11 Early Signs of Dementia: What to Watch Out For

There is no one specific test that can diagnose dementia. By understanding your medical history and examining your physical and mental status, your doctor may provide you with a diagnosis, recommend further exams, or refer you to a specialist. Misplacing things from time to time and retracing steps to find them. Sometimes having trouble finding the right word.

How do I know if I have dementia?

By Sanjana GuptaSanjana is a health writer and editor. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness. The person is likely to progressively lose their motor skills and the ability to speak. They may only be able to utter unintelligible sounds or words, if at all.

Mental health problems

In the early stages of dementia, a person’s symptoms are often relatively mild and not always easy to notice. Common early-stage symptoms include problems with memory, speed of thought, language or perception. One of the early symptoms of dementia that people tend to notice is short-term memory loss. This can involve forgetfulness, misplacing objects, and getting lost. Tripping over something because you don’t recognize that it’s in the way, or not being able to make sense of the time on a clock could be warning signs of dementia, Heidebrink says.

This can cause problems judging distances, for example when using stairs. They are more common in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and DLB than in vascular dementia or FTD. Visual-perceptual difficulties are different from the visual hallucinations (often of animals beldex coin price or people) that are a feature of early-stage DLB. Many people at the early stage of dementia stay largely independent and only need a bit of assistance with daily living. It is important to focus on what the person can do and not to take over and do things for them. Instead, try doing things with them, for example helping the person develop a routine, reminder lists and prompts, and use technology.

Talking to your doctor about dementia

An early diagnosis helps both the person and caregivers learn about dementia, set realistic expectations and plan for their future together. If you notice any of the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s in yourself or someone you know, don’t ignore them. Developing very specific ways of doing things and becoming irritable when a routine is disrupted. Getting confused about the day of the week but figuring it out later. The millions of people impacted by Alzheimer’s disease need your help. Your generosity can help us provide care and support to those facing the challenges of Alzheimer’s and advance global research.

• A person with dementia may lose interest in hobbies or activities they used to enjoy.
• This may include problems recalling recent events, losing or misplacing items, and forgetting the names of people or objects.
• Whether you’re concerned for yourself or someone you care about, it’s important to know the most common warning signs of dementia so you can ensure an early diagnosis.

Medical Minute: What causes dementia?

Moments of forgetfulness can happen at any age, and according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA), may happen even more as you age. Still, memory lapses can provoke anxiety for older adults who are often left wondering whether it’s all normal or a sign of something more serious. If you are experiencing these symptoms, book an appointment with your healthcare provider to have a memory test done and review Step #4 above.

• For more information for people living with dementia, see the ‘Keeping active and involved’ page.
• Clinicians typically compare the person’s symptoms to the criteria listed for each stage and use their judgment to determine which stage the patient is at.
• Learn about dementia symptoms and possible signs, as well as how dementia differs from normal aging.
• There may also be changes in mood or personality, such as agitation and frustration.

They will probably need assistance with daily living activities and may experience incontinence and sleep-related difficulties. Dementia is marked by a severe decline in cognitive functions, such as thinking, reasoning, and remembering, to the extent that it interferes with the person’s daily life. It’s not uncommon to hear the terms “dementia” and “Alzheimer’s disease” used interchangeably. While Alzheimer’s disease causes the majority of dementia cases, many other disorders can affect a person’s memory or ability to process information. A change in mood is also common with dementia. If you have dementia, it may not be easy to recognize this in yourself, but you may notice this change in someone else.

As a very rough guide, the early stage of dementia lasts on average about two years. For more information for people living with dementia, see the ‘Keeping active and involved’ page. Whatever your goals, it’s the struggle to get there that’s most rewarding. It’s almost as if life itself is inviting us to embrace difficulty—not as punishment but as a design feature. Your doctor has just told you that you have dementia. This may come as a shock – or, you may feel relief at finally being able to put a name to your symptoms.

If the changes are due to dementia, an early diagnosis has benefits. Plus, an early diagnosis makes individuals eligible for a wider variety of clinical trials, the Alzheimer’s Association points out. If someone forgets where they are, or can’t remember how they got there, that’s a red flag. Changes in behaviour are not common first signs of dementia, other than in FTD. A person with behavioural variant FTD may lose their inhibitions and behave in socially inappropriate ways. They may also act impulsively and lose empathy for others.

Stage 3: Mild Cognitive Decline

They may also have difficulties with short-term memory, such as forgetting things or events. The second most common type of dementia results from damage to the vessels that supply blood to the brain. It tends to affect focus, organization, problem-solving and speed of thinking more noticeably than memory. It’s estimated that 5 to 10 percent of people with dementia have vascular dementia. Dementia is an umbrella term for a decline in mental ability that interferes with daily life. It can diminish focus, attention, language skills, problem solving and visual perception.

What about Medications?

For example, they may use poor judgment when dealing with money or pay less attention to grooming or keeping themselves clean. This article explores the seven stages of dementia so you know what to expect if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with it. This article will take a closer look at 11 of the most common early symptoms of dementia and what to do if you notice them. Dementia is a collection of various brain diseases and their symptoms. Alzheimer’s makes up 60-70% of dementia cases. Abnormal protein deposits in the brain, called Lewy bodies, interfere with brain chemistry and lead to problems with behavior, mood, movement and thinking.

We all lose our keys, reading glasses, that important piece of mail you meant to hold onto. Money problems may be one of the first noticeable signs of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, according to the NIA. Results from a 2019 National Poll on Healthy Aging found that nearly half of respondents ages 50 to 64 are worried about developing dementia.