Dementia is a syndrome with a number of symptoms including loss of memory, judgment and reasoning as well as changes in mood and behaviour. There are many types of dementia, but Alzheimer’s disease is the leading form of dementia, representing approximately 64 per cent.
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include a gradual onset and continuing decline of memory, as well as changes in judgment or reasoning and the inability to perform familiar tasks. Sometimes a person with dementia can have atypical symptoms such as sudden onset of memory loss, early behaviour changes, difficulties with speech and movement or prominent psychiatric features such as delusions or hallucinations. These symptoms might suggest a dementia other than Alzheimer’s disease.
