Early Signs of Dementia

Starting at age 65, the risk of developing dementia doubles every 5 years.  So if you’ve started asking yourself, “Have they lost their mind!?”  Here are a few signs that​ indicate they just may be starting to.​

Memory Loss​

Have you ever misplaced your keys or forgot where you put your wallet?  Of course you have!  Forgetfulness happens to all of us, but persons with early dementia can progress to more serious episodes of memory lapse like forgetting the actual item they are even looking for.  Often long term memory remains intact, so they are able to tell you their previous occupations or childhood stories, but not able to recall what they ate for lunch.​

Behavior or Personality Changes​

Persons in early stages of dementia can experience increased agitation or may be triggered by their memory loss. They can start to exhibit unusual personality characteristics from their norms, for example “Tidy Teddy” becomes “Messy Marvin” or “Social Sally” becomes “Recluse Rita”.  Caregivers should be mindful that depression is a common occurrence in those with dementia and medical help may be needed to diagnose and treat these symptoms.​

Word finding problems​

Another early symptom of dementia is difficulty with finding the right words to express themselves or using words that are often associated with the word intended.  Frequent word substitutions, such as sister instead of aunt, or increased pauses or use of “umm” while searching for the word may be indicative of things to come.  As a result, conversations may require an increased amount of time to get all the accurate information from a person with early dementia signs.​

Disorientation​

Have they gotten lost on their way to the grocery store or church that they drive to every week?  Are they forgetting what day of the week, the month or the year it is?  Loss of time and direction can be a precursor to dementia and often affect the safety of a person as they can easily become lost on familiar roads, with no idea how they got there, how long they've been there, or how to get back home.  ​

Difficulty completing familiar tasks​

The ability to complete simple day-to-day activities may become more challenging as persons with dementia exhibit increased difficulty following step-by-step directions. Has balancing their checkbook or playing a game with lots of rules become near impossible?  Persons with dementia may experience more difficulty with visual and spatial relationships which could affect their hand-eye coordination. Things like putting the lid on the jar or the cap on the pen become that much more challenging.  ​

The earlier a person is diagnosed with dementia, the better the disease is able to be managed.  Talk to your loved one and their doctor to preserve their best quality of life for as long as possible.​

The information you need…straight UP! ​

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