If you are reading this page, someone you care about may be showing changes in memory, language, behaviour, or daily function — and you are trying to understand what is happening. This hub is a routing page for the parts of HelpDementia.com that cover dementia symptoms, the staging system, the cognitive tests doctors use, and what brain-imaging findings actually mean. It is not a substitute for a clinical evaluation. If a change worries you, the most useful next step is almost always a conversation with the person’s primary care doctor or a neurologist.
Start here
- Warning signs of dementia (and how they sometimes look different in men)
- The 7 stages of Alzheimer’s and how long each stage tends to last
- A plain-English dementia progression timeline by stage
Cognitive tests, scores, and what they mean
Caregivers are often handed a number — a MoCA score, an MMSE score, a FAST scale rating — without much context about what it implies for daily care. These guides translate the scores.
- MoCA scores and dementia progression: a complete guide
- MMSE scores and dementia stages: what the numbers tell you
- FAST scale for dementia: understanding the 7-stage assessment
- Stage 6 dementia: symptoms timeline and caregiver guide
Brain MRI findings explained
If you are reading an MRI report and trying to figure out which findings are concerning and which are common in older adults, these guides decode the radiology language.
- What “microangiopathic changes” on a brain MRI mean
- What “parenchymal volume loss” means on a brain MRI
- What “encephalomalacia” means on a brain MRI
- What “small-vessel ischemic disease” means on a brain MRI
Prognosis and life expectancy
- Dementia life-expectancy chart by stage
- Vascular dementia life expectancy, compared to Alzheimer’s
- Frontotemporal dementia life expectancy by age of onset
- Dementia life expectancy by age of onset (2026 update)
Common questions
If a doctor’s visit is your next step
Write down what you have noticed before the visit — specific examples, dates, and how often the change is happening. Doctors get a far better picture from “he forgot the route home from the grocery store twice in the last month” than from “his memory is getting worse.” Bring a list of all current medications and any over-the-counter supplements; some of those can mimic or worsen cognitive symptoms.
Other hubs you might need next
The articles linked from this hub are informational and not medical advice. See our Editorial Policy for how we research and review content. Last reviewed May 30, 2026.