Vascular Dementia Symptoms: Early Signs and Changes Families Should Recognize
You’re trying to plan a regular outing with your loved one, but they can’t seem to concentrate on what you’re saying. When you ask them a simple question, there’s a long pause before they answer. Then, they can’t remember the name of their favorite restaurant.
Everyone loses focus now and then. If you notice patterns, though, it may signal something more serious. Difficulty with planning and slowed thinking can be early signs of vascular dementia, a condition that occurs when reduced blood flow and oxygen to the brain damage the tissue.
Vascular dementia often looks different from Alzheimer’s disease, so it sometimes gets overlooked. Understanding vascular dementia symptoms can help you notice changes early and get your loved one the support they need.
Recognizing the Early Cognitive Shifts in Executive Function
The first signs of vascular dementia often show up in executive function. You may notice that your loved one takes longer to complete everyday tasks that they used to breeze through. For instance, they may get confused while trying to pay their bills online, even if the process hasn’t changed.
Other early signs may include:
- Difficulty adapting to new routines
- Getting lost while going to well-known places
- Lack of organization
- Struggling to plan ahead
- Thinking more slowly
- Trouble following basic instructions
These symptoms are often most noticeable during tasks that require several steps. Your loved one may drive to the grocery store without any issues, but they forget what they need to buy when they get there. They might also pick out random ingredients because they can’t plan what to cook.
These changes can be easy to miss because they don’t always look like the memory problems people often associate with dementia. If you don’t know what to look for, you might assume your loved one is just being more disorganized than normal.
How Vascular Dementia Progression Differs from Alzheimer’s Disease
The progression is one of the biggest differences between vascular dementia vs. Alzheimer’s disease.
Vascular dementia can develop after a major stroke affects blood flow to the brain. A subtype known as multi-infarct dementia can occur after several transient ischemic attacks, or mini-strokes.
No matter the cause, cognitive changes don’t always appear overnight. Some people may recover from a stroke—or never even realize they had one—and function normally for months.
This period of cognitive stability is typically followed by a sudden decline in cognition, which then levels out to a new normal. This cycle then repeats in what’s known as a stepwise progression.
On the other hand, Alzheimer’s disease usually involves a more linear decline in cognition. In the early phase, a person may have small memory lapses, such as misplacing their phone or forgetting an article they just read. In the middle stage, the disease may affect their mood and make it difficult to manage everyday activities like getting dressed.
Finally, late-stage Alzheimer’s causes severe symptoms, such as difficulty communicating and swallowing. At this point, the person requires around-the-clock support.
Understanding neurocognitive disorders can help you recognize post-stroke dementia signs and know what to expect.
Physical Red Flags: Coordination, Balance, and Movement Changes
The brain controls movement, so vascular cognitive impairment often leads to physical changes. You may notice that your loved one loses their balance more easily, such as wobbling when they get out of their favorite recliner or bend over to tie their shoes. Their gait could also change or become unsteady.
In some cases, vascular dementia can also cause sudden incontinence. This change may happen because damage to the white matter disrupts signals that help control urination and tell a person when their bladder is full.
These physical symptoms often appear earlier in people with vascular dementia than in those with other types of dementia. That’s because this condition may affect neural pathways that control movement and other physical functions. By contrast, Alzheimer’s usually impairs memory first.
Emotional and Behavioral Shifts in Your Loved One
Blocked or damaged blood vessels can injure the regions in the brain that regulate emotions and behavior. This may cause your loved one to act out of character or even lead to personality changes.
As vascular dementia progresses, people often experience mood shifts. Your loved one may feel apathetic about hobbies that once brought them joy or become depressed, anxious, or irritable. Even positive emotions like happiness might feel more intense, too.
Behavioral changes are another common symptom, especially in the later stages of vascular dementia when some people lose their inhibitions. A usually calm person may become irritable or even aggressive when they encounter minor inconveniences. For example, your loved one might get snippy with a cashier or feel annoyed if you cook dinner late.
Vascular dementia has been strongly linked to insomnia, too, but research has not determined it yet. One possible explanation is that damaged blood vessels can change the brain’s white matter, which may affect sleep. Chronic sleep loss also increases inflammation, which may lead to even more vascular damage.
When Sudden Changes Require Immediate Medical Attention
Vascular and multi-infarct dementia symptoms often develop gradually. See a doctor right away if you notice rapid or drastic changes in your loved one’s cognition or behavior.
Keep an eye out for these red flags, especially if they seem to appear out of nowhere:
- Aggression
- Delirium, disorientation, or confusion
- Difficulty speaking or understanding what someone else is saying
- Hallucinations
- Loss of inhibition, such as taking off clothing in public
- Paranoia
- Sudden loss of coordination or balance
Don’t assume that your loved one has vascular dementia or that it’s their only condition. Other health conditions, such as a brain injury or infection, may cause these symptoms.
A medical professional can evaluate your loved one and diagnose what’s happening. They may also recommend treatment and specific resources, such as senior living communities that specialize in dementia care.
Choosing a Supportive Path for Long-Term Wellness and Care
There’s no cure for vascular dementia, but that doesn’t mean you can’t support your loved one’s well-being. Healthy lifestyle changes, such as eating a nutritious diet and staying active, may help slow the disease’s progression. Their doctor might also recommend medications to treat high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Joining a senior living community is an excellent way to build healthy routines and make social connections in a safe environment. At SRG Senior Living, our Zest program supports holistic wellness. Your loved one can exercise their brain by attending Lifelong Learning university seminars and volunteering. These experiences can help them learn new skills and maintain cognitive health.
Healthy meals also give the brain the nutrients and fuel it needs. Our FreshZest® menu includes a rotating selection of delicious, plant-forward dishes. Our chefs work closely with nutrition experts to create nutrient-dense meals that taste as good as they look.
Regular exercise is another great way to manage dementia symptoms. We offer many different fitness classes, from dance to Tai chi and water aerobics. These activities can help your loved one manage their blood pressure and give them an instant mood boost. They also make it easy to socialize.
Seniors with mild memory loss can join The Club, our therapeutic program that includes plenty of activities to support cognitive health, such as art workshops and cultural experiences. Members can also participate in daily group events and guided outings. This structure and specialized support can be incredibly helpful for people living with vascular dementia and other neurocognitive conditions.
Contact us to learn more about how we can support your loved one and help them enjoy healthy, joyful aging in an environment designed just for them.
