In the beginning stages Stages
Course of disease progression defined by levels or periods of severity: early, mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe of Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease
A neurological disease that affects memory and behaviour. It is characterized by beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. There is no known cause but genetics and lifestyle are thought to play a role. and dementia with Lewy bodies Lewy bodies
Round clumps of protein found in the brain's neurons in many people who experience a neurodegenerative disorder., people have varying degrees of self-awareness. Some people are very aware of their limitations, making them feel sad for the way they are now and making them worried about the future. In general, as the disease progresses, the level of self-awareness will most likely decline. In the earlier stages of the disease, the person you care for may deny or not understand that they have the disease. This can result in them not realizing their own limitations in their abilities Abilities
Level at which certain actions and activities can be carried out., such as driving. As well the person you care for may believe that they are completing tasks which are now being done for them. For example, they may think they have made the bed when someone else has. As their self-awareness declines, so will their ability to express their thoughts and feelings accurately. This loss of self-awareness does not have to be a negative thing. If someone with Alzheimer's disease does not recognize their decline, it is possible that they could believe they were suffering less.

Related to insight, self awareness means you have the ability to "see" yourself as others see you. As insight is affected in people with frontotemporal dementia Frontotemporal dementia
A type of dementia that mainly affects the frontal lobe causing a problem in executive function tasks., so too is their ability to recognize their behaviors, deficits and illness. They no longer know what appropriate social behavior is and often lose their inhibitions. In many ways the "self" that they were, has changed and they exhibit behavior that would have been bizarre in their former concept of self. One disturbing behavior for caregivers and families is a hypersexual behavior. This can range from a preoccupation with sexual jokes to compulsive masturbation or sexual behavior in public.

In todays busy world keeping track of symptoms can be a challenge to say the least. That's why we've developed SymptomGuide^TM. By taking a more active role, you can better understand how a symptom is affecting everyday life and you can communicate this knowledge with others involved.

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