According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 6.8 million Americans suffer from dementia, of which, 1.8 million are severely affected. The count is expected to increase 3 to 4 fold in the next fifty years. A disorder of the brain, dementia affects your ability to think, perform day to day activities, leads to memory loss and impedes your communication abilities. Due to the complexity of the disease, varied causes and treatment options, early detection and treatment may enable you to cope up with the disease and lead a normal life.
Extremely Mild Cognitive Decline
During this stage, there are hardly any signs of memory loss. However, as the condition progresses, forgetting familiar names, words and other objects used daily become common. You may begin to have trouble dealing with basic tasks such as driving, cooking and gardening. Your family or friends recognize these symptoms in your behavior. If that is the case, consulting an expert should be a priority.
Early Stage Dementia
Early stage dementia portrays several symptoms related to loss of memory. This also includes inability to remember names of people around you. There tends to be a massive change in personality with mood swings and irritability. Your retention ability after reading books or magazines is also reduced. You fail to organize and plan things. Misplacing objects also becomes a regular phenomenon.
Moderate Dementia
According to DementiaCareCentral.com, a website funded by National Institute of Aging, in this stage, you have problems in recognizing things, as well as recalling your current address, the school from which you graduated, what time your favorite show comes on and other such obvious information. Your cognitive abilities are severely affected--you even cannot carry out basic calculations. Choosing the right type of clothing also requires assistance and time.
Severe Cognitive Decline
This is the penultimate stage of dementia. There are substantial changes in your personality. You tend to lose track of the recent happenings and events. There is a disturbance in your sleeping and waking cycle. There are increased occurrences of fecal and urinal incontinence. Behavioral changes are induced such as suspicion and repetitive behavior, as well as others. There are also instances where you tend to become lost and wander about.
Severe Dementia
This is the final stage of dementia, where you are unable to take care of yourself. You need to be under constant care. Your ability to recognize regular items, such as forks, knives and shoes, is considerably reduced. You need assistance to use the toilet, take a bath and get dressed. There is difficulty with mobility and moving around. The behavioral changes become more evident and there is an uptick in aggression. Your muscles and reflexes become rigid and abnormal. Ability to communicate in recognizable speech is completely impaired at this stage of dementia.
