Dementia as a term refers to a variety of symptoms resulting from damage to brain cells, which alters the ability of the brain to perform its regular activities. Different illnesses cause this damage to occur in different patterns, which in turn produce unique symptoms.These patterns correspond to the different types of dementia, for e.g Alzheimer’s disease, dementia in Lewy bodies etc.
Some common signs of dementia include:
- Memory loss and thinking difficulties
- Difficulty coping with daily tasks and functioning independently
- Language & communication difficulties
- Changes in mood, judgment or personality
Dementia usually occurs among the elderly population (aged 65 and above). If an individual younger than 65 is diagnosed with dementia, it is called ‘early-onset’ dementia and is quite rare.
Though memory loss generally occurs in dementia, memory loss alone doesn’t mean you have dementia. For a diagnosis of dementia, at least one more of the following core mental functions must also be significantly impaired to be considered dementia:
- Communication and language
- Ability to focus and pay attention
- Reasoning and judgment
- Visual perception
- Orientation and comprehension