Authentic Stages of Dementia: Symptoms, Causes, and Care

Dementia is a brain degenerative condition, which leads to deterioration of major cognitive abilities such as memory, reasoning, and capability to undertake simple tasks. It is a common name used to describe a series of symptoms such as confusion, memory loss, and hard-to-understand language or perform tasks. Dementia advances differently in various people, depending on the Stages of dementia and some other factors such as genetics, lifestyle, and general health.

This all-inclusive guide will give you an idea of the types and stages of dementia. we will also discuss the  causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments are concerned in order to assist you in gaining a much better insight of the intrigues of this debilitating ailment.

What is Dementia?

Dementia describes a set of impairments related to cognition that greatly affect the capability of an individual to carry out his everyday tasks. It is not only about losing memory but also concerns the lack of ability to communicate, solve problems and make judgment. Dementia is a significant and gradual loss that defines the process of aging as well as whose net impact is gross undercutting of the quality of life of a person.

Dementia is a progressive disorder, that is progressive in nature or one that worsens as time goes by. It occurs due to damage of the brain cells resulting in diminished cognitive ability. It may result in behavioral changes, confusion and loss of basic motor skills such as walking or feeding oneself.

Causes of Dementia are different underlying conditions, which include Alzheimer, vascular dementia, and Lewy body dementia among others. Although these conditions have similar symptoms, the course and effect might differ remarkably as per the nature of dementia.

Stages of Dementia

Stages of dementia denote the patterns of the disease progression where the symptoms grow with the progression of the condition. The phases can be grouped into early, middle and late phases. Such stages are important to understand in order to create an effective plan of care and treatment. Although they may not be the same in different people it can be a guide to how dementia evolves.

What Are the Stages of Dementia?

Dementia does not just spring out. It undergoes phases and at every stage, new problems arise to the affected and the caregivers. There are mild, moderate, and severe stages of dementia and each stage indicates a different degree of cognitive and functional decline.

1. Early-stage dementia (Mild):

   At this stage the symptoms tend to be mild and one can experience forgetfulness, an inability to think straight and sometimes losing things. During the first stage, an individual might be capable of independent life though they might have problems with remembering the appointment, meeting complex instructions, or doing tasks that they used to do comfortably.
   The most obvious symptom at this stage is usually memory loss but still, logic can remain relatively intact.

2. Middle-stage dementia (Moderate):

   As the dementia worsens, people may start to experience greater problems with their thinking. At this point, the person might not be able to identify relatives, be confused about their surroundings, and fail to complete daily tasks such as cooking or dressing. The memory loss increases, and they might require assistance with organizing finances, personal care as well as other daily activities.

3. Late-stage dementia (Severe):

   In this final stage of dementia a person is mostly incapable of performing basic necessities and relies on others. They can lose their ability to talk or even to recognize people that are close to them and their motor abilities can deteriorate to the level that they are not able to walk and sit anymore without the support of any object. It becomes challenging to swallow and eat, and people might require the help of others to feed, take care of hygiene and other important tasks.
   Knowing these stages is important to care givers and health professionals as they should change the care style to suit the needs of the person at each step.

How Important Are the Stages of Dementia?

It is also important to become aware and familiar with the stages of dementia in order to aid in the process of care giving and patient care. These stages are associated with different issues, which can only be addressed using a different approach to treatment, therapy, and support. An understanding of the level of dementia in an individual enables the caregivers to create a favorable table of care that will support the mental, emotional and physical necessities of a patient.

As illustration, during the early years, an individual can still take care of himself and be able to undertake some of the activities, at the older years, a person can require 24 hours attention. Knowing the stages will allow caregivers to offer appropriate support at an appropriate time and minimize the likelihood of physical abuse or emotional suffering.

Why is Dementia Progressive?

Dementia is a progressive condition, which develops with time mainly because of disintegration of brain cells. The condition is caused by an occurrence of this progression when the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain are either damaged or destroyed hindering normal brain functioning. Destruction of brain cells interferes with the communication between various sections of the brain which explains cognitive impairment that forms part of dementia.

As in the case of Alzheimer s disease, it becomes a build-up of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain that disrupt a normal functioning brain. Notable, vascular dementia has these in common with Alzheimer like damage affecting the blood vessels in the brain to interfere with the flow of blood, resulting in effects affecting the cognitive abilities of a person. The disease is progressive thus the affected individual will need to be under more intensive care and support as it progresses.

How Quickly Does Dementia Progress?

Dementia may develop extremely slowly or rapidly depending on the individual. The symptoms can take many years to develop but in other instances, the disease can progress faster. Dementia can begin gradually, as in the case of Alzheimer disease, and it can manifest itself suddenly, as with vascular dementia, which can hit immediately after an individual has suffered a stroke or a large number of simultaneous small strokes.

The speed of the process can be influenced by a number of issues, among which is age, general health, some genetic factors, and other medical conditions, such as a heart disease or diabetes. Treatment and intervention can occasionally result in slowed dementia progress and is currently incurable.

What is the Life Expectancy for Dementia Stages?

Individuals with dementia have a very variable life expectancy due to the stages of dementia, the status of diagnosis, and general health of the person. Depending on an individual, they can live anything between 3 to 20 years, on average, once they have been diagnosed with dementia. But when dementia progresses to the later stages, the expectation of life is rather shortened.

As an example, in severe stages of Alzheimer, a patient may not be able to swallow and manage their body functions, which can then result in infections or pneumonia. The complications may highly reduce life expectancy.

Causes of Dementia

There are numerous possibilities of what causes Dementia, including genetic, environments and lifestyle factors. The causes of dementia should be understood because it is important in terms of prevention and treatment plans.

Dementia Causes

Dementia has a number of major causes, and each of them has its effect on the brain. Among the most usual reasons are:

1. Alzheimer Disease: This disease is the most common form of dementia where abnormal proteins (amyloid plaques and tangles of tau) become accumulated in the brain culminating to memory loss, confusion and impaired cognition.
2. Vascular Dementia: This kind of dementia is the result of slower delivery of blood to the brain that is often as a result of stroke or sequence of small strokes. Damage of the brain that impairs the mental abilities occurs as a result of the unavailability of blood circulation in the brain.
3. Lewy Body Dementia: this kind of dementia results due to the occurrence of abnormal protein deposits, known as Lewy bodies, in the brain. These deposits interfere with normal functioning of the brain and may result to symptoms resembling both Alzheimer and Parkinson disease.
4. Frontotemporal Dementia: This kind of dementia occurs when damage to the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain results in change in behavior, personality and language skills.

Knowing the actual cause of dementia can assist in the treatment areas and assistive measures towards the individual afflicted.

Risk Factors for Dementia

There are some risk factors which may predispose one to development of dementia. Among the main risk factors, there are:

1. Age: The danger of developing dementia heightens as age increases, especially when one is above 65 years.
2. Genetics: A family history is quite important. People who have a relative diagnosed with dementia have more chances of contracting the condition as well.
3. Lifestyle Factors: There is increased risk associated with poor diet habits, physical inactivity, smoking and handling of alcohol in more than needed amounts all of which increase the risk of a person developing dementia.
4. Heart Health: High blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol are conditions that may harm the blood vessels leading to increased likelihood of vascular dementia.

By managing these risk factors at an early stage, one will decrease the chance of having dementia or at least preventing its occurrence at an early age.

Types of Dementia

Dementia is not a solitary disease but a blanket category that forms various types of brain disorders, each with its cause and nature. To treat people with correct diagnosis, it is important to know about various types of dementia. All the types influence the brain differently causing problems with memory, thinking, behavior, and normal functioning.

Alzheimer’s Disease

The most predominant illness that causes dementia is called Alzheimer and it is estimated to be in the vicinity of 60-80 percent. It mainly affects the memory and cognitive skills; it usually begins with slight memory loss and advances to severe impairment of the cognition. Amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain are the main characteristics of Alzheimer that affect communication between cells and lead to deaths of brain cells.

In the late stages of Alzheimer, the symptoms of the disease include confusion and disorientation, a change in personalities, and failure to recognize loved ones. There is no cure with treatment aimed at slowing down the progression and reducing the symptoms.

Vascular Dementia

The second most prevalent form of dementia is known as vascular dementia and this type is caused by a limited blood supply to the brain as caused by stroke and other related vascular diseases. This condition may develop immediately following a stroke or it may also develop over a period of time due to permanent damage of the blood vessels in the brain. Sometimes, reasoning, judgment and memory are affected by vascular dementia.

However, unlike the Alzheimer situation, which involves memory centers of the brain, it is more likely that vascular dementia will affect the executive functioning of the brain like problem solving and planning. The condition can be managed early and the damage to the blood supply of the brain can be avoided by a diagnosis.

Lewy Body Dementia

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a disease that is defined by formation of abnormality in the brain that is made up of protein called the Lewy bodies. The presence of these deposits compromises the performance of the brain resulting in symptoms that include visual hallucinations, motor difficulty (that resembles Parkinson disease) and the decline in cognitive performance. LBD may result in erratic thoughts with the affected person alternating between lucidity and perplexity.

Tremors and stiffness known as motor symptoms are not uncommon, and they can go before the cognitive symptoms. Treatment is symptomatic that aims at the balance of medications and physical activities.

Frontotemporal Dementia

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a type of dementia, which is less common, targeting the frontal and the temporal lobes of the brain. It normally produces premature developments in the areas of personality-behaviour and language abilities but not memory. Disinhibition, loss of impulse control, or socially inappropriate behavior is possible in FTD patients, who may also fail to express themselves easily.

FTD has several subtypes, that include the behavioral variant FTD, and primary progressive aphasia. Due to the younger age in which the FTD strikes, normally between the ages of 40 -65 FTD is often difficult to be diagnosed. The purpose of treatment is to coordinate symptoms and stabilize the people affected.

Symptoms of Dementia

Dementia symptoms may significantly differ because of the stages of dementia and its course. Nonetheless, there are a few symptoms that are common to most types of dementia and these include memory loss, confusion and trouble with everyday tasks. Usually, the progressive development of dementia leads to the deterioration of the symptoms, which, in turn, may significantly affect the independence of an individual.

Common Symptoms for Stages of Dementia

The typical symptoms of dementia are mostly:

• Memory loss: It can be loss of recent events, conversation, or appointments.
• Confusion: Losing the way in the familiar territory or not identifying people.
• Communication problems: Having problems in finding words, keeping up with conversations or language comprehension.
• Change of mood: Irritability, depression or anxiety improvements.
• Disorientation: not being aware of time of day, place or date.

With the advancement of dementia, these symptoms increase and the person might need a full-time care and help to live taking care of him or herself.

Sudden Changes in Symptoms

Usually in other stages of dementia, dementia becomes worse over time, however it also may happen that there are changes in symptoms rather suddenly. Sudden changes of behavior or cognitive function might lead to a more sinister condition such as:

• Infection: Sudden confusion with altered behavior of a person with dementia may be caused by urinary tract infections (UTIs) or pneumonia.
• Strokes: There may be vascular dementia where a stroke will result in an acute deterioration in mental abilities.
• Side effects of medications: Some medications or drug interactions can result in confusion, drowsiness or mental problems.

Sudden changes in the symptoms are the conditions when medical consultation is necessary because if the problem is treated early on, it may be accompanied by the issues that will be addressed.

Dementia Diagnosis

Early detection of dementia is important in slowing down the process of a disorder and in controlling its symptoms. Early diagnosis can help intervene early and improve the quality of life of the sufferers and enable the families to be prepared to what is about to happen.

How is Dementia Diagnosed?

Diagnosis In most cases, a diagnosis of dementia can be achieved through a set of tests which may include:

• Cognitive tests: The doctors perform standardized tests that evaluate memory, logic, and other thinking abilities. The tests are used in establishing the extent of dementia.
• Brain imaging: scan technology, such as CT or MRI can indicate altered brain form where the tissue has actually diminished which is frequent in certain dementia.
• Blood tests: Blood tests aid in determining other illnesses, which may bring about the symptoms of dementia like thyroid, vitamin deficiencies or infections.

Physicians can also carry out a detailed medical history evaluation and determine the family history because genetics play an important role in causing dementia. Early detection should be upheld in putting the most appropriate treatment and care options.

Treatments for stages of dementia

Though dementia has no cure at the current moment, it can still be treated with the help of different means to control symptoms and to delay the pending disease process. These treatments are mainly geared towards quality of live improvement, eliminating distressing symptoms, as well as care givers.

Available Treatments for Stages of Dementia

• Medications: Medicines such as Cholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil, rivastigmine) can be used in the management of the symptoms which boost the number of neurotransmitters in the brain. The medications are readily administered in Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia.
• Cognitive therapy: Therapy sessions done to improve memory and enhance thinking, e.g. cognitive stimulation therapy or reminiscence therapy, which involves mental exercises and activities, have a positive effect on memory and mental functions.
• Physical therapy: Daily exercise, including walking or any chair movements can assist in enhancing physical condition, movement and general health. It also can decrease the risk of other health-related issues such as falling or cardiovascular risks.

Treatment is usually designed on the basis of the form of dementia and its specific symptoms, and this form of treatment also needs to be reviewed by the healthcare provider on a regular basis.

Living With Dementia

Take care of a dementia patient is difficult but with the appropriate assistance, dementia patients could live well. These are some of the tips about living day to day with dementia:

• Make the environment safe: Get rid of anything dangerous and make the home have an easy traffic. Install some grab bars, have adequate lighting and consider daily reminders and alarms.
• Routine and organization: Having a routine and organization in everyday activities individuals with dementia feel safer and less disoriented or even angry.
• Promotes independence: Help people to be as independent as they can be even though this may mean people have more assistance or have some slightly changed tasks.

The support network is important to the care giver because it may work to help alleviate stress and also to give ideas on how to handle the problems of taking care of the care receiver.

Preventing Dementia

Although old age inevitably results in dementia, there are a number of lifestyle modifications a person can make in order to minimize their chances of developing cognitive loss, or postpone its development:

• Consistent physical exercise: Physical activity improves brain circulation, heart condition, and preservation of thoughts.
• Healthy dieting: Proper diet high in antioxidants, omega-3, and fatty acid with low fat-content can safeguard the brain. The mediterranean diet has also resulted in a reduced chance of Alzheimer disease.
• Mental stimulation: Mentally stimulating activities such as reading, puzzles, new skills by which the brain can be kept active and help in the lowering risk of getting dementia.

Life After Diagnosis of stages of dementia.

A dementia diagnosis may be a heavy burden, but it does not mean that people cannot live normal lives with proper treatment and attention. People can cope with the condition with the understanding of the disease, treatment, and lifestyle modification.

What If the Person Has a Sudden Change in Symptoms of stages of dementia?

There can be sudden changes in symptoms which have a reflection to some etiology like an infection, medication reaction or other health complications. It is important to consult a doctor as soon as possible in order to clarify the situation and make sure that an individual takes proper care.

Have You Recently Been Diagnosed with Dementia?

In case you or your loved one was diagnosed with dementia, it would be necessary to cooperate with the medical team and support system. The creation of a plan of care, taking into account treatment opportunities, the beginning of home changes will raise the quality of life of the person and assurance of the caregivers.