Age Dementia Symptoms

When an individual begins to lose his cognitive and mental functions--including the ability to make decisions, remember events and familiar faces--or loses the ability to communicate effectively, it may be a sign of age-related dementia. Because the symptoms of dementia may also be caused by a different illness or a reaction to medication, an examination by the patient's doctor is an important part of making a diagnosis.

Memory Loss

• Dementia patients may suffer short-term memory loss, resulting in the frequent repetition of a story or the inability to remember where they placed a certain item. However, they may still remember events that happened decades ago with clarity during the early stages of dementia.

Emotional Symptoms

• When dementia strikes, the individual may appear to be depressed or disinterested in activities that he once enjoyed. In addition, he may become anxious or may lack the necessary motivation to complete tasks. As dementia progresses, the patient may describe hallucinations and paranoia. Because there are different types of dementia, not all patients will experience the same symptoms.

Spatial Orientation

• In Alzheimer's dementia, a common form of age-related senility, the patient may lose the ability to determine where he is--even in formerly familiar locations. He may take a wrong turn when going home and become lost, or he may not recognize his own neighborhood. His sense of direction may become skewed.

Sleep

• Alzheimer's and other types of dementia may affect an individual's ability to get a good night's sleep. His normal body clock may lose track of time. He may experience insomnia at night or sleep often during the daytime. He may begin sleepwalking, creating a danger to himself.

Physical

• In the later stages of Alzheimer's and in other types of dementia, such as Lewy body dementia, the individual may gradually lose control of physical motor coordination. Her muscles may become stiffened, reducing her movements; she may lose the ability to grasp objects, and it may become progressively more difficult to walk and feed herself. During advanced stages of dementia, the patient may forget how to chew or swallow food.

Diagnosis

• Because early symptoms of age-related dementia may have another cause, diagnosis may be difficult. After a diagnosis of dementia, the patient may be advised of medical treatments that may reduce some of the symptoms and may slow the progression of the disease. But there is no cure for age-related dementia.