Know the Ten Early Warning Signs of Dementia

Know the Ten Early Warning Signs of Dementia

The Holidays are just around the corner! Besides enjoying long-awaited holiday foods and exchanging gifts, you will be spending extended periods of time with family members that you may not have seen in a while. It is not uncommon for families to notice physical and mental changes in a loved one during the holidays.

Thus, we would like to share with you the Ten Early Warning Signs of Dementia.

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life. Forgetting recently learned information, inability to recall birthdays and other important dates or events, asking the same questions repeatedly and not remembering the answers and relying more heavily on memory aids.
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems. People experiencing dementia may not be able to follow along with a simple recipe or keep track of monthly bills.
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks. Driving to a familiar location or organizing a grocery list may seem overwhelming for someone living with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia.
4. Confusion with time or place. The changing of the seasons and the passage of time may not be comprehensible to someone with dementia. They may even forget where they are or how they got to their current location.
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships. Vision loss may be an underlying symptom especially if it creates balance issues, problems judging distance and color contrast concerns.
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing. People living with Alzheimer’s or dementia may have difficulty joining or following a conversation.
7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps. It is not uncommon for someone living with Alzheimer’s or dementia to put things in unusual places and not be able to find them. They may even accuse others of stealing.
8. Decreased or poor judgment. Personal hygiene and other self-care maintenance tasks may be abandoned. Bad decisions when dealing with money may also be experienced.
9. Withdrawal from work or other social activities. Since they can no longer keep up with conversations, people living with Alzheimer’s or dementia might refrain from doing activities they once enjoyed such as gardening, crafting, exercising, attending church services or watching their favorite sports team.
10. Changes in mood and personality. Constant mood swings might become more frequent. Someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia could exhibit confusion, anxiousness or even aggression toward loved ones.

If you or a loved one has experienced any of the above signs or symptoms, then it is best to call your family physician right away. A doctor will be able to appropriately evaluate your health concerns and recommend next steps.

Our office can provide additional resources addressing not only the care but also the costs of a Long-Term Care event, such as Dementia.  If you have questions or need resources please give our office a call  480-513-1830, or schedule a time via my calendar, Chat With Charles. We are here to help!

Source: Alzheimer’s Association®