Early Signs Of Dementia

Read carefully! The following words can save you from a troublesome condition. Are you constantly forgetting the names of your friends and relatives? Are you having problems in doing everyday tasks that you do on daily basis? Do you remember past experiences clearly, but have a trouble recalling what you ate for supper last night or where were you the day before? Don’t overlook these signs, for these maybe the symptoms of a mental condition called dementia. It is the condition in which the brain of the patient loses its cognitive ability like memory, speaking, understanding. Dementia is mostly found in elderly people, but can affect any adult, irrespective of age. It is not a specific medical disease; but actually a group of signs/symptoms. There are many known causes of dementia; one of them being Alzheimer's disease. It gradually damages the cognitive processes like memory, speech and orientation. The other common cause of dementia is vascular dementia, which occurs due to the death of brain tissues. Dementia not only affects behavior, but the personality of a person also. The treatment of dementia depends upon its level and cause. If caused by Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, it is incurable. The known medical drugs and practices can only avoid few symptoms and slow down the progressive loss of memory, but cannot completely heal the condition. Early detection of dementia can be immensely helpful for the person suffering from it. Mentioned below are few early signs of dementia that you should know.

Early Symptoms Of Dementia

Constantly forgetting the names of friends, family members and other people around you is an important sign to look out for. Remember, forgetting names occasionally is normal, but not so on a constant basis.
Difficulty in doing the daily tasks, such as preparing a meal, forgetting to eat it and then preparing the same again, is also another important sign to watch out for in dementia. Problems in driving and following the signals are also one of the telltale signs. However, don’t match it if you are driving for the first time.
Getting lost in your familiar places like office or forgetting the daily route. You can also have problems like forgetting appointments or forgetting why the meeting was called in for, in the first place.
Cognitive problems like difficulty in finding words and their inappropriate usage may arise due to dementia. Don’t mix it with the situation of an inarticulate person.
Patient suffering from dementia mostly has a poor judgment and finds it difficult to take decisions. He/she may also find it difficult to choose between colors and sizes.
Analytical activities like math and calculations become very difficult to perform. However, that does not mean your cousin has dementia just because he/she failed to clear his Math unit test.
The person suffering from dementia often misidentifies people and their names. He/she can forget his/her mother or spouse and can think of a stranger as his/her mother or spouse.
Behavioral changes such as, showing signs of agitation and rapid mood changes and in some cases, apathy and irritability, is also one of the signs of dementia.
Patients suffering from dementia often become socially isolated, not talking for hours, sitting all alone at a corner and so on. Don’t mix this with introvert people, as there is considerable difference between the two. While introverts are aware of their situation, patients of dementia are least conscious of their activities.
The person can show extreme sleeping habits like waking up in middle night, insomnia and acting restless.
These people may become suspicious and paranoid to everyone. Other signs include delusions and hallucinations.
They start neglecting themselves and may even lack sense of hygiene. He/she can forget the daily activities like bathing and brushing the teeth.
If the person is working, he/she may start having mistakes in the job and can find it hard to perform the usual operations.
The person can be illogically noisy and clamorous.

If you or any closed person of you is showing these traits, it is strictly advised to consult a psychiatrist immediately!

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