Common Signs of Dementia

Dementia is a phrase used to describe a group of symptoms that affect social, thinking, and memory abilities to interfere with the individual’s daily life. It is not a specific ailment, but various cognitive conditions can trigger dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the prevalent cause of dementia in the elderly, but the condition can be due to other causes. Different dementia types affect people differently, and each experiences symptoms differently. But, there are common symptoms that are evident before a dementia diagnosis, such as:

1. Speech and communication issues

Are you or a member of your family forgetting words or replacing words that don’t suit a conversation? Once in a while, you can have difficulty finding a suitable word to express yourself. But, someone with dementia forgets simple words or replaces words making what they want to say hard to understand. Others lose their speaking ability over time and hence cannot communicate effectively as they use non-verbal modes like gestures, touch, and facial expressions.

2. Behavioral changes

Behavior and personality changes are common with dementia. A person with the condition may start acting in a way that is different from who they are, which can be hard for their family and friends to cope with. Behavioral changes occur for various reasons. In dementia, the main reason is the loss of cells (neurons) in some brain parts. The changes you notice are subject to the part of the brain losing neurons. Also, dementia changes how an individual responds to their surroundings. As the individual may need help following conversations or become forgetful, they become frustrated or angry when they cannot follow the conversation. Crowds, conversation, and noise become overstimulating and hard to understand.

3. Memory loss

Memory issues are typically the most evident symptom in individuals with dementia. Memory loss is common, with the most recent events topping the list of forgetfulness. For instance, one may go shopping and forget what they want. People with dementia also misplace things a lot. Past events are remembered vividly until the late stages of dementia. Many patients remember their early life and childhood. Sometimes, as the condition advances, memory loss involving recent events deteriorates, and the individual appears to be living in the past.

4. Confusion about time and place

A person with dementia may feel like they are living in another time, usually when younger. They become confused and disoriented about the time and place where they experience a different reality from others. Remember that their reality is as real as yours is to you. They may need help understanding recent technology or how to use it. The person may also not recognize family members in their current state or might expect them to be younger. You may even hear them asking about a dead relative, thinking they are still alive. The worst part is that the individual may fail to recognize themself in a mirror. Dementia damages a person’s short-term memory, which means that they largely rely on older memories. They may not recognize an item or how it’s used despite seeing it.

5. Problem solving difficulties

Among the earliest signs of problem solving difficulties include challenges in planning events. Your loved one may seem like they cannot plan anything, either short-term or long-term. Although forgetfulness is sometimes a sign of old age, a reduction of problem-solving capacity and planning difficulties are not. The signs are evident when someone cannot follow a recipe or pay their bills.

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