Apraxia in Dementia: Impact on Oral Intake

Dementia is defined as a decline from a prior level of cognitive-behavioral function and is commonly associated with deficits in learned skilled movements (i.e., apraxia). Specifically, patients with Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of degenerative dementia, frequently have problems with manipulating and using tools, such as using a fork to eat a meal. With disease progression, these patients can have difficulty with oral intake, including problems with swallowing.