Whether it is the object of late-night worry or the object of a “senior moment” joke between friends, dementia is increasingly on the mind of Americans as our life expectancy increases. Awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia doesn’t always translate in reliable information, however, and we struggle with powerful misconceptions surrounding the disease. Without a clear understanding of dementia, we tend to mix it up with the “normal” limitations of the aging brain as we reach our 70s, 80s and beyond. The good news is: 2 out of 3 Americans who reach extreme old age will live with an older brain (as they live with older arteries, older eyes and older knees), but they will not be affected by dementia.
The term “dementia” describes a family of symptoms related to memory, thought processes, social abilities, perception, communication, balance and mobility. Dementia affects over 5 million Americans today. While there is no cure for dementia, an early diagnosis is essential to maintaining quality of life during the progressive stages of the disease. If you are concerned that you or someone you love may exhibit early signs of dementia, look for the following symptoms to determine whether a quick cognitive assessment should be considered next time you visit your doctor.
- Always consider your baseline when making any sort of assessment: If you have a lifelong history of losing your keys, for instance, there is nothing alarming about losing your keys one more time next week.
- Although there is no known cure for progressive dementia, some medical conditions (urinary tract infection, dehydration, medication side-effects, and many more) can mimic some of the symptoms of dementia until they are identified and remedied. Be sure to bring up any noticeable change in cognitive abilities and mood with your primary care physician.
1. Memory Loss
Just about every adult occasionally forgets a name, face or event. But when memory lapses become more frequent and start impacting your daily life, they could be an early sign of dementia. Examples include:
- Forgetting important dates, such as a wedding or a long-awaited doctor’s appointment
- Forgetting that a friend or relative died long ago
- Getting lost on the way home from a familiar destination
- Difficulty in placing events on the timeline of life, such as believing events took place much closer (or much farther apart) than they did
- Inability to recall common information, such as the name of the next street over, the name of the local newspaper, or the name of your pastor
2. Problems With Thought Processes
Possibly more significant than memory, progressive difficulty in planning and solving problems is another warning sign that a cognitive assessment may be recommended. These include:
- Sudden difficulty in completing mundane tasks, like changing the time on a microwave oven’s clock in the spring and the fall
- An inability to follow a familiar recipe correctly, or to complete a craft as easily as before
- Forgetting to pay bills, or how to balance your checkbook
- Experiencing sequential difficulty with common tasks such as getting dressed (planning clothes that are appropriate for the season, understanding what goes on first…)
- Exhibiting verbal struggles, and substituting more generic words, like saying “the man who helps us” instead of “the man who mows our lawn”
3. Changing Social Abilities
When combined with memory loss and thought process challenges, a change in social ability is cause for concern. Symptoms of one of these important warning signs include:
- Sudden paranoia or suspicion about the motives of others
- Difficulty and frustration in expressing thoughts or emotions clearly
- Accusing others of stealing or hiding belongings when in reality you are misplacing items
- Decreased judgment and safety awareness, donating inordinate sums of money, falling for scams
- Losing interest in once-loved hobbies and social groups
- Ignoring grooming and hygiene
- Severely disrupted sleep patterns
Is it Dementia?
If some concerns remain on your mind after reviewing this material, help is available in taking the next step. Dementia is not a “normal” part of aging, and getting an early diagnosis will make a significant difference in your quality of life over the course of the disease.
Cross Keys Village is our region’s Center of Excellence in all aspects of Memory Care. The 700-strong team at Cross Keys Village is trained to identify dementia and respond with compassion to dementia-related distress or confusion. We also feature several secure neighborhoods for individuals with impaired safety awareness.
For more information about Cross Keys Village and the comprehensive approach we take to memory care, please get in touch today using the form at the bottom of this page.
