The 7 A’s of Dementia

Anosognosia - a lack of insight or awareness; when your loved one is unaware of their dementia. As a result, they may deny help or get irritated at you for suggesting they have dementia

Amnesia - we all know this is memory loss; in dementia, it begins with short-term memory and eventually takes long-term memory too. Your loved one asks repetitive questions, repeats stories, forgets appointments and conversations.

Aphasia - for some people with dementia, they lose a few words, but aphasia is the loss of both the ability to use and understand language. This results in difficulty finding words and understanding lengthy sentences, as well as having trouble finding the right words.

Agnosia - loss of recognition, which is when your loved one can no longer recognize objects, people, sounds, or places through their senses of light, touch, and sound. Your loved one might recognize you, but look at their toothbrush and not know what it is.

Apraxia - the inability to perform purposeful movements that were once familiar. They may still be physically capable, but just can’t do them. As a result, your loved one might struggle to button their shirt, tie their shoes, or use silverware

Altered perception - this one might be the least known. Your loved one is prone to mistake what they see - a dark shadow on the floor may look like a hole to them; patterns on the floor may be scary to step on. The result is fear, confusion, and sometimes hallucinations.

Apathy - a loss of initiative, motivation, curiosity, or interest in the activities and things they once enjoyed. As a result, your loved one may sit for long periods of time doing nothing. They may avoid conversations, hobbies, and time with friends.

How many of these have you seen in your loved one?

I’m for sure seeing apathy with Mom, along with a little light amnesia.