Dementia: Identifying Mild, Moderate, and Severe

Mild Dementia

Signs and symptoms of mild dementia include memory loss, confusion about the location of familiar places, taking longer than usual to accomplish normal daily tasks, trouble handling money and paying bills, poor judgment leading to bad decisions, loss of spontaneity and sense of initiative, mood and personality changes, and increased anxiety or aggression.

Moderate Dementia

Signs and symptoms include increased memory loss and confusion, shortened attention span, inappropriate angry outbursts, problem recognizing family and close friends, difficulty with language (reading, writing, numbers), inability to learn new things or cope with unexpected situations, difficulty organizing thoughts and thinking logically, repetitive statements or movements, occasional muscle twitches, restlessness, agitation, anxiety, tearfulness, wandering (especially in late afternoon or at night), hallucinations, delusions, suspiciousness, paranoia, irritability, loss of impulse control, inability to carry out activities that involve multiple steps in sequence (getting dressed, making coffee, setting the table).

Severe Dementia

Signs and symptoms include weight loss, seizures, skin infections, difficulty swallowing, increased sleep, groaning, moaning or grunting, lack of bladder or bowel control.

If you feel that your condition is not related to outside causes, or that you may fall under one of the above categories, you should consider making an appointment with a physician or other medical specialist.