Symptoms of dementia

Having trouble thinking of a word can be caused by short-term things like stress or lack of sleep, or more chronic things like dementia or a stroke. The person still knows the meaning and context of a word, but there’s a breakdown in retrieving the name.

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This can look like:

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• Frequently replacing terms with general words like “thing”, “stuff”, or “it”.

• Stopping a sentence/not speaking as much due to self-consciousness.

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What can we do about it: 

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• The person having word finding difficulty can describe the word! Use words and gestures to convey things like what category it is, what it’s made of, what it looks like, any similar words, and where you could find it. 

• Use technology. Is there a picture or video of it? Or can it be found from searching some of those describing words?

• There are different exercises we can do to strengthen word retrieval and prevent further loss of ability. Things like playing card games and doing crossword puzzles might help as well.

Problem solving requires many parts of the brain to be working together and making quick decisions.  Something once automatic can become overwhelming with a cognitive impairment like dementia.

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This can look like:

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• Getting frustrated while planning, budgeting, or working.

• Feeling ill or uncomfortable but not being able to resolve the issue.

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What we can do about it: 

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• A trusted loved one can take on the burden of complicated scenarios that become overwhelming.

• Tasks can be broken down into smaller steps and built into routines.

• Look into the safety of tasks they’re completing. Driving may become unsafe with reduced problem solving abilities.

Different types of memory (e.g., short term vs long term) are affected in different ways. The ability to quickly retrieve past experiences can become difficult to not possible.

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This can look like:

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• Not remembering conversations or becoming frustrated about not being told about something (that they were informed of).

• Missing appointments, forgetting about commitments, not completing their usual routines.

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What we can do about it: 

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• Playing a game of bingo, reminiscing about past experiences, and completing recall activities.

• A trusted loved one can take the burden of making sure appointments are kept, bills are paid, and other responsibilities are fulfilled.

• Technology can provide helpful reminders through notifications, calendar entries, receiving reminder text messages, and holding pictures to support recall of places/things/people.

Becoming disoriented can impact a persons reality. They may lose insight into details about themselves, their surroundings, the time/year or their purpose. 

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This can look like:

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• A person may think it’s a different year and even that a deceased loved one is still around.

• Someone may think they’re at home when they’re in a hospital or nursing facility.

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What we can do about it: 

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• As with all treatment, it should be specifically tailored to each person- being disoriented can cause distress as can having incorrect perceptions corrected. There are resources, such as orientation boards that are helpful for some but not recommended for others.