Dementia is often thought of as a memory problem, such as when an elderly person asks the same questions or misplaces things. In fact, people with dementia will not only experience problems in other areas of cognition such as learning, thinking, understanding and judgement, but may also experience changes in behavior.
It is important to understand what dementia is and how it manifests itself. I had no idea that my grandmother’s strange behaviors were an early warning sign of a much more serious condition.
He would become easily upset if he was not successful in completing tasks such as cooking or baking. He would claim to see a woman around the house, even though no woman was actually there. He also became distrustful of others and hid things in strange places.
These behaviors persisted for quite some time before he was finally diagnosed with dementia.
Cognitive and behavioral impairment
When cognitive and behavioral changes interfere with a person’s functional independence, that person is considered to have dementia. However, when cognitive and behavioral changes do not interfere with a person’s independence, but still negatively affect relationships and workplace performance, they are referred to as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild conduct disorder (MBI)respectively.
MCI and MBI can occur togetherbut in a third of people who develop Alzheimer’s dementia, behavioral symptoms appear before cognitive decline.
Identifying these behavioral changes, which occur in later life (ages 50 and older) and represent a persistent change from long-standing patterns, may be useful for implementing preventive treatments before more severe symptoms appear. As a PhD candidate, my research focuses on problematic behaviors that emerge later in life and indicate increased risk for dementia.
Five behavioral signs to look for
(Daniella Velone)
There are five basic behaviors we can look for it in friends and relatives who are over 50 years old may require further attention.
1. Apathy
Apathy it is a decrease in interest, motivation and drive.
An apathetic person may lose interest in friends, family or activities. They may lack curiosity in subjects that would normally interest them, lose motivation to meet their obligations, or become less spontaneous and active. They may also seem to lack emotion compared to their usual selves and seem to no longer care about anything.
2. Emotional dysregulation
Emotional dysregulation includes mood or anxiety symptoms; Someone with emotional dysregulation may develop sadness or mood swings, or become more anxious or worried about routine things like events or visits.
3. Lack of impulse control
Impulse control is the inability to delay gratification and control behavior or impulses.
Someone with impulsive dyscontrol may become agitated, aggressive, irritable, short-tempered, argumentative, or easily frustrated. They may become more stubborn or rigid so that they are unwilling to see other points of view and insist on having their own way. Sometimes they may develop sexually inhibiting or intrusive behaviors, exhibit repetitive behaviors or compulsions, begin gambling or shoplifting, or have difficulty regulating their use of substances such as tobacco or alcohol.
4. Social inappropriateness
Social inappropriateness involves difficulty following social norms in interactions with others.
Someone who is socially inept may lose the social judgment they previously had about what to say or how to behave. They may worry less about how their words or actions affect others, discuss private matters openly, talk to strangers as if they were familiar, say rude things, or lack empathy in interactions with others.
5. Abnormal perceptions or thoughts
Abnormal perception or thought content refers to strong beliefs and sensory experiences.
Someone with abnormal perceptions or thoughts may become suspicious of others’ intentions or think that others are planning to harm them or steal their possessions. They may also describe hearing voices or talking to imaginary people and/or acting as if they are seeing things that are not there.
Before considering any of these behaviors as a sign of a more serious problem, it is important to rule out other possible causes of a change in behavior, such as medications or drugs, other medical conditions or infections, interpersonal conflicts or stress, or a recurrence of psychiatric symptoms related to a previous psychiatric diagnosis. If in doubt, it may be time to see a doctor.
The effects of dementia
(Shutterstock)
Many of us know someone who has either experienced dementia or cared for someone with dementia. This is not surprising given that dementia is predicted to affect one million Canadians by 2030.
While people between the ages of 20 and 40 may think they have decades before dementia affects them, it is important to realize that dementia is not an individual journey. In 2020, care partners — including family members, friends or neighbors — spent 26 hours a week helping older Canadians living with dementia. That equates to 235,000 full-time jobs or $7.3 billion annually.
These numbers are expected to triple by 2050, so it is important to look for ways to offset these predicted trajectories by preventing or delaying the progression of dementia.
Identification of those at risk
While there is currently no cure for dementia, progress has been made in that direction development of effective treatmentswhich it may work better earlier in the course of the disease.
More research is needed to understand dementia symptoms over time. for example, the online CAN-PROTECT study evaluates many factors that contribute to brain aging.
Identifying those at risk of dementia by recognizing later changes in cognition, functioning as well as behavior is a step not only to prevent the consequences of these changes, but also to potentially prevent the disease or its progression.
