Four Types of Dementia

Signs:

Signs:

The signs are observable characteristics that can be seen through observation, the signs for Alz are recognised as:

• confusion, disorientation and getting lost in familiar places
• difficulty planning or making decisions
• problems with speech and language
• problems moving around without assistance or performing self-care tasks
• personality changes, such as becoming aggressive, demanding and suspicious of others
• hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there) and delusions (believing things that are untrue)
• low mood or anxiety

Symptoms:

Symptoms are features that cause irrritation, making the indivudals complain, the symptoms of Alz are recognised as:

Middle Symptoms:

Early Symptoms:

Later Symptoms:

Symptoms:

• increasing confusion and disorientation – for example, getting lost, or wandering and not knowing what time of day it is
• obsessive, repetitive or impulsive behaviour
• delusions (believing things that are untrue) or feeling paranoid and suspicious about carers or family members
• problems with speech or language (aphasia)
• disturbed sleep
• changes in mood, such as frequent mood swings, depression and feeling increasingly anxious, frustrated or agitated
• difficulty performing spatial tasks, such as judging distances
• seeing or hearing things that other people do not (hallucinations)

• difficulty eating and swallowing (dysphagia)
• difficulty changing position or moving around without assistance
• weight loss – sometimes severe
• unintentional passing of urine (urinary incontinence) or stools (bowel incontinence)
• gradual loss of speech
• significant problems with short- and long-term memory

• forget about recent conversations or events
• misplace items
• forget the names of places and objects
• have trouble thinking of the right word
• ask questions repetitively
• show poor judgement or find it harder to make decisions
• become less flexible and more hesitant to try new things

7 stages:

7 Stages

• Normal behaviour. People with early stage dementia exhibit completely normal behaviour.
• Very mild cognitive decline/forgetfulness.
• Mild cognitive decline.
• Moderate cognitive decline.
• Moderately severe cognitive decline.
• Severe cognitive decline.
• Very severe cognitive decline.

Who is most at risk?

There are a number of lifestyle factors that can increase your risk of a dementia diagnosis, including:

Who is most a risk?

• Smoking
• Drinking excess alcohol
• Not exercising much
• Being overweight
• Eating an unhealthy diet

Symptoms:

• slowness of thought
• difficulty with planning and understanding
• problems with concentration
• changes to your mood, personality or behaviour
• feeling disoriented and confused
• difficulty walking and keeping balance
• symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, such as problems with memory and language (many people with vascular dementia also have Alzheimer's disease).

Symptoms

Symptoms

Symptoms

• personality and behaviour changes – acting inappropriately or impulsively, appearing selfish or unsympathetic, neglecting personal hygiene, overeating, or loss of motivation
• language problems – speaking slowly, struggling to make the right sounds when saying a word, getting words in the wrong order, or using words incorrectly
• problems with mental abilities – getting distracted easily, struggling with planning and organisation
• memory problems – these only tend to occur later on, unlike more common forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease.

Other names:

Doctors sometimes use different names to describe frontotemporal dementia. These include:

• FTD
• Pick's disease
• frontal dementia
• frontotemporal lobar degeneration
• behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia
• primary progressive aphasia
• semantic dementia
• progressive non-fluent aphasia

Other names for it

Diagnosis

Blood tests – to rule out conditions with similar symptoms. Brain scans – such as an MRI scan, a CT scan or a PET scan; these can detect signs of dementia and help identify which parts of the brain are most affected, or help rule out other problems with the brain.

Diagnosis

Symptoms:

Symptoms

• hallucinations – seeing, hearing or smelling things that are not there
• problems with understanding, thinking, memory and judgement – this is similar to Alzheimer's disease, although memory may be less affected in people with dementia with Lewy bodies
• confusion or sleepiness – this can change over minutes or hours
• slow movement, stiff limbs and tremors (uncontrollable shaking)
• disturbed sleep, often with violent movements and shouting out
• fainting spells, unsteadiness and falls

Following can be used for diagnosis:

Following can be used for diagnosis

An assessment of symptoms – for example, whether there are typical symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies.

An assessment of mental abilities – this will usually involve a number of tasks and questions

blood tests to rule out conditions with similar symptoms.

Brain scans, such as an MRI scan, CT scan or a SPECT scan – these can detect signs of dementia or other problems with the brain.

Treatments used to control symptoms:

Treatments

Medicines to reduce hallucinations, confusion, drowsiness, movement problems and disturbed sleep.

Therapies such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy for problems with movement, everyday tasks, and communication.

Psychological therapies, such as cognitive stimulation (activities and exercises designed to improve memory, problem solving skills and language ability).

Dementia activities, such as memory cafes (drop-in sessions for people with memory problems and their carers to get support and advice).