What difficulty may individuals with dementia experience?

Individuals with dementia often face significant challenges in executing complex tasks. As dementia progresses, cognitive functions, including memory, reasoning, and judgment, are adversely affected. This impacts a person’s ability to plan, organize, and complete tasks that require multiple steps or logical sequencing.

For example, a person with dementia may struggle to prepare a meal, which necessitates following a recipe, measuring ingredients, and managing cooking times, all of which are complex cognitive tasks. The increased complexity can lead to frustration and decreased independence in daily activities, highlighting the impact of dementia on functional capabilities.

While individuals with dementia might also experience difficulties in learning new skills, attention span, and problem-solving, the execution of complex tasks is particularly pronounced as it requires a combination of cognitive abilities that are directly impaired by dementia. This connects closely to the daily challenges faced by those living with the condition and underlines the importance of understanding these difficulties for better support and care.