Symptoms of Dementia:

You may have some or all of the following symptoms if you have dementia.

• You will have memory loss, particularly of recent events. This may not be severe at first but is likely to become progressively worse. Later,  long-term memory may be affected.
• You may have problems finding the right words for what you want to say.
• It's possible that you will have trouble thinking clearly and doing practical tasks that you used to do easily.
• You may feel puzzled and disorientated in new places. As dementia progresses, you may have difficulty finding your way around in familiar places, such as your own home.
• The feeling of disorientation may increase so you don't know what month or year it is, or the time of day. This could cause you to get up in the middle of the night wanting to go out.
• Family and friends may notice changes in your personality and behaviour. You may become withdrawn, prone to fits of temper, or anxious and depressed.
• As your dementia worsens, you may no longer be able to look after yourself. It's possible that eventually you won't recognise close relatives and friends.

Dementia is progressive and in time your symptoms will get more severe. It affects everyone differently - this is determined by factors such as your personality and the support available to you. Depending on the exact cause of dementia,  its course will vary.  If it's a result of Alzheimer's disease, it will be degenerative (continue to get worse). It's often difficult to predict the rate at which vascular dementia will progress.

Your symptoms may stay the same for some time and deterioration may occur intermittently. In vascular dementia, the blood vessels (vascular system) in your brain become severely blocked and the lack of  blood and oxygen to the nerve cells causes portions of vital brain functions to be impaired. . Areas of brain tissue that have died this way are called infarcts, so vascular dementia is also called multi-infarct dementia. This is the second most common type. Health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes may raise your risk of vascular dementia, as does eating a diet high in salt and fat.

It's difficult to estimate one's life expectaqncy once you are diagnosed with dementia - the type you have influences this. The average life expectancy for people with Alzheimer's disease is approximately six years from the time of diagnosis.