1. Faces of Dementia
Elderly Care Ministry

2. What is Dementia? A non-specific syndrome
Collection of symptoms that do not necessarily have the same cause
Can contain many symptoms
Can look different in different people
Can set in immediately (as a result of injury)
Can set in slowly (as a result of illness e.g. Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s)

3. Symptoms & Facets Memory Loss Lack of Apathy Short-term Long-term
Attention
Planning
Flexibility
Semantic memory
Apathy

4. Symptoms & Facets Language Problems
Difficulty producing names of people or objects
Vague or meaningless speech (“thing”, “it”)
Long, circumlocutory phrases
Comprehension problems
Echolalia: echoing what is heard
Palilalia: repeating sounds or words

5. Symptoms & Facets Apraxia: problems with motor coordination
Cooking, dressing, drawing
Agnosia: failure to recognize or identify objects
People, faces, known or mundane objects, their own faces
Executive Functioning

6. Symptoms & Facets Executive Functioning
Difficulty with problem solving
Difficulty initiating or stopping complex behavior
FACT: 20%-30% of people who have dementia suffer from depression

7. Symptoms & Facets
There is generally no cure for dementia as a result of chronic illness
In addition to the cognitive and motor impairments of dementia, the individual may be cognizant enough to know that something is happening to them and they are declining. As a result, they may be very scared, angry, depressed, or bitter.

8. Suggestions
Follow their conversation and do not react or try to correct them when things do make sense, or they say the same thing over and over again.
They may say very insensitive things, or use an inappropriate amount of emotion when speaking. Track with them and roll with their emotion. Do not react to their inappropriate expressions or affect.

9. Suggestions
They may not talk at all, in which case you can do the talking. You can introduce yourself, tell them about yourself, summarize the message, offer to read a Bible passage to them, give a gospel presentation, or tell them your testimony.

10. Suggestions
They may even make motions to touch or strike you. Roll with their motions and turn it into something positive (demonstration)