Recognizing Dementia

21st of March, 2017

Recognizing Dementia:


Dementia can affect people from all walks of life. The likelihood of getting dementia increases with age but there can be early on-set of dementia as well. Occasional forgetfulness happens to everyone and does increase with age. It can be a normal part of life.
However dementia signs and symptoms are a lot more than just forgetfulness. Recognizing the early signs and symptoms is important to keep your loved ones safe.

Here are some early signs and symptoms of recognizing dementia:

Learn to notice sudden fluctuations in mood and personality. If your loved one becomes angry or frustrated more than normal, it may be a sign of dementia. They may have these sudden drops in mood due to their inability to make sense of their thoughts or their environment. They may also become aggressive or paranoid.

Notice any changes in their short-term memory but not long term memory. Long term memory, especially childhood memories, stay intact for a long time. Short-term memory is often disrupted during dementia.

Pay attention to your loved one having trouble wording ideas in speech or in writing. An individual experiencing dementia may stop their speech in the middle of a sentence of an idea. The pattern of speech may become disrupted.

Be aware that depression and dementia often go hand in hand. A dementia patient may frequently become depressed and lose interest in their usual activities. They may not want to interact as much with you or with other people around them.
These kinds of symptoms often worsen during evening time and therefore it is called "sun-downing."


*It is always recommended to see a professional to officially diagnose any kind of change in behavior.*