Everyone with dementia is different. 

The way dementia affects people in the early stages will depend on the type of dementia they have and the part of the brain that is affected.

Different parts of the brain control different abilities. In the early stages of dementia, a person’s symptoms will be noticeable and will affect their day to day life. Factors like their personality, environment and the support they receive will also affect their experience of dementia.

Click on the information buttons on the brain to see some of the challenges experienced by people with dementia:

People with dementia can become uninterested in their usual activities or may have problems controlling their emotions.

They may find social situations challenging and lose interest in socialising. Aspects of their personality may change and, as the dementia progresses, many people develop behaviours that can be challenging.

People with dementia may not recognise their loved ones or forget people have died and keep asking for them.

People may form new relationships (sometimes physical) even though they are still married.

Aggressive behaviour in dementia

In the later stages, a significant number of people with dementia will develop what’s known as behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). 

It is important that the person’s GP explores and rules out or treats any underlying causes, for example, uncontrolled pain, untreated depression, an infection or side effects of medicines.

If the person you’re caring for behaves in an aggressive way, try to stay calm and avoid confrontation.

A person with dementia may lose empathy (understanding and compassion) and they may have hallucinations.

This means they may see or hear things that other people do not.

People with dementia may lose the ability to remember events or fully understand their environment or situations.

This means it can seem as if they are not telling the truth, or are willfully ignoring problems.

Dementia affects a person’s mental abilities so they may find planning and organising difficult.

Maintaining independence may become challenging which means they will usually need some form of help, including help with decision making.