If someone in your family starts forgetting things, it can be more than just another result of ageing. Forgetting things on a frequent basis may be an early symptom of something much worse – Dementia.
Wondering and worrying whether your loved one is going to take a sudden turn for the worst can be incredibly stressful. To help, OSAN Ability Assist has compiled a list of common early signs of dementia. This way, you will have more tools available to guide you as you make decisions and work with your loved one to move forward.
A good way for a better understanding of dementia, you may keep an eye on the early signs of dementia that include:
Short-Term Memory Loss
Not every memory loss is necessarily associated with dementia. Anyone who suffers from dementia can often remember things that happened twenty years ago. But it becomes hard for them to even remember what they ate 20 or 30 seconds ago. This specific type of memory loss can be one of the most prominent & early warning signs.
Difficulty in Communicating
From an inability to understand sarcasm to struggle to find the right words, dementia can create barriers in communication that lead your loved one to stop talking and distance themselves from others.
Confusion
Another prominent early warning sign, confusion, like the inability to match a face with a name, may cause patients to withdraw from the people around them. This confusion can manifest or in more severe cases ultimately, and obviously, disrupt the patient’s life.
Difficulty Completing Simple Tasks
As dementia alters the process of the mind, patients dealing with the disease will often forget how to do something as simple as doing the dishes or tying their shoes. Dementia can often manifest as the inability to learn new things, as well.
Frequent Mood Swings
This can be both a symptom of the disease and a reaction to other symptoms, like confusion. The inability to remember, or finish tasks that once seemed so simple, combined with the mental issue of dementia, can lead to depression and anxiety resulting in frequent mood swings.
Falling
An increase in falling often follows the onset of dementia. Patients dealing with dementia can find it hard to keep track of their feet or their location, leading to tumbles or falling downstairs.
Repeating Behaviours
People dealing with dementia may end up repeating simple tasks over and over. Behaviours may include multiple grocery trips in a day or tying and retying shoelaces numerous times.
These symptoms can create situations where the person suffering from the disease feels useless, disconnected and out of control. It is essential to consult with an expert if you find such signs in one of the elders. It is also recommended to go for an experienced aged care service provider to take care of their daily activities.
