Dementia is a condition that causes the brain to degenerate with age that is widely talked about. However, you don’t think it is something that can happen to you or anyone who you love such as your parents.
That is just one example of hearing about a serious illness happening to someone else that you would never think could apply to you or a loved one. However, dementia is a condition that can happen to anyone and the most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.
The best thing to do is to arm yourself with knowledge because it can happen out of the blue. What are the 11 obvious signs of dementia that you may have missed in a loved one? Let’s go over those right now.
Struggling With Short Term Memories
It is easy to be forgetful as if you are so busy you are not going to remember what you were exactly doing a day ago at this time – unless you were at an appointment or had a commitment. However, when it comes to consistently forgetting what you just did a day ago or even a month ago at all, then that is a sign of dementia.
Loss Of Memory That Affects The Day To Day Life
If your loved one is always asking the same questions that you had just answered even 10 minutes ago, that is a bad sign. And if names and places are forgotten, that is also a sign of dementia. If you are noticing this is happening to you, then this is not something to slough off.
Struggling With Life Skills And Following Instructions
If there is difficulty following simple instructions such as following a very basic recipe or managing money, this can be a sign of dementia. Especially if you or a loved one was one of the most organized people around and was great with problem-solving.
Always Losing Items
It is very easy to forget where you put your keys or your phone if you are distracted and you need to often retrace your steps to find it. And if you have ADHD or you struggle with organizing as it is, that often happens. However, if this is happening on a consistent basis, especially if you or your loved one was always the organized type, this is a problem. Losing items consistently is a sign of dementia.
Not Knowing The Date And Time
It is extremely easy to forget the date and time if your routine has been disrupted as this is a common thing during the holiday season. However, if you or your loved one is starting to struggle with remembering the days of the week and even the seasons, then that is a cause for concern.
Struggling With Spatial And Visual Relationships
If you or your loved one is struggling to even recognize themselves in the mirror, then dementia is affecting a certain area of the brain. And the area of the brain affected is responsible for spatial awareness. This means driving is a danger when this happens as there is the inability to judge when to brake as that is a hazard.
Struggling To Find Words To Say And To Keep Up With Conversations
When you have a lot on your mind, you may struggle to keep up with a conversation and lose your train of thought. This happens as well if you are very tired. However, if it is happening over and over again along with repetition, that is also a reason to be worried.
Increased Suspicion
It was already covered that those with dementia often misplace items and are unable to find them. What makes it even more worrisome is when they accuse others of taking those items when in fact they were misplaced. Therefore increased paranoia is also a cause for concern.
Personality Changes
It is not uncommon to struggle with depression as well as concerns over aging even if you were the type to be optimistic. However, if the personality changes are drastic such as increased irritability, anxiety, and aggression, that is also a strong sign of dementia. Occasionally, there can be hallucinations which will increase anxiety and aggression.
Poor Judgment
Anyone can have poor judgment and that even goes for those who are quite perceptive. It happens. However, those who have dementia will always fall for scams, as well as buy items that they want without thinking of the consequences. Personal hygiene will also become a problem due to the lack of bathing because of not being aware that they need to bathe.
Isolation
Those who have dementia will avoid social interaction because they lose interest in previous hobbies and social gatherings. They are also aware that they are unable to keep up with conversations so they isolate themselves and avoid social interactions of any kind which leads to loneliness.
If you are seeing signs of dementia in your parent or another elderly loved one, then early treatment can help delay the progression. If you are starting to see signs in yourself as well, don’t put it off as treatment can help extend your quality of life. Even though there is no cure for dementia, you don’t have to forget about having a good life either.
