Behavioural Signs of Dementia

Disruptive behavior is a common symptom of dementia. It often manifests in fits and tantrums that are difficult to handle. Many people with dementia are hospitalized or sent to nursing homes because of the behavioral signs of the disease. When the safety of the patient and others is at stake, family members often must turn to professionals for assistance.

Wandering

• A common disruptive behavior is the tendency for patients with dementia to wander off from their homes at odd hours. Alarms and locks are required to keep them safe. Hospitals have difficulty dealing with patients who aimlessly wander off because they are not equipped to restrain the person for long periods of time and the behavior becomes disruptive to other patients.

Aggression

• Physical and verbal aggression often indicates the beginning stages of dementia when the recipient of the assault has done nothing to deserve the treatment. Patients exhibiting signs of dementia may lash out when they are asked to do something they don't want to do or when they interpret steps to help them as an assault. Cursing and screaming are signs of dementia as are hitting, pushing, grabbing and throwing things.

Depression

• Sometimes depression is a precursor to dementia and sometimes it is a side effect. Either way, the signs to watch for include loss of appetite, interrupted sleep patterns and talk of death and dying. Patients with dementia who are also depressed need to be treated for the depression or they may actually harm themselves.

Cognition

• Failure of patients to recognize common words, people or places is a behavior that is common to those developing dementia. Attention and concentration may be slow or nonexistent. Short-term memory is the first sign of dementia. Anxiety over the lost cognitive functions often follows the original forgetfulness, causing even more personality changes.

Emotions

• Displays of emotion that were common to the person may begin to change radically in early stages of dementia. What once made them sad may cause them to laugh. Their sense of humor takes on new dimensions. Mood swings may occur out of the blue for no apparent reason. A person who once took pride in their appearance may stop bathing or performing other cleaning chores in the home. Any major personality changes may indicate signs of onset dementia.

Progression

• The onset of dementia typically happens slowly, while other mental impairments will come on rather quickly and escalate in a very short time. The early signs include asking the same questions over and over or repeating the same stories in a short period of time. Patients often forget where they leave things and become anxious and paranoid that others are tricking them. Early signs can last for up to a year or more and gradually get worse until more aggressive behaviors begin.