How do people with dementia remember they have dementia?

i work with the elderly n when they phone the department they always say "bear with me dear iv got dementia!"

how do they remember this?!

They can remember many things, sometimes more than others, it is a procressive disease and they are not aware of what they forget, I am sure there are many who do not realize they have what people call dementia, they may not even realize they can't remember things.

they dont always

Depending how severe it is, and how well they are doing on a given day, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.

I started to answer this - but I forgot what the question was.

they don't always!!

ever seen 50 first dates or the notebook? it's not always that easy..

they dont. some old people use it as an excuse.

They may be meaning they are having "a senior moment", a moment of forgetfulness. I use this or that saying "bear with me..." when I can't remember something. People with dementia cannot remember once it has progressed to the point when it can be diagnosed. I think this person is using this phrase as a lot of we seniors do. He has a sense of humor.
Bless you for working with the elderly. We need you.

Who are you people, where am I, why are you talking about me?

I've never known that. Neither of my grandmothers knew they had it.

My grandmother had dementia but she didn't realise it. She used to called me Glenys, which was my Mum's name and ask how the baby was (She meant me).
She also managed to get into fights with the other old ladies in the care home. This was sooo out of character!

Tattooed on their forehead.

in severe cases they dont

but since dementia is caused by the loss of specific neuro receptors or the production of neurotransmitter then in less severe cases they are able to increase the neuro transmitter volume in the brain for a short period to remember things such as they ave dementia

my mum has dementia and she doesnt even realise anything is wrong with her, she cant do anything, washing dressing, make a cup of tea or food yet she thinks she s still running the house, washing cooking etc.

Dementia does not mean you are brain dead, simply that your function is increasingly limited. This can be mild, so that it is possible for the patient, particularly if they are intelligent, to hide it completely unless they are formally tested, or so severe that the unfortunate individual even forgets when and how to eat!

I agree with Dr. Frank on this one. Someone who knows that they have been diagnosed with dementia must surely be in the earlier stages of it. People in advanced stages can not even remember family members, when to eat, when to sleep, where they are, etc.

Dementia is not a condition, it is a symtom of a realisation.
IE. The realisation that life and the whole act of living is meaningless.

People in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease may experience lapses of memory and have problems finding the right words. As the disease progresses they may:

Become confused, and frequently forget the names of people, places, appointments and recent events.
Experience mood swings. They may feel sad or angry. They may feel scared and frustrated by their increasing memory loss.
Become more withdrawn due either to a loss of confidence or to communication problems.
As the disease progresses, people with Alzheimer's will need more support from those who care for them. Eventually they will need help with all their daily activities.

While there are some common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, it is important to remember that everyone is unique. No two cases of Alzheimer's are likely to be the same. People always experience illness in their own individual way
my mother has Alzheimer's and has been in a nursing home for 4years and she has no id who we are. she has lost all speech and cannot communicate anymore i feel so sorry for her

They will only know this in the early stages. As the dementia gets worse they don't know what is wrong with them and this can completely change their behaviour and they will sometimes behave in ways which they never did before.
You need a lot of patience with them and they need a lot of loving.
The only blessing is that as the disease is even further progressed they don't remember much at all and a lot of them live in their own little world, sometimes acting out things that they may have worked at when they were younger.

For some people it can come and go. Very frustrating.