If your elderly loved one has dementia, you might notice that their symptoms change a lot. For instance, they might be really moody and upset for days, but then feel better for a while. You might notice that they forget things every once in a while and then start forgetting things more often. There are multiple reasons for changes in your elderly loved one’s dementia symptoms. Learning more about these reasons can help you to better understand them and the disease.
Different Stages of Dementia
One of the reasons there will be changes in your elderly loved one’s symptoms is because there are different stages of dementia. Your elderly loved one will start out with mild symptoms. They might only forget things on occasion or get moody when things don’t go as planned. However, as they get further into the stages of dementia, they will have more severe symptoms that occur more often.
Having Other Medical Conditions
Another reason why your elderly loved one might have changes in their dementia symptoms is because they have other medical conditions. For instance, if your elderly loved one already suffers from an anxiety disorder, this could cause random changes in their dementia symptoms. If they already have a chronic physical pain condition this can cause different reactions as their pain worsens. The main reason for this is because people who have dementia might not be able to express their feelings as well. They might react or have angry outbursts because they don’t know how to talk about the anxiety or pain they are experiencing.
It Might Not Be Dementia
If there are severe changes in your elderly loved one’s symptoms – that don’t line up with a progression in dementia – they might have something else entirely. It is possible for someone to have a misdiagnosis of dementia. If you feel that your elderly loved one doesn’t have dementia, you or the elder care provider can take them back to their doctor. Let their doctor know about your concerns. If they aren’t willing to change or at least check into the diagnosis, you can get a second opinion.
Conclusion
These are some of the reasons why there might be changes in your elderly loved one’s dementia symptoms. It is important to remember that dementia progresses over time. There are going to be changes in the intensity and frequency of symptoms. However, there may be other factors involved in these changes that you may need to look into, as well.
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