Mild, medium, severe: experts named the signs of different stages of dementia

Dementia (senile dementia), of which Alzheimer's disease is the most common variant, develops over many years. Depending on the stage, the disease manifests itself in different ways. Experts named the main signs of the disease and explained how a person's behavior differs at different stages of the disease.

Mild degree of dementia

Initial dementia lasts from two to four years. A person remains capable and independent. The main symptoms to pay attention to are mild memory impairment, leading to difficulty in performing complex tasks, muddled thinking, a tendency to depression and outbursts of aggression.

Moderate degree of dementia

The middle stage is the longest, it lasts up to 10 years. At this stage of the disease, sleep is often disturbed, a person may lose the thread of conversation, including due to the progressive deterioration of short-term memory (a person remembers events that happened long ago, but can not remember what he ate for breakfast and lunch today, where he went yesterday, etc.). The patient experiences significant difficulties in making elementary decisions. The character changes - the person becomes suspicious. Some patients may have periods of senseless actions, delusions and hallucinations.

Severe dementia

At this stage, memory loss becomes so significant that patients stop recognizing relatives and friends, become indifferent to what is happening around them, completely lose touch with reality. They lose the ability to be independent and need round-the-clock supervision and care.

Existing methods of treatment (including drug therapy, lifestyle changes, physical activity and exercises that support cognitive function) are not able to reverse the disease, but can noticeably slow its progression. Therefore, early referral to a neurologist and psychotherapist (psychiatrist) helps to delay the transition of the disease to a more advanced stage. Unfortunately, the patient himself is not always aware of what is happening to him, so the active position and support of his relatives is extremely important.