Article by Karan Naidoo

It can be frustrating and heartbreaking to see a loved one slipping away into dementia. It is also frustrating to caregivers who have to take care of those who show dementia symptoms, especially when they do not recognize their caregivers. This is a lonely condition which no one can understand. As one woman to started showing dementia symptoms in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease put it, “It’s devastating seeing that I am not competent anymore in some areas, both small and large. Coming to terms with my own deficiencies is hard.” Earning some of the dementia symptoms will help us to be more understanding of our loved ones.

One of the symptoms is memory. Due to death of brain cells as a result of disease or injury, a sufferer finds it difficult or impossible to assimilate new material and hence old and new memories are lost. The world becomes less defined that it had been to the sufferer. Memory loss is one reason why people with dementia tend to act slowly. Every step and thought has to be thought through since the entire memory context has been ripped away. For the caregiver, being away of these dementia symptoms associated with memory loss can be frightening, baffling and frustrating. a typical dementia symptom is that of having memories pop in and out. At one time, they will remember you and the next minute, they have no clue who you are.

Early dementia symptoms also include difficulty in communication. Sufferers have a hard time following conversations. because of the difficulty of navigating around countless words, it can reach a point where even the basic articulation of words gets difficult. in such situations, all a caregiver can do is to guess what the patient wants. At times, it can seem as if the patient is lying. rather, he or she is just trying to replace lost memories with fabrications that are unconscious. Our brains try to make sense of things and when whole experiences are lost with dementia patients, the unconscious mind tries to fill the gaps by swapping old memories with plausible alternatives and hence the seemingly intentional deception.

It is not uncommon for people exhibiting dementia symptoms to wander in seemingly random directions. Sometimes this is due to boredom and at other times, the person may suddenly become unfamiliar with his or her surroundings and want to search for a place he or she recognizes and where they feel safe. Other symptoms include fear, aggression and paranoia. when caregivers understand why a patient these dementia symptoms, they are more likely to offer the needed help.

about the Author

Karan has been involved with internet marketing for nearly 4 years and is an avid writer who writes on various subjects. Come visit his latest website at coffemaker.org/ which helps people find and review the best Coffe Maker at the best prices.

I can't give you the clinical answer….but it is someone who is disoriented, confused, and just doesn't make sense sometimes. they don't seem to know what is going on. It doesn't go away. this is the way they will be now.

alone – she yelps and urinates the floor when we go to work everyday. Otherwise she is a healthy dog and behaves normally (except for other normal dementia symptoms). What can we do?

Walter

Can you give her treats that require her to keep busy to get them? as in kongs, stuffy's with smaller stuffys inside it? This will keep her occupied for long periods of time while you are gone.

you said "we", which means at least two. so maybe you can have a rotating time off work. to spend time with your dog. if that is not a possibility then maybe you have someone who would like to stay home and watch over your dog.

i do not know what dementia is, but since she is yelping, it obviously hurts. if its a non stop yelp wouldn't you like to be put down? i would. its hard to accept the fact that your dog is dying.

my basset hound died last year (he was 13 years also). but he died in the home when i was in school and mom was at work. he seemed to be walking out of my room. this made me sad because i feel he didn't have anyone to comfort him in his last moments. i would have rather put him down. at least i would be with him and say good bye

water heater. she is not trying to remove the mice & has not told the apt. manager. There are other elderly living in the same building. she says it's a pet. Is this more of the dementia symptoms. your thoughts please.

If she likes the mice, then it is going to be difficult to trap them, although they do have live traps that won't hurt them. if they are making a nest, then real quick there is going to be a family. Mice can bring disease. maybe get her a bird or a couple of domestic mice of her own, so she has something to keep her busy. I love animals and even mice I would not want to have them killed, so do your best to remove them alive and take them to a field.

I suspect she is lonely. This in itself is not a sign of dementia. I take it you have seen other things that gave you this impression, such as leaving the stove on or acting as if it was a different period in her life.

Mice or not good to have around – obviously – so would she miss them if you trapped them? Can she handle having a pet such as a cat?

Are you able to arrange a home health nurse to pay a visit? sorry but I have more questions than answers; her plight concerns me.

To want a pet or something to love is human, not dementia. Sounds like she needs her son to show more love and affection. she is probably far more lonely than you ever imagined. When she is unable to care for her own basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter then have her evaluated for dementia.

Don't trap the mice in front of her for her to see. go to the store and get some of those "sticky traps". The mice get stuck on them and you chose how to get rid of them. I would put them in a sack and tell her your going to turn them loose. This sounds disgusting but you don't want to traumatize her!! then get her a lap dog!!!!

Your mother could simply be LONELY and the mice simply do not bother her. if you are concerned, take her to doctor for check up and talk to him abnout concerns. Older people who live ALONE can often become strange and do things we think strange. This one thing does signify demetia

get her a nice cage to put them in, you can even buy bedding for them with food and water dishes, tell her its not sanitary to let them run free of her home, My sister had a squirrel and my brother had a king snake in his basement

It's not dementia at all. maybe she's lonely and she likes the idea of having her little 'pets', or she's worried someone will kill them if they find out about them. let her have her mice, there's no harm in it.

This alone is not a sign of dementia. Do they allow pets in her building? if not, maybe this is her way of having one.

The mice can do a lot of damage. perhaps you could take her out to lunch and have the mice removed while away from the apartment.

Get her a cat. most landlords don't mind cats, & you can get one cheap from a shelter.

Set some traps or there will be a lot more than two. it amazing how much poop a single mouse can leave around the house.

buy her a cat. she's lonesome. the cat will solve the mouse problem.

As we age, brain tumor symptoms can be mistaken as dementia. They are:

numbness or tingling in the arms and legs

slurring of speech or vision problems

nausea or vomiting

changes in mood or ability to concentrate

You can see that a lot of the symptoms above look the same as dementia symptoms so it is easy to get a wrong diagnosis. a good doctor will not only take a physical exam but order tests like an x-ray, CT scan or MRI scan. It could be just swelling in the brain and not a tumor that is pressing on parts of the brain. The tests will be looking for a location of the tumor and also the size and type.

Brain tumor symptoms show up in people over  70 more often than younger people. People who have a family history of gliomas also are at a higher risk for brain tumors. People who work around radiation and chemicals also are at a higher risk. many people assume that brain tumor symptoms show up in from head injuries but studies have shown that this is not always so.

Brain tumors may not be primary tumors but metastasized from another cancer in the body.  Not all brain tumors are cancerous. In fact, non cancerous brain tumors occur more often in women and they are called meningiomas.  A third of the people who are diagnosed with brain tumors say that they were experiencing seizures before.

Most doctors will rule out other less severe conditions before determining whether the patient has a brain tumor or dementia. Age, family history, current symptoms and test results will all factor into a final diagnosis.

Even though brain tumor symptoms can be masked by dementia, it is good to have both ruled out.

Tags: brain tumor symptoms, dementia

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