More than 944,000 people across the UK are living with dementia (Image: Getty)
A psychologist has provided a deep dive into the crucial stages of dementia, offering guidance on how to recognise them in oneself or loved ones. This comes at a time when over 944,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, including one in every 11 aged over 65.
Dr Kelynn Lee, CEO of the Dementia Care Hub, shared her expertise in a concise TikTok video re-published this year. She clarified that while many believe there are five or even 10 stages of dementia, it’s more practical to categorise it into three phases.
“I want to talk about the three stages of dementia. So, I hear bandied around quite a lot all these different stages,” she explained on the platform. “So, on something I saw the other day, there were 10 stages, on another thing there is seven stages, on another thing there are five stages.
“I think sometimes with dementia, because it is so uncertain, and people are really anxious about understanding and wanting to support people as well as they can, care partners can sometimes get stuck.
“Get stuck on what stage of the dementia this person is at, because then, ‘I know what to expect’ and then, ‘I can support them as well as I possibly can’. I don’t think it’s particularly helpful. I think it’s much more helpful to think of dementia in three stages.”
It’s important to understand that dementia isn’t a single condition but rather an umbrella term encompassing various symptoms triggered by different diseases. Forms such as vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease all fall under the dementia category.
Although each form has its own unique symptoms, Dr Lee offered a brief summary of the typical stages that dementia cases tend to follow. We’ve outlined her key points below.
Mild dementia
Dr Lee clarified that ‘mild dementia’ usually describes the earliest phase of cognitive deterioration. According to Surrey Live, whilst someone will generally manage everyday life reasonably well, they might begin to:
- Misplace items
- Have trouble with short-term memory
- Feel increasingly anxious
- Experience mood changes
- Notice food taste changes
- Have difficulty concentrating
- Have some difficulty solving problems
- Become increasingly forgetful
- Have some communication issues
Crucially, these indicators can differ from person to person. According to Dementia UK, Alzheimer’s disease is one variant of dementia particularly linked with minor concentration and memory difficulties in its initial phases.
In contrast, language and communication difficulties tend to be more prominent in the early stages of frontotemporal and vascular dementia. Even still, Dr Lee explained: “You might be thinking here is, ‘Well, I have quite a few of those, does that mean that I’m in early-stage dementia?’ No, it doesn’t.
“..What we are doing is we’re looking at things that you kind of go, ‘This isn’t right, this is a continuous pattern,’ ok. This isn’t changing, it’s not because I’m highly stressed, therefore I can’t concentrate particularly well at the moment.
“Or, I’m having difficulty problem-solving because my anxiety is quite high. We are looking at significant patterns of behaviour. So, yes, we may all have some of those things just in general life, but we are looking at those patterns of them being consistent.”
Moderate dementia
Progressing to the second phase of dementia, Dr Lee outlined several typical symptoms which may include:
- Forgetting events (for example, when you ate breakfast or something from your personal history)
- Increase mood swings
- Difficulty in social/challenging situations
- Feeling withdrawn
- Getting lost and becoming more restless
- Increased anxieties
- Needing support getting dressed
- Trouble sleeping
- Incontinence
On the latter point, she added: “Incontinence may become an issue because the messages that are going through the brain which alert us to the fact that we need the toilet […and then] to go to the toilet, to actually use the toilet and then, you know.
“That isn’t necessarily taking place or isn’t taking place quick enough. Changes in sleep patterns, so we may see people sleeping a lot more during the day but also becoming much more restless at night.”
When someone reaches the third phase of dementia, they may require personal care around the clock (Image: Getty)
Severe dementia
When someone reaches the third phase of dementia, Dr Lee noted they will probably require continuous personal care around the clock. This phase typically presents the greatest difficulties for both the individual and their family members.
Typical symptoms can include:
- Changes in physical abilities (might be more prone to falls)
- Swallowing issues
- Communication difficulties
- Losing awareness of recent experiences and surroundings
- Distress
- Loss of recognition
- Increasingly prone to infection
Dr Lee added: “But also in the late stages, people become much more prone and vulnerable to infections, especially things like pneumonia. So, this is where we talk about dementia as a terminal condition; they are much more prone to those things, having a much larger effect than they would have if the person didn’t have dementia.
“So, three stages. Mild, moderate and severe. Much more helpful.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
