1. changes in cognitive abilities (information by patient, informant, observation) – memory is mainly affected
2. Daily routine practical skills are unimpaired. Everyday life can be managed completely independently (cooking, paying bills, shopping, washing, dressing, eating, personal hygiene, etc.), although more complex activities are performed more slowly
3. Cognitive changes are so mild that the criteria for dementia have not been met.
As other diseases such as depression – which is among the most common age-related diseases – may have symptoms similar to dementia, a precise diagnostic evaluation at the beginning is important. Besides depressive symptoms people with depression suffer also from disorders of memory, attention, concentration and drive and can thus give the impression of dementia – this is called „pseudo-dementia“. Depressive episodes occur frequently in the course of dementia, more than two-thirds of those affected are at least affected once. Furthermore, sleeping disorders and their treatment strategies need to be considered, because some medications can cause dementia syndromes in chronic use. When there’s the suspicion of primary sleeping disorder a study in a sleep laboratory should be initiated.