Dementia is a condition in which an individual’s memory, social abilities, cognitive functions, and thinking are severely affected. Dementia is a family of diseases that affect patients’ brains. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common dementia, especially among the elderly. Sometimes, diagnosing dementia can be difficult as many of its symptoms seem harmless. For instance, memory loss can either be dementia-driven or due to old age. Keep reading to learn about the warning signs of dementia.
Memory loss
Unlike normal memory loss, which happens mainly due to old age, dementia is not a natural process. The main difference between the two conditions is that dementia-driven memory loss is accompanied by other issues, such as losing the ability to learn, reason, think, and remember. While memory loss can be sharpened over time with the right foods, sleep patterns, cognitive exercises, and physical activity, dementia is more irreversible.
Altogether, dementia involves severe memory loss, but not all types of memory loss indicate dementia. Therefore, one must visit their local healthcare expert whenever they encounter either situation.
Tendency to misplace belongings
A person diagnosed with dementia often loses their personal belongings. It mainly happens because the memory function of their brain is irreparably damaged. Additionally, people with this condition tend to misplace things in the oddest places. For example, it is not uncommon for someone with dementia to misplace a pair of house keys inside a microwave oven or drop their wallet inside a plant vase.
Such kinds of misplacements are typical of dementia patients as it indicates that they have lost some sense of what place they are in. Therefore, placing keys in an oven might seem perfectly normal to them at the moment.
Frequent mood shifts
People with dementia often spiral into anxiety and other related conditions due to the changing chemical composition in their brains. As a result, such people can be highly cheerful one moment and become sad the next. Dementia can also bring about temperamental issues in people. So, someone with this condition tends to have frequent and occasionally violent anger outbursts when they are in the company of many people.
Difficulty with visual and spatial abilities
People with dementia are more likely to forget where they are and where they need to go. Additionally, such individuals will also have problems getting in and out of vehicles due to issues with spatial recognition.
Apart from identifying the signs of dementia, one should ensure they set up timely appointments with certified doctors in their area. Doing so may help diagnose the condition early and manage it better. If a person with dementia requires complete care, including housing, meals, supportive services, and healthcare, they should look for assisted living facilities. Such establishments are designed to help manage the condition better.
