Why do people with dementia forget things like people/events, but not things like the alphabet or relatively simple grammar? Or do they, and it’s just not really shown in western media?
In: 352
They do forget things like that towards the end. Dementia’s a rather slow process, you get worse year after year, and after a few years there’s not really a lot left of your memory. If it goes on for long enough, the brain doesn’t even remember how to eat or breathe.
My grandmother had dementia and she would frequently get frustrated because she couldn’t remember the words to say what she wanted to say.
Different areas of the brain do different things. Where the greatest damage is occurring will play a large role in determining how the dementia progresses.
Typically* dementia affects short term first, almost like moving backwards through time. Which is why a lot of dementia patients/sufferers believe it is a much earlier year than it is – 1900s compared to 2000s for example.
*not always the case as there are hundreds of different types of dementia, only 100% diagnosable post mortem.
Did Terry Pratchett not get afflicted with a form of dementia that affected his ability to read and write?
I’m a direct support professional and one of my clients is autistic with dementia, she remembers lots of stuff but the dementia made her very violent and she used to have a great internal clock and that’s just gone now. But her memory isn’t too bad she just isn’t sure where she is in time. Dementia is different for everyone when it’s rots different parts of your brain away.
Dementia is a broad term.
There are many diseases under it.
Some affect memory more than others.
It depends on the person. My grandpa has Alzheimer’s. He can’t do simple math or write. He can barely read. He can’t tell time. Yet, he usually knows who his family members are (for now).
They forget that too. I worked with a guy who had forgotten the difference between eating and drinking.
I saw a documentary about dementia or Alzheimer’s, there was a woman who seemed kinda normal, but in a doctor’s exam she was asked to draw a clock face from memory and… it was such a mess… wow. So sad really.
Latest Answers