Five warning signs of dementia
Dementia is not a specific illness but a collection of symptoms of metal disorders. These symptoms may include loss of memory, poor communication, and poor ability to pay attention or focus, visual perception issues, and inability to reason and make judgments. Dementia can be caused by several factors, such as brain damage as a result of stroke or injuries, Lewy body dementia, Huntington’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, the number one contributor is Alzheimer’s disease.
Symptoms of dementia
• Subtle memory changes that are short-termed
Memory lapse can be an early signal of dementia. Adults may be able to remember events that took place years ago, but have problems remembering what happened few minutes ago. Short-term memory lapse examples may include where they left an item, where they were supposed to be or do at a particular time etc.
• Mood changes
Most people go into depression and generally have mood swings. It can be difficult to notice this yourself, but you can realize these changes on someone else. Your personality can also change, for instance, an outgoing person can abruptly start being shy.
• Apathy
These people may often present with symptoms such as feeling bored and losing interests in the things they previously enjoyed doing. They may also lack interest in interacting with family and friends and become emotionless.
• Confusion
You will notice that someone is in the early stages of dementia when they find it difficult to recognize faces of people they know. When talking, they may also experience challenges finding the right words or to make the right judgment.
• Repetitive
People with dementia may find themselves doing the same task over and over again because of memory lapse. In a conversation, you will find them asking the same question over and over again.
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