Symptoms for dementia are similar to, but not as severe as, those for multi-infarct dementia.

  A person with this disorder will normally have long or short term memory loss.  They may misplace items, they may forget where they are, or even forget their name.  The patient could have trouble while driving, forgetting where they are or where they are trying to go.  The patient may not be able to think abstractly.  An example of this would be the inability to cook, clean, keep track of bills, or even understand movies or television.  A patient suffering from this disorder may have trouble putting their thoughts into words, or have trouble finding the appropriate word that they are searching for.  He or she may also have trouble controlling their behavior, often doing things that are inappropriate in a given situation, or they may make inappropriate and sometimes offending comments.

As time progresses, dementia will become worse, not better.  The patient will have an increased dependency on family and friends, often to the point where dependency becomes total.  The patient will often become frustrated, especially when they know something is wrong but they can’t remember what is wrong with them.  This condition can also lead to a sense of being paranoid about those around you.

Treatment for dementia can depend on the disease that is causing it.  It is only recently that drugs have been developed to treat this disease, but there are a few of them, including Cognex and Aricept.  Often all that can be done to help a patient with an advanced case of this disorder, other than the few drugs that are available, is TLC and around the clock care.