The 4 Most Common Warning Signs of Dementia & Other Memory-Based Illnesses
Thanks to the amazing innovations in medicine and healthcare, the predicted age at which men and women across the country will live to is around six times the age of those living in the Middle Ages.
As wonderful as this is and, of course, how grateful each and every member of the human race is to the medical researchers and doctors, the time has shown that living longer has brought up a variety of new medical issues.
Memory illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are, therefore, prevalent in older people. If you have a close friend, parent, or other family member you are concerned for, then continue reading.
1. Behavioral & Personality Changes
One of the problems with identifying dementia or other memory illnesses and, moreover, encouraging your loved one to make an appointment with their medical doctor to discuss the subject is that most warning signs are subtle and gradual, at least at first.
However, if you have noticed little changes in their behaviors or changes in their personality, which means they are no longer as patient with your children, for example, this could be cause for concern.
Should you, together with your elderly loved one, come to the decision that they would be both happier and safer if they did not continue to live alone in their own home, you should start looking into memory care for seniors in Rancho Palos Verdes, Ca at your earliest opportunity.
2. an Ability to Focus Or Concentrate
Another fundamental change in a person who is experiencing the onset and warning signs of early dementia is a reduced ability to focus and concentrate.
Perhaps your older loved one used to enjoy striving to complete the cryptic crossword in the morning newspaper, or else loved to watch a gritty and complicated movie on the television. Still, now they seem uninterested and unable to enjoy what they used to love.
This reduced ability can be a sign of numerous issues unrelated to memory, but they can also indicate the onset of early dementia.
3. Signs of Low Mood & Depression
Another indicator that your loved one may be showing signs of dementia is a general feeling of fatigue, with them showing little to no interest in leaving the house, or even playing a game they used to love.
Depression, often brought about in older adults and the elderly by feelings of loneliness and isolation can obviously be triggered by a wide variety of catalysts. Still, regardless of the instigator, if your loved one is showing signs of depression, they need to see their doctor.
4. Confusion in Conversation
Finally, the fourth warning sign you should be looking out for when it comes to cognitive decline and dementia is in the context of your conversations with one another.
Often, dementia can begin to affect the way in which a person forms sentences and, more specifically, how they string their thoughts together to create a sentence. Naturally, if you have even the slightest concern, you should make an appointment with your loved one’s medical doctor as soon as possible.