What Happens When a Dementia Patient Feels They Don’t Have a Disease
A person with dementia gradually loses the ability to remember past events or even something that has happened recently. To discover if a family member is exhibiting dementia symptoms, slowly start observing small changes in their daily behaviour. Their declining cognitive abilities might be complex for you to recognise and comprehend, but don’t stop paying attention. Many changes occur in the patient’s body, and they too may not be able to recognise the changes they are experiencing. Anosognosia is a neurological symptom that affects the cognitive abilities severely of people struggling with this disease, but first, let’s learn what is dementia and its early symptoms.
What is Dementia Disease and its Early Symptoms?
Dementia disease is an illness that adversely affects the memory and thinking abilities of a person. Early signs of dementia must be identified by a caregiver promptly as they may not be able to realise the seriousness of their depleting cognitive condition.
If you are around someone that is experiencing difficulties regarding their memory and cognitive abilities, but you are unsure whether it is one of the dementia types or not, these early symptoms will help you identify it more clearly:
- A person with signs of dementia might find it challenging to communicate with others or be unable to use proper words for effective communication
- Reduction in the ability to plan and organise various tasks and facing difficulties in handling complex tasks
- Agnosia- inability to remember particular objects and persons
- Face difficulty in coordination and motor functions related to the brain
When identified, these symptoms can help the person afflicted better deal with the reality of their situation. It also aids caregivers to collect more knowledge in their arsenal to help the sufferer.
Anosognosia – A Severe Limitation
Anosognosia, in medical terms, refers to having no knowledge or purposefully denying the existence of the afflicted disease. Early onset dementia symptoms may signify anosognosia in the future, damaging various parts of the person’s brain. Here are some examples of what anosognosia might look like:
- Your mom might insist that she can drive, whereas the doctor had taken away her license post-diagnosis. She may become sad and upset when she learns she won’t be able to go out by herself anymore.
- Your wife might mix up recipes while cooking sumptuous meals for guests at a party. You will realise that she cannot manage such intricate tasks as efficiently as she used to.
- While going for a morning walk, your dad might get lost returning home. You would argue with him about why a morning walk is a bad idea, but he won’t listen to you, eventually leading to a sour disagreement.
Treatment of dementia is considered strenuous as it does not have a permanent cure per medical science. So taking proper care of the person affected is a vital task for the near and dear ones.
Coping with Anosognosia and When to Seek Medical Treatment
When a person has Anosognosia, they will remain completely in denial and be stubborn, a qualitative trait of someone afflicted with this disease. It may be resultant of a problem in the brain at a neurological level. There are several strategies to respond to anosognosia, which are given here:
- Allow the person to practice some activities independently, perhaps with modified equipment or with you near-by.
- Engage in activities together. Pick up activities like baking, or gardening, in which the patient can be of assistance too while still being secure.
- Pay close attention to the emotions of the person affected with Anosognosia. Dementia treatment is complex, so you should listen to and understand the feelings of the person affected by this disease with much patience and care.
Dementia meaning in English refers to the persistent loss of intellectual functioning, especially memory impairment, and is often accompanied by considerable personality change. A person would require medical attention for the disease if they show these signs:
- Possible confusion in doing a task or at work
- Memory loss
- Having trouble making decisions and sudden and rapid changes in the behaviour happening that isn’t normal
- A state of depression and complete social withdrawal from the outside world
- Communication problems and challenges in completing simple and basic tasks.
If you find one of your loved ones facing these kinds of dementia symptoms, immediately consult a doctor to know the way to proceed forward on treating the disease.
Conclusion
Based on the above discussion, Anosognosia is a mental condition when people completely deny that they have memory impairment at all. Whenever early symptoms of dementia are noticed, one should immediately go for a prognosis. With time, the disease may lead to Anosognosia and other worrying signs, so be armed with information on combating such symptoms.
FAQs
What are the five early signs of dementia?
The five early signs of the disease are:
- Memory loss
- Difficulty in communication
- Being in depression and social withdrawal
- Possible confusion in doing a task or at work
- Having trouble making decisions.
Does a person with dementia know they are confused?
A person with the disease doesn’t even know they are confused. They act as if everything is fine and they have no problem.
How do you care for a parent with dementia at home?
You can start with dementia cure of your parents from home in the following ways;
- Allow the person to do things safely
- Engage in activities together
- Connect with the emotions of the person affected with dementia.
What is Anosognosia? How does it damage the brain?
Anosognosia is a disease when people affected utterly deny that they are suffering from memory impairments. Anosognosia destroys specific cells of the brain.
How can you help someone with dementia to communicate?
You should listen to the person affected and connect to their emotions. Make them comfortable speaking around you and help them overcome the communication barrier.
