In the early stages of dementia, a person with dementia may:
- Become more forgetful
- Be confused about decisions, handling money, and directions
- Seem tired
- Seem “different” than usual and make odd judgments and social mistakes
- Repeat things
- Be confused about times and places
In the middle stages of dementia, a person with dementia may:
- Wander or pace
- Have difficulty recognizing friends and family
- Become impatient, restless, irritable, and emotional
- Be unable to learn new things
- Have trouble organizing and expressing thoughts
- Become suspicious of others or see and hear things that are not there
- Have trouble dressing appropriately
- Resist being helped and may be more aggressive toward others
In the later stages of the disease, a person with dementia may:
- Be unable to perform most activities of daily living
- Lose control over bladder and bowel functions
- Be unable to communicate or follow directions
- Seem to live in a “fantasy world” (talking to people and about things that are not real)
- Become irritated easily
- Be unable to walk or sit alone
- Spend much more time sleeping
- Appear withdrawn from the world around him or her
Important Note: The above is especially targeted at symptoms people experience with Alzheimer’s. If your loved one is experiencing another type of dementia, it is important to understand his or her cognitive strengths and weaknesses—now and over time—and the typical progression of his or her type of dementia.
Alzheimer's Assn.