible for automatic functions.

It includes functions related to the heart, muscles, and glands.

The Lewy body dementia symptoms that point out to a shift in body function regulation include:

Experiencing sudden body temperature changes
Heightened sensitivity to cold and heat
Dizziness
Frequent falls
Constipation
Blood pressure issues
Urinary incontinence
A diminished sense of smell

Some people with LBD will start suffering from restless leg syndrome which is a condition that compels them to move their legs while resting.

It may even happen while sleeping and the only way to stop the unpleasant sensation is by moving to relieve the discomfort.

5. Problems With Cognition

A person with LBD will often stare into space for prolonged periods of time and they also usually appear drowsy and lethargic. Problems with cognition is some of the common Lewy body dementia symptoms a majority of people experience.

It’s also identifiable from unpredictable changes in concentration, wakefulness, attention, and alertness throughout the day as well as from day to day.

The person will seem better one day only for them to re-occur the next day or worsen as the days progress. Typically, cognitive fluctuations are some of the symptoms that help physicians distinguish the condition from Alzheimer’s disease.

6. Sleep Problems

Sleep disorders can arise as one of the Lewy body dementia symptoms, but they often go undiagnosed. Visiting a sleep specialist can help with treating sleep problems as well as possibly diagnose the root cause.

Most people with DLB experience insomnia which is attributed to difficulties falling or staying asleep. People with LBD also experience excessive sleeping during the day where the person sleeps for two or more hours.

A few people also exhibit REM disorder which is a condition where someone seems to act out their dreams. In the case of REM, the person might talk while sleeping, display violent movements, and may even fall out of bed.

7. Memory Loss & Dementia

Degenerative thinking abilities or severe memory loss marked eventually set in and affect a person’s ability to perform their normal daily activities.

Memory loss is a primary Lewy body dementia symptom and it’s marked by forgetfulness, misidentifying objects, challenges multitasking, reasoning and problem-solving.

Confusion is yet another symptom that accompanies dementia and the person may suddenly have difficulties making sense of time and place.

However, unlike with Alzheimer’s dementia, the memory problems do not manifest at first but they start becoming apparent as LBD progresses.

Dementia can also alter mood and behavior leading the person to start displaying loss of initiative or poor judgment.

8. Inattentiveness and Confusion

Related to memory loss, a person with LBD may become more inattentive than usual combined with sudden confusion.

It’s best described as spacing out where someone in a situation that requires their undivided attention wanders off in their thoughts.

Several other symptoms collectively contribute to inattentiveness including difficulties with sleep. Once again it is something that will affect someone’s ability to perform daily tasks and it’s more pronounced for people who are employed.

They often find it difficult to get work done and grasp new information which leads to frustration for the individual and those around them.

As the condition progresses, it also affects both written and spoken speech.

9. Trouble Interpreting Visual Information

People with LBD have difficulties processing visual information with regard to object size, perceiving objects as overlapping, and they also display difficulties with counting tasks.

For instance, they may have problems drawing common objects like a clock and the symptom is worse in people who also experience visual hallucinations.

They also have trouble perceiving spatial information leading them to misjudge the distance between objects.

Often, a few of these visual issues can be handled either by prescribing antipsychotic medications or with the help of an eye-care practitioner.

Oftentimes, the diagnosis of visual problems can help in making the correlation to DLB as opposed to other neurodegenerative conditions.

10. Depression

People with LBD have a sense of understanding about the changes that they are experiencing. Before they receive a diagnosis, it can be frustrating trying to understand the root cause of the problems they are experiencing.

Often, they cannot control most of the symptoms on their own and they may feel like a burden to family or friends trying to help them through the challenging time.

It leads them to develop a feeling of sadness and they also start feeling worthless because of their inability to get tasks started or complete them.

Problems with sleep as well as eating only aggravates the situation, and soon people with LBD go into depression.

11. Apathy

Along with depression comes the disinterest in enjoying fun activities or even normal tasks. Apathy as one of the Lewy body dementia symptoms leads someone to withdraw from social interactions. Someone with LBD becomes upset easily, and they often resort to pacing around or wringing their hands because of their inability to feel settled.

They also repeat words or phrases severally which impedes their ability to hold a decent conversation. They can recognize their shortcomings in social settings which makes them rationalize that withdrawing from such situations is the solution.

It becomes more pronounced when the person becomes bedridden perhaps owing to the progression of one of the other symptoms.

12. Unpredictability Of Symptoms

One of the striking signs of DLB is the fact that the severity of symptoms changes from time to time. The shifts are often dramatic and someone can never tell when they are going to strike and in what form.

Often, it can give a false sense of hope that someone with the condition is cured only for the symptoms to come back in more severe forms. The shifts in “good days and bad days” makes it somehow easy to recognize that there is an existing health problem.

Subsequently, early diagnosis can come about from catching on to these unusual changes at the very start.

13. The One-Year Rule

Doctors typically use the one-year rule to make a diagnosis distinction between Lewy bodies dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

The rule of thumb is that cognitive difficulties precede movement issues by more than a year when someone has Parkinson’s diseaseis suffering from Parkinson’s disease dementia.

However, in the case of LBD, the cognitive problems may start concurrently with movement problems or within a year of developing issues with cognition.

The symptoms of Lewy bodies dementia are treatable on their own and complete recovery is based on their severity. However, much like all other forms of dementia, there is still no cure for this type of dementia.

14. Staring Into Space/Zoning Out

If a person is staring into space, it does not necessarily mean he or she has Lewy body dementia. However, once they keep doing it over and over again, over a longer period of time, you need to start taking things into consideration.

Indeed, staring into space or zoning out is one of Lewy body dementia symptoms, you should be aware of. For your information, they can stare into objects far away or items nearby.

One of the reasons they might begin to stare or completely lose track of what is happening around them is due to hallucinations. We already mentioned the latter above, so please re-read it if necessary.

15. Imperfect Digestive Process

Since Lewy body dementia affects all sorts of different parts of the body, one of the symptoms is an imperfect digestive process. A patient can experience all kinds of inconveniences, like dizziness, constipation and bowel issues.

If the body does not get enough nutrients through quality food, an array of other conditions can occur that can worsen dementia. Not just that, but rapidly speed up the progress.

As a caregiver, it is crucial to understand the ill person’s eating habits even from before the symptoms and the possibility of dementia become a thing.

You should act immediately and take the person to the doctor as soon as possible.

15 Symptoms Of Alzheimer’s In Elderly 2023

Rok Krivec Blog, Signs January 14, 2021February 25, 2023alzheimer's disease, signs of alzheimer's

We will look at the most typical and common symptoms of Alzheimer’s in elderly people.

As a caregiver or a relative, you need to be aware of these so you can take action early enough.

As soon as you start working on getting a senior to see a doctor and they prescribe an appropriate treatment, the easier the process.

Even if you think (or believe) sudden changes in behavior are due to old age, think again. With more and more people getting diagnosed with dementia (and Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause), you should take thing seriously enough.

There are about ten million new cases of dementia each year worldwide. Old people of the age sixty and beyond are those who are affected the most commonly.

However, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease appear in a much younger population, too.

What’s even more shocking, Alzheimer’s disease is one of the top leading causes of death in older adults. And the numbers keep on increasing due to the fact that there is still no cure for dementia.

But there are different treatments that lessen the impact, which is why you must be aware of the symptoms first and foremost.

Most Typical Symptoms of Alzheimer’s in Elderly

1. Misplacing Belongings

Scientists haven’t fully established the root cause of Alzheimer’s disease in relation to how it affects different people.

The condition is generally attributed to genetic components that are responsible for triggering the early-onset symptoms and a series of complex changes in the brain over time which results in late-onset Alzheimer’s.

One of the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer’s in elderly people presents itself as misplacing belongings.

It could be things like forgetting where to store items or placing things where they don’t belong. In the case of elderly people, it’s often thought of as a sign of aging and easily dismissed.

2. Trouble Forming New Memories

Age is a contributing risk factor when it comes to the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease as noted between people who are 65 to 85 years old.

Research suggests that the incidence of Alzheimer’s doubles every five years after the age of 65.

However, the disease does not correlate directly with aging but the odds of diagnosis is higher in older people. That is why signs like problems with forming new memories are hard to discern because several other issues related to aging have often become prominent by that time.

The illness, in general, affects the brain process and a person’s ability to form new memories.

3. Confusion Of Time

Abnormal plaques and tangles that develop as we age have been linked with the damaging and ultimate demise of the brain’s nerve cells.

Plaques refer to deposits of protein fragments known as beta-amyloid which may build up within nerve cell spacings over time. Tangles are twisted fibers of a different kind of protein known as tau.

Alzheimer’s affects most regions of the brain which in turn affects thinking, memory, judgment, problem-solving, language, behavior, and movement.

Confusion is yet another symptom of Alzheimer’s in elderly people that is often attributed to the aging process.

It affects someone’s ability to perceive places and also perceive the passing of time. They might forget what’s typical and also forget simple things like the day of the week.

4. Impairments With Abstract Thinking

As the damage developed by the brain cells worsens, it affects a person’s ability to organize their thoughts and express themselves. The disease begins to attack the brain cells long before the symptoms of Alzheimer’s in elderly people become apparent.

The pre-clinical stage is only discernable in research settings but the mild cognitive impairment that follows comes with signs related to diminished thinking and memory skills.

A person with Alzheimer’s disease often has challenges performing complex tasks that require critical thinking. Much like misplacing belongings, they might forget what numbers are for or have trouble co-relating the written digits with their corresponding names.

Someone with the disease also starts having challenges with things they often did with ease like balancing a checkbook.

5. Moderate Dementia

At some point, when the damage to the brain cells continues to worsen a person with Alzheimer’s develops moderate dementia.

The person becomes more confused and their forgetfulness also becomes heightened. It’s at this stage that they start having more challenges with activities of daily living, including things like grooming.

The period is marked by confusing names and even the inability to recognize friends or family members.

For the elderly, this is the point when they begin to wander around more, searching for places that feel familiar. The conditions make it unsafe to leave them alone and they start requiring a given level of assistance.

6. Inability to Communicate Coherently

Yet another symptom of Alzheimer’s in elderly people that is often confused with the natural aging process is the inability to communicate coherently.

As people age, it’s often typical for them to start speaking at a slower speed. People with Alzheimer’s often have trouble finding the simplest of words to express what they intend and they may substitute them with unusual words.

It makes both their written and spoken speech much harder to understand. They may want to find a hairbrush and refer to it as “that thing for the head,” which might seem odd or unusual of them particularly if they are the ones who misplaced the item in the first place.

7. Impaired Visuospatial Abilities

Some people might start having challenges with processing visual information pointing out to the possibility of the disease.

Problems are quite common, particularly in the case of people who develop cataracts during the aging process.

The change comes through as problems with reading, determining color, and judging distance. Given that different areas related to vision could develop sudden lapses, a person with Alzheimer’s might also have trouble perceiving movement as well as issues with their peripheral vision.

These are all things that pose a great problem when driving and signal that it’s time for the person to stop operating any type of machine.

8. Muscle Memory Loss

Several ailments affect fine motor skills including Parkinson’s disease but it’s also a symptom of Alzheimer’s in elderly people.

The tricky little tasks most of us take for granted like threading a needle, writing neatly, and buttoning a shirt all become problematic to someone with Alzheimer’s.

In the same way memory loss associated with remembering information affects people with the illness, they also suffer from muscle memory loss.

It refers to a diminished ability to make use of motor skills when the part of the brain that communicates with the muscles becomes damaged.

It’s visible through aspects like taking shorter steps with a shift to a particular side. Numbness experienced in the extremities can also signal the disease.

9. The Sundowner Syndrome

Insomnia is another symptom of Alzheimer’s in elderly people marked by shifts in patterns of sleeping.

However, the sleep issues one person develops may vary from what someone else with Alzheimer’s experiences.

It could be problems with falling asleep in the first place or conversely sleeping more than usual.

Often, the day/night sleep cycle suffers, resulting in the Sundowner Syndrome. It’s noticeable by the sudden increase in the length or number of day time naps.

At the same time, experts attribute it to one of the normal changes that come with aging but it’s safe to bring it to a physician’s attention.

10. Poor Grooming and Hygiene

Whether due to apathy or increased forgetfulness, poor grooming and hygiene are among the other symptoms of Alzheimer’s that are noted in the elderly.

It’s more apparent in individuals who often take good care of their appearance and all of a sudden start looking disheveled. You can identify it through aspects like a senior wearing the same clothes several days consecutively.

It also presents itself when someone stops shaving or stops brushing their hair or handling other grooming aspects like brushing their teeth.

Poor or lack of grooming also becomes more apparent as the condition progresses and affects a person’s motor skills.

11. Mood or Behavior Shifts

There is a tendency to notice that most seniors seem forlorn or less enthusiastic about life in general. Often, it’s even more evident in older adults who are suffering from terminal medical conditions.

People with Alzheimer’s experience the same symptoms marked with mood or behavior changes.

It is always inverse behavior, for instance, someone outgoing suddenly becomes withdrawn and another person known to keep to themselves might suddenly embrace an outgoing personality.

Anger and aggressive tendencies are also exhibited by people with Alzheimer’s when it’s unnecessary and appears out of line.

It all often comes from feeling extremely confused, suspicious of others in unfamiliar surroundings, and experiencing heightened anxiety.

12. Hallucinations, Paranoia, and Delusions

People suffering from various neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease, vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s often experience delusions, hallucinations, and paranoia.

Someone with the condition may feel out of their comfort zone and start being wary, suspicious, and distrustful about those around them.

They might also start seeing, hearing, smelling or even tasting things that don’t really exist.

Experiencing any of these symptoms whether in a woken state or when asleep isn’t usual by any account and seeking medical treatment could lead to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

The fact that it’s also a symptom that is characteristic of other conditions like schizophrenia could also lead to a false diagnosis.

13. Body Shuts Down

It’s unfortunate that Alzheimer’s, just like other neurodegenerative conditions, doesn’t have a cure. The conditions progressively worsen and soon enough, the person suffering from it loses their physical functions entirely.

That includes being bedridden and losing the ability to see, hear, or talk entirely.

It’s difficult to assess individual prognosis due to how the disease affects every individual differently and in the course of an indeterminate period before conclusive diagnosis.

Life expectancy after a diagnosis is roughly seven years; fewer than 3% of people who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s live past fourteen years.

The best that doctors can do following diagnosis is to manage the symptoms to the best of their abilities.

14. Repetitive Questioning

One of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s in the elderly is the fact that they keep on asking the same question over and over again. If you are blind to their condition, this may annoy you what can get you to react inappropriately towards them.

With this, you create even more tension in the person with Alzheimer’s disease, which can end up with irrational behavior. With that in mind, keep calm if the older adult asks the one question for the tenth time.

One thing you need to understand is that they, very likely, are unaware of the repetitive questioning.

If you have not already taken them to the doctor, now is the right time to seek help from a practitioner.

15. Poor judgment

It is very common that a person with Alzheimer’s disease starts experiencing poor judgment. This can affect all sorts of different aspects of one’s life.

For instance, they cannot make the right decision when it comes to money anymore. They do not have control over the money, payments and cost, paying less or giving away more money. It is sad that some people then start taking advantage of the latter.

Moreover, it is also widespread that an individual begins forgetting about taking care of themselves.

From washing themselves and their teeth to taking care of their clothes and other whatnot, hygiene becomes a struggle.

12 Warning Signs of Dementia [Common] 2023

Rok Krivec Blog, Signs January 12, 2021February 25, 2023dementia, signs of dementia, symptoms of dementia

With each passing year, we need to be more and more aware of the warning signs of dementia.

Why so? The fact of the matter is, there are more and more people affected by the disease in one form or another.

However, if you act early, you can positively impact the person with dementia and help alleviate the condition.

That said, you can discover some of the most common signs that are connected to a person with dementia. But only if you are familiar with them.

Some are pretty basic, almost mundane, but we just do not link them with dementia. Thus, it almost should be part of the general knowledge, knowing what signs to take into consideration.

Bear in mind, millions and millions of people are impacted by dementia globally and the number is only to increase year in and year out.

Most common warning signs of dementia

Trouble accomplishing mundane tasks

One of the most common signs of dementia is when one starts to develop a problem completing familiar tasks.

For instance, all of a sudden, they start having trouble making a cup of coffee or even bringing a meal to the table. Moreover, they forget how to tie shoelaces or clean the floor.

What was once a piece of cake, unexpectedly, a person gets distracted too frequently or completely forgets/ignores the process.

When you observe drastic and repeated changes in their behavior, it is very advisable to seek a doctor or a practitioner.

Together, you can then investigate the condition further and diagnose whether he or she has dementia.

Trouble Concentrating or Thinking

Concentration and thinking are essential for us to get going with our daily tasks. One of the early signs of dementia is having trouble concentrating or thinking.

We can characterize this symptom of dementia when one cannot maintain his focus on one thing or situation at a time.

He or she is constantly dealing with “having a million thoughts on one’s mind” at the same time which demands your attention. One might also have an unusual difficulty focusing on or remembering what he just said, the last food he ate or what he was doing just minutes ago.

There is also the tendency of forgetting names, phone numbers or what one was just thinking of.

Since concentration and thinking are necessary for accomplishing intellectual tasks, losing those will make living life much more difficult than usual.

Poor Short-term Memory

When one thinks of poor short-term memory, Dory from Disney’s Finding Nemo easily comes to mind. The character of Dory perfectly represents yet another one of the signs of dementia.

Similarly, a person suffering from dementia may not remember the address of the scuba diver written on the goggles which the Disney characters saw before almost getting eaten alive by an anglerfish.

This symptom can go as mild as forgetting some random events or even romantic conversations with one’s loving spouse which transpired just about twenty minutes ago.

There are also extreme cases where one becomes unable to recognize his spouse and whom he starts chasing out of the house for mistaking them as thieves breaking into their home.

Problem Finding the Right Words

Have you ever encountered someone whom when you were having a conversation with but usually utters a lot of filler words instead of articulating their thoughts?

How about a person who often says, “It’s at the tip of my tongue.” Or “I know the right word but I just cannot seem to find it.” Having difficulties finding the right words to say is one of the signs of dementia.

This is because a part of the memory of a person who has dementia, which is also called semantic memory, is impaired. It leads them to forget a person’s name even if they’ve known them for decades.

Once the semantic memory starts to be impaired, the part of the individual’s memory for understanding and recognizing words are similarly affected.

Easily Distracted

Getting easily distracted is another symptom that is mostly connected to being out of concentration. One who struggles with distractions regularly may experience difficulty meeting deadlines or keeping belongings organized.

If a person usually feels that he is getting quickly irritated with a sudden noise, music or anything that would be considered normal as to others, this circumstance results in making that person inefficient in his daily tasks.

Distractions clearly affect one’s functioning and cause social, academic or occupational impairment. Thus, one feeling this symptom of dementia may find himself overly stressed which may result to behave anxiously.

Misplacing Objects

Do you know someone who is constantly experiencing forgetting things; the location of the object or item he or she is searching for or even where they placed it?

Misplacing objects is one of the most recognizable signs of dementia.

A person may actually put things in very unusual places, such as remote control in the fridge or wristwatch in the trash bin. If you have someone suffering from dementia at home and he starts hiding things, be cautious of their future activities.

Such a person may not even realize that the items are not his nor do they belong to him.

People who have dementia are not intentionally trying to hide an important item but because of their mental incapacity, they just do not understand what they are actually doing.

Unmotivated

Loss of interest in social activities and hobbies are one of the main outcomes of being unmotivated.

Experiencing this sign of dementia lets that person feel that he is losing the meaning of life. He or she perceives that everything that they do is useless.

Instead of being the old positive risk-taker, this person has now become pessimistic and weak. Unmotivated behavior occurs when other symptoms severely affect your daily responsibilities.

Psychologists have labeled this as having a low level of self-efficacy which is the innate ability to influence the outcome of a project or venture.

People who have dementia also tend to forget thinking of long-term rewards and benefits. At the end of the day, isn’t that an essential element of motivation?

Confusion

It all starts with losing memory, forgetting names and lacking the ability to complete sentences. This leads to confusion that may begin to irritate the person with dementia.

It is a prevalent sign of dementia when patients get confused for not knowing where they put keys, their wallet, heck, even shoes.

Not just that, it goes so far they do not remember the person they just met. In some instances, they try to fake it, like they know who they are; however, in reality, they have no clue.

For everyone with dementia, it is important to speak openly about their situation, even if it is only about slight memory loss.

Appropriate treatment can help alleviate the condition.

Loss of Feeling for a Time

There are occasions when time or the place of their current location confuses people with dementia.

We identify this sign of dementia when one usually loses track of dates, seasons, due dates and even the passage of time. They may also have trouble understanding something if it is not happening immediately.

Thus, they have the tendency to forget what another person just said and act as nothing happened.

Worse is, sometimes they may even forget where they are and end up asking the questions, “Where am I?”, “What am I doing here” or even “How did I get here?”.

Alternatively, we can also call this symptom disorientation which may eventually result in having sleeping problems.

Avoiding Company

Sometimes, a person becomes unnecessarily and extremely withdrawn from his surroundings and the people around him.

People suffering from this symptom of dementia spend much of their time alone. Besides, even if they are with others, they may not have much of a conversation with them as they feel lonely or bored with engaging conversations.

They just do not feel comfortable when people are around them.

A person with dementia may find it difficult to initiate a conversation or participate in any social activity. Instead, the affected person may spend much of their time sleeping.

They may also seem disinterested if somebody tries to engage them or offer them something to do.

They are also more likely to lose interest in group interest, such as playing sports or going out for a movie. Instead, they rather choose to stay alone.

Difficulty Managing Money

Having money problems may be one of the first noticeable signs of dementia. At the early stages, a person with dementia may be able to perform basic tasks, such as paying bills, among others.

However, the affected person may have difficulty with more complicated tasks, such as balancing a checkbook. A person with dementia may also have trouble counting changes, paying for a purchase, calculating tips or even understanding bank statements.

The person may also not be comfortable, even afraid when he or she talks about money.

Moreover, he or she may sometimes perform unreasonable and unnecessary withdrawals from their bank account.

As the disease gets worse, the person may even try to hide their financial problems to maintain independence from their family and friends.

Rapid Mood Swings

A person who has been diagnosed with dementia can go from good to bad mood pretty quickly. Predominantly every living human being experiences mood swings, some more and the others less regularly.

It is hard to feel full of joy all the time, but we definitely need to do something about it when we are down all the time.

A healthy person can control the mood to some extent.

However, when it comes to a person with dementia, their rapid mood swings are uncontrollable. That said, if you are in the company of a person with this condition, their mood swings should not have any effect on you mentally.

Keep calm and understand that they are very likely not aware of their temper.

Different Types of Vascular Dementia

1. Multi-Infarct Dementia (MID)

What Causes MID

2. Subcortical Vascular Dementia

Symptoms of Subcortical Vascular Dementia

3. Strategic Infarct Dementia

Symptoms Associated With Strategic Infarct Dementia

4. Stroke-related Dementia

Symptoms Of Stroke-related Dementia

5. Post-Stroke Dementia

How Vision Changes With Dementia

1. The Field of Vision Becomes Narrow

2. Blurring

3. The brain does not Effectively Process Information from the Eyes

4. Pupils React to Light Slowly

5. Changes That Don’t Make Sense to “Healthy People”

Causes of Vision Problems in People with Dementia

Symptoms of Eyesight Issues for People with Dementia

Coping with Dementia and Eyesight Problems

Taking care of the eyes

Making adjustments to the environment

Enhancing communication techniques

Extra help

Closing Thoughts

What is the Link Between Epilepsy and Dementia?

Do Seizures Increase the Risk of Dementia?

What Causes Epileptic Episodes in People with Dementia

Diagnosis and Treatment of Seizures in Persons with Dementia

Dementia and Epilepsy Closing Remarks

Loss Of Smell can be a Sign of Dementia

Results of the Study

Take-Home from the Study

Related Studies

How Loss of Sense of Smell can lead to Dementia Development

Recommended Solutions

Closing Thoughts

The Link Between Hearing Loss and Dementia

Theories on How Hearing Loss can Increase Risk of Dementia

Cognitive Load

Changes in Brain Structure

Social Isolation

Solutions

Closing Thoughts

What is Diabetes

Causing Chemical Imbalance in the Brain

Development of Other Medical Conditions

Increasing Risk of Cerebrovascular Diseases

Affecting How the Brains Handles Insulin

Causing Inflammation

Increase the Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment

Build-Up of Proteins in the Blood

Type 1 Diabetes Causes Higher Risk of Dementia

A Decline in Cognitive Function

Closing Remarks

Study Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease Carefully

1. Memory Loss

2. Spontaneity/ Poor Judgements

3. Problems in Completing Daily Tasks

4. Trouble Managing Finances

5. Aggressive Tendencies

6. Inability To Grasp New Concepts

7. Over Sleeping

8. Weight Loss

9. Skin Infections

10. Trouble Swallowing

11. Recurring Falling and Tripping

12. Vision Changes

13. Social Withdrawal

14. “Childlike” or Clingy Behaviour

15. Seizures

16. Difficulty Communicating

What is Lewy body dementia?

Common Lewy Body Dementia Symptoms

1. Changes In Reasoning

2. Visual Hallucinations

3. Movement Difficulties (Parkinsonism)

4. Changes In Body Function Regulation

5. Problems With Cognition

6. Sleep Problems

7. Memory Loss & Dementia