Alexandria Wyckoff
As we get older, our memory naturally gets a little fuzzy around the edges. However, for those who have dementia, those brain changes often happen quicker than age-related cognitive decline, and can lead to various issues. The brain changes often result in a decline of memory, thinking, and reasoning skills. Pay attention to these six early signs of dementia, and if you or a loved one is experiencing these symptoms, schedule an appointment with a doctor for a formal diagnosis.
6. Challenges in planning/solving problems
Starting our list of early signs of dementia is increased challenges in planning or solving problems. Changes in memory can transform into a decreased ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers. This may look like having trouble following a recipe or keeping track of monthly bills. It will often take longer to do the task than before. However, if you have just occasional errors with bills, then you should be fine.
5. Withdrawal from work/social activities
Fifth on our list of early signs of dementia is a withdrawal from work or social activities. Since their memory is not as good, people with dementia may have trouble holding or following a conversation. This leads to them withdrawing from activities, hobbies, or other social events. This feeling is persistant rather than sometimes being uninterested in social activities.
4. Problems managing money
Next on our list of early signs of dementia is having problems managing money. Doctors will often ask patients with possible dementia if they are still managing household finances, or paying bills twice, or making other errors when working with money. People who have dementia have more trouble with abstract thinking, which includes math. This may present itself as the inability to pay bills or make poor judgments about spending money.
3. Getting lost in familiar places
Rounding out the top three early signs of dementia is getting lost in familiar places. One of the more common symptoms of dementia, memory loss and visual difficulties, can often lead to disorientation. Those who have dementia can get lost easily, even when walking or driving to places they have been to dozens of times. Some may not even recognize the house they’ve lived in for decades.
2. Confusion about time/day
Second on the list of early signs of dementia is confusion about time or day. When you’re eating breakfast but it’s actually time for dinner, or you can’t remember the day of the week without a calendar present, it could reflect cognitive impairment. In advanced stages, this can even translate to seasons and the passage of time, waking up in the middle of the night to get dressed or believing it’s years in the past.
1. Forgetting things just learned
Last but not least on our list of early signs of dementia is forgetting things you just learned. While we all have that moment where we forget a random piece of information, those who have dementia have life-impacting trouble retaining new information. This often manifests as a person asking the same question over and over, or being unable to remember the details of a TV show they just watched. It’s also harder to learn new tasks, even if the steps are clearly written down.