Early Signs Of Dementia Age

What Should I Expect As Dementia Progresses

Most forms of dementia are incurable and get worse over time. Although your loved one could be mostly independent for a while, theyll eventually need assistance with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, and cooking. Its also important to remember that their safety could become a concern.

If you anticipate their needs increasing, home care supports families while enabling seniors to continue living at home for as long as possible. Remaining in a familiar place can be especially helpful for people with dementia.

In later stages of dementia, living at home may no longer be an option. Memory care communities are a specialized type of senior living designed to meet the unique needs of someone experiencing memory loss or cognitive decline.

Isnt Dementia Part Of Normal Aging

No, many older adults live their entire lives without developing dementia. Normal aging may include weakening muscles and bones, stiffening of arteries and vessels, and some age-related memory changes that may show as:

• Occasionally misplacing car keys
• Struggling to find a word but remembering it later
• Forgetting the name of an acquaintance
• Forgetting the most recent events

Normally, knowledge and experiences built over years, old memories, and language would stay intact.

What Is The Cause Of Dementia At A Younger Age

Alzheimers disease is the most common cause of dementia. It is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other critical mental processes. In the course of Alzheimers, brain cells and their compounds degenerate and die. It has a destructive effect on memory and other essential mental functions, leading to dementia. The average early-onset dementia age ranges in patients from 30 to 60 years old.

People who suffer from dementia at a younger age often have a common condition, known as sporadic Alzheimers. Genetics do not determine this disease, and science does not have an explanation about what causes it at such a young age.

The other type of early-onset Alzheimers is familial Alzheimers disease. People suffering from this condition are likely to have close relatives who suffered from a similar illness.

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Difficulty In Calculating Numbers And Handling Money Or Balancing The Cheque Book

Consistent financial problems and money struggles are high on the early signs of dementia checklist. These dementia symptoms include changes in an ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers. This could include:

• Spending money more frivolously than usual
• Having difficult following a recipe with measurements
• Being uncharacteristically generous with money
• Struggling to keep track of monthly bills

If youre concerned about your parents ability to handle their finances, read our guide on protecting their legal and financial situation.

This is different to: common age-related issues such as missing a couple of debt repayments due to low income, making occasional errors with number calculations.

How Do I Know If My Husband Has Dementia

Dementia arrives slowly over time, which is why family members might not notice early signs right away. Dementia is typically identified when the condition begins to affect daily life. If confusion, word-finding difficulties, or organization challenges are becoming frequent occurrences, it is time to consult with a physician.

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Are Early Signs Of Dementia Obvious

Changes in a person in the early stages of dementia can be so gradual they can often be mistaken for normal ageing. Because dementia affects people in different ways, symptoms may not always be obvious. In fact, failure to recognise early signs often leads to people not being diagnosed for several years.

So what to look for? Perhaps someone you care for is struggling to remember what they did yesterday and forgets the names of friends or everyday objects. They may have difficulty following conversations or TV programmes, repeat things over and over, or have problems thinking or reasoning. They may feel angry, anxious or depressed about memory loss or feel confused even in a familiar environment.

The healthtalk website presents a range of carers experiences of identifying the early signs of dementia. One carer put it this way.

The first stage is not recognisable I think, or certainly wasnt recognisable as far as I was concerned initially . I was certainly not understanding… the fact that my wife was at the beginning of a serious problem, a serious mental health problem. Because I was with my wife continuously, I think I was less likely to recognise some of the changes that were taking place than people who saw her less regularly.

Why Is Dementia More Common In Women

While theres no concrete answer as to why women are more likely to develop dementia than men, there are a few commonly accepted theories.

The number one factor for dementia is age. And, while the ageing process itself doesnt cause dementia, as people age the risk of developing dementia does increase. On average women live longer than men, and are therefore more at risk.

Nearly 3 in 4 people over 90 are women. And in the UK, the average life expectancy of a woman is around 82 years old. For men, its 79 years old.

In addition to this, experts know from scanning the brains of people with dementia that brain cells naturally die faster in women than they do in men. This could increase the prevalence of dementia, and how fast it progresses.

Research also suggests that the female hormone oestrogen could increase the risk of dementia too.

While widely known as a sex hormone, Oestrogen isnt only used in the bodys reproductive functions. Its also used in our brains, specifically in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, which are the areas responsible for memory and decision making, and are commonly damaged by dementia.

Oestrogen helps brain cells communicate more effectively through a process called synaptic plasticity. In short, the hormone helps the gaps between cells adapt and send messages between the most active brain cells so that information can be processed faster.

While women have more oestrogen, both men and women have this hormone in their bodies.

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Symptoms Specific To Frontotemporal Dementia

Although Alzheimer’s disease is still the most common type of dementia in people under 65, a higher percentage of people in this age group may develop frontotemporal dementia than older people. Most cases are diagnosed in people aged 45-65.

Early symptoms of frontotemporal dementia may include:

• personality changes reduced sensitivity to others’ feelings, making people seem cold and unfeeling
• lack of social awareness making inappropriate jokes or showing a lack of tact, though some people may become very withdrawn and apathetic
• language problems difficulty finding the right words or understanding them
• becoming obsessive such as developing fads for unusual foods, overeating and drinking

Read more about frontotemporal dementia.

What Are The Most Common Types Of Dementia

• Alzheimers disease. This is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases. It is caused by specific changes in the brain. The trademark symptom is trouble remembering recent events, such as a conversation that occurred minutes or hours ago, while difficulty remembering more distant memories occurs later in the disease. Other concerns like difficulty with walking or talking or personality changes also come later. Family history is the most important risk factor. Having a first-degree relative with Alzheimers disease increases the risk of developing it by 10 to 30 percent.

• Vascular dementia. About 10 percent of dementia cases are linked to strokes or other issues with blood flow to the brain. Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are also risk factors. Symptoms vary depending on the area and size of the brain impacted. The disease progresses in a step-wise fashion, meaning symptoms will suddenly get worse as the individual gets more strokes or mini-strokes.

• Lewy body dementia. In addition to more typical symptoms like memory loss, people with this form of dementia may have movement or balance problems like stiffness or trembling. Many people also experience changes in alertness including daytime sleepiness, confusion or staring spells. They may also have trouble sleeping at night or may experience visual hallucinations .

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How Do You Know If Memory Loss Is Dementia

Forgetting things from time to time is a normal part of life. However as we age signs of memory loss can understandably become more worrying.

Losing some memories over time, or becoming a little more absent minded are both parts of the ageing process. There are also a few mental health conditions that can make your memory appear worse as well. For example, if youre living with depression or anxiety you may be so preoccupied with feeling low or on edge that you find it difficult to fully absorb things around you.

Usually, memory aids such as sticky notes, diaries and mobile phone reminders are enough to manage these lapses in your short-term memory.

The big difference with dementia is that your memory gets significantly worse over time. The impact of this cognitive decline is more significant too rather than forgetting where youve put your keys, youre more likely to forget things like who people are, and struggle with verbal memory skills.

What Are The First Signs Of Early

47 million people around the world suffer from age-related cognitive diseases. According to WHO forecasts, by 2030, this figure will increase up to 75 million people.

However, dementia does not always depend on the factor of aging. Alzheimers is the most common condition among young people that leads to the development of dementia. It accounts for up to 80% of dementia cases.

Unfortunately, there is currently no effective medicine or therapy that could cure dementia. Nevertheless, if you notice the symptoms at an early stage, a simple lifestyle change can significantly slow down the development of the disease. Find out what can cause dementia and take action to prevent its development already now!

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Recognition And Coordination Difficulties

A person showing early signs of dementia may put everyday things in unusual places . They may have difficulty recognising familiar items such as a chair, soap, toothbrush, cutlery, kettle, coffee jar, cooker or fridge.

Signs of a loss of coordination skills can include struggling to undo or do up buttons, to tie or untie shoes and neckties, and to use a hair brush or razor. They may be more subtle, such as putting down a cup of tea too close to the edge of a table or having difficulties lifting a teapot or kettle or using a knife to cut vegetables or fruit.

Early Signs Of Dementia Checklist

Early onset dementia symptoms usually affect people in their 50s and early 60s. But is it really a dementia sign or is it just a something we do as we get older?

As dementia is a progressive neurological disorder, there are many dementia symptoms stages. The changes are gradual, and this may give your parent time to receive an early diagnosis and to slow down or prevent the progression.

Fortunately, early signs of dementia can be spotted before the symptoms make a big impact on day-to-day living and overall quality of life. For more information on the various stages of dementia, download our free guide, Taking the Fear Out of Dementia.

Sometimes dementia diagnosis can be difficult as there is no one simple test to carry out and early symptoms can be similar to the age-related changes listed above. Here are 10 early signs of Dementia to look out for.

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Warning Signs Of Alzheimer’s

Memory often changes as people grow older. Some people notice changes in themselves before anyone else does. For other people, friends and family are the first to see changes in memory, behavior, or abilities. Memory loss that disrupts daily life is not a typical part of aging. People with one or more of these 10 warning signs should see a doctor to find the cause. Early diagnosis gives them a chance to seek treatment and plan for the future.

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life: forgetting events, repeating yourself or relying on more aids to help you remember .

2.Challenges in planning or solving problems: having trouble paying bills or cooking recipes you have used for years.

3.Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure: having problems with cooking, driving places, using a cell phone, or shopping.

4.Confusion with time or place: having trouble understanding an event that is happening later, or losing track of dates.

5.Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relations: having more difficulty with balance or judging distance, tripping over things at home, or spilling or dropping things more often.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Alzheimers Association have created the Healthy Brain Initiatives State and Local Public Health Partnerships to Address Dementia: The 2018-2023 Road Map.

8. being a victim of a scam, not managing money well, paying less attention to hygiene, or having trouble taking care of a pet.

Monday 17 September 2018

Dementia is the term given to a group of diseases that affect a persons thinking, behaviour and ability to perform everyday tasks. While its commonly thought of as an older persons disease, dementia can affect people of all ages.

Early symptoms of dementia can be vague and vary between people. While some people pick up on changes in their own thinking or behaviour that might be caused by dementia, sometimes these signs are first noticed by those around them.

If youve noticed a change in someone close to you, the steps below can help you assist them in seeking diagnosis and treatment.

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What Facts Should I Know About Possible Early Dementia

What is the medical definition of dementia?

Dementia is a serious brain disorder that interferes with a persons ability to carry out everyday tasks.

• The key feature of dementia is a decline in cognitive functions. These are mental processes such as thinking, reasoning, learning, problem solving, memory, language, and speech.
• Other features that occur frequently in dementia include changes in personality and behavior.
• Generally, these symptoms are not considered dementia unless they have continued unabated for at least 6 months.
• Dementia has many different causes. Some may be reversible, such as certain infections, drug intoxication, and liver diseases. Of the irreversible causes, the most common in older adults is Alzheimer’s disease.
• Although dementia is frequently linked to old age , it is not a normal part of aging. Even children with certain degenerative brain disorders can develop dementia.

What are the very first signs of Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s disease usually begins with mild, slowly worsening memory loss. Many older people fear that they have Alzheimer’s disease because they cant find their eyeglasses or remember someones name.

What are the stages of dementia?

Memory loss follows a specific pattern in Alzheimer’s disease. The losses are mainly in short-term memory. This means that the person has problems remembering recent events.

What is mild cognitive impairment ?

We are still learning about MCI. We dont know how common it is, for example.

Common Causes Of Dementia

Medical intervention for dementia or dementia-like symptoms depends on the source of the problem. Although its widely believed that such conditions solely affect the elderly, thats inaccurate.

People of any age can experience these symptoms because the causes are related to a variety of health conditionsfrom traumatic brain injury to Alzheimers disease.

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What Causes Possible Early Dementia

We do not know exactly what causes MCI. We do know that most people with MCI eventually develop Alzheimer’s disease. Like Alzheimer’s disease, MCI is thought to be linked to abnormal deposits of certain proteins in the brain. Having low levels of certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters is another feature of MCI and Alzheimer’s disease.

A small number of cases of MCI are related not to Alzheimer’s disease but to other causes of dementia. These include stroke, Parkinson disease, head injury, depression or extreme stress, drug interactions or side effects, or other medical conditions such as liver diseases or hormone disturbances. The number of conditions that can result in MCI and dementia is large.

The speed with which symptoms develop is often a clue to the cause of the MCI. MCI related to Alzheimer’s disease develops gradually in most cases. MCI of some other causes may develop more quickly.

The most common symptom of mild cognitive impairment by far is memory loss. Other, much less common symptoms include

• disturbances of language ,
• attention , and

Talking With A Doctor

After considering the persons symptoms and ordering screening tests, the doctor may offer a preliminary diagnosis or refer the person to a Cognitive Dementia and Memory Service clinic, neurologist, geriatrician or psychiatrist.Some people may be resistant to the idea of visiting a doctor. In some cases, people do not realise, or else they deny, that there is anything wrong with them. This can be due to the brain changes of dementia that interfere with the ability to recognise or appreciate the changes occurring. Others have an insight of the changes, but may be afraid of having their fears confirmed.One of the most effective ways to overcome this problem is to find another reason for a visit to the doctor. Perhaps suggest a check-up for a symptom that the person is willing to acknowledge, such as blood pressure, or suggest a review of a long-term condition or medication.Another way is to suggest that it is time for both of you to have a physical check-up. Any expressed anxiety by the person is an excellent opportunity to suggest a visit to the doctor. Be sure to provide a lot of reassurance. A calm, caring attitude at this time can help overcome the person’s very real worries and fears.Sometimes, your friend or family member may refuse to visit the doctor to ask about their symptoms. You can take a number of actions to get support including:

• talking with other carers who may have had to deal with similar situations

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