Dementia is a long-term and progressive disease that affects all the parts of your brain. The symptoms of dementia can be caused by disease of the arteries in your brain, Alzheimer's disease, infections and premature degeneration of neurons in your brain. According to the Mayo Clinic and the National Library of Medicine, signs and symptoms of dementia in elderly people include memory loss and difficulty with self-care.
Communication Disorders
Communication disorders such as an inability to speak in coherent sentences or understand verbal communication are a symptom of dementia in the elderly.
Disorganization
Disorganization is a symptom of dementia in the elderly and may include difficulty planning a shopping trip or locating necessary paperwork for paying bills.
Inappropriate Behavior
Elderly people with dementia may begin to display symptoms of inappropriate behavior such as yelling or arguing with strangers or cussing in inappropriate situations.
Memory Loss
Memory loss in elderly people with dementia goes beyond simply forgetting the location of car keys; it may include forgetting the names of children or spouses, addresses and phone numbers.
Mobility Problems
Dementia in the elderly may cause problems with mobility, such as a lack of coordination and balance when walking and an inability to operate a motor vehicle.
Personality Changes
Personality changes such as irritability, agitation, frustration and outbursts of anger are symptoms of dementia in elderly people.
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Writer Bio
Jessica Lietz has been writing about health-related topics since 2009. She has several years of experience in genetics research, survey design, analysis and epidemiology, working on both infectious and chronic diseases. Lietz holds a Master of Public Health in epidemiology from The Ohio State University.