Imagine an elderly person losing his/her memory, getting lost in an unknown city & unable to ask for help from anyone.
This may sound like a scene from a horror movie but in reality, it can happen to anyone of us. This situation is not a bad dream which we can forget once we are awake, rather it is the most unfortunate & dark phase of dementia i.e., one can check in anytime but can never leave….
When children innocently tease older people with dementia asking them to repeat their name, it is no laughing matter, in fact it can create confusion & agitation in the minds of older people who are going through one of the seven stages of dementia.
As the number of dementia cases are increasing rapidly, it is important that caregivers, policy makers, government departments & society in general should understand the basics of dementia care.
Dementia progresses similarly in many ways, but is also known to differ with every person.
Health condition of most people with dementia generally declines over time, passing through the following stages:
1) Early / Mild Dementia: Slow functional decline which can result in problems with recent memory, judgment, logical reasoning, planning & minor problems in conversation. Inability to organize or plan increases.
Start facing challenges in activities like cooking, financial management, sorting medicines, technology etc. Chances of getting lost, even in familiar places becomes common.
2) Moderate Dementia: Start facing impairment of memory, judgment & normal tasks. Overall grooming often gets affected & using the bathroom independently becomes difficult. Falls become more frequent.
Communication problems increase. Wandering away & getting lost becomes more common.
They may forget to eat & won’t unless prompted & can make them want to eat again.
3) Severe Dementia: In this stage people are totally dependent upon caregivers. They usually have bowel & bladder incontinence. Ability to walk may be impaired.
Self-feeding becomes very slow. Tend to get easily distressed with some tasks & may resist care.
4) End-stage Dementia: Eventually all body systems will be affected. People in this stage are no longer able to walk. Speech becomes unintelligible. They are bedbound & resist swallowing food.
Next time if one comes across an elder asking, “Who are you, Where am I, Who am I”, please remember it is not a Hindi movie dialogue, it’s a reality for someone.
Pankaj Mehrotra
*Source is desk research, please refer with domain experts for professional advice.
