Recognising the early signs of Dementia

Dementia symptoms can vary from person to person, and in the early stages they can be mild and often go unnoticed. There are also several types of dementia and this can also have an effect on the type of symptoms that are noticed. At Right at Home North Somerset, we want to offer our expert knowledge to help you be able to identify the early signs of dementia.

 

What is Dementia?

Dementia is a ‘catch all’ term that is used to describe a group of symptoms resulting from damage caused to the brain by different diseases – the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease. Symptoms of dementia can vary depending on which part of the brain has been damaged, but the most common symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s are memory problems, becoming confused in unfamiliar settings, asking questions repetitively, trouble finding the right words and finding tasks that require organisation and planning difficult.

 

Symptoms of early Dementia

Early symptoms of dementia can vary from person to person, typical symptoms include memory loss, mood changes, confusion over time or place, poor judgement, trouble carrying out familiar daily tasks and having difficulty with problem solving. The Alzheimer’s Society website has extensive information and guidance on how to recognise the early signs of dementia, you can visit their website here

 

Memory loss

Memory loss is one of the most common early signs of dementia, and it can vary in severity especially in the early stages. Memory loss can develop quite gradually, and it can also affect the ability of people suffering with dementia to carry out everyday tasks. Memory loss can also cause problems when trying to communicate, as we will discuss next.

 

Communication

In the early stages of dementia, the individual may struggle to remember words, or use similar words that aren’t quite right. They may also simply not be able to find the words at all, instead jumbling words up to make a sentence that makes no sense or use words that have no resemblance to what they are trying to say. They may forget what they were talking about partway through a sentence or conversation and they may even revert to the language they originally learned as a child, if English is their second language then they may forget how to speak it.

 

Mood changes

People who suffer with Dementia may also have sudden, and often quite extreme mood swings. These can occur for no apparent reason and are associated with the brain being damaged meaning the individual is less able to regulate their emotions or responses as well as they may once have been able to. In the early stages of Dementia, people may also become suspicious, depressed, fearful, anxious or confused. They may show all these signs, some, or even none. The frustration of not being able to communicate well may also exacerbate these mood changes and cause your loved ones emotions to run higher.

 

Difficulty carrying out familiar tasks

Normal, day to day tasks can be made significantly more challenging with dementia as well. People with dementia may struggle to carry out tasks such as making a meal, taking public transport or going to the shops as they can forget what they were doing, how to do it or become confused and distressed.

 

 

Decreased or poor judgement

Poor judgement can be another early symptom of dementia. It can result in a person having trouble making appropriate decisions, such as knowing how to dress in hot or cold weather, saying inappropriate things in public or being more vulnerable to falling victim to scams.

 

Are you worried someone has Dementia?

If you are concerned that a loved one may be displaying any of the symptoms we have discussed whether it is just one or several, try to gently encourage them to speak to a GP. The Alzheimer’s Society website is a valuable resource for information, advice and support and there are other valuable online resources that can offer support and guidance on how to cope when someone you know has dementia such as Dementia UK and the NHS website.

If dementia is recognised and diagnosed early, the progress of its symptoms can be slowed down which can allow the individual to maintain more of their mental functions for longer and allow for support to be put in place to help them remain as independent as possible for as long as possible.

 

How can we help?

• Our specialist team of CareGivers can support your loved ones to remain in the comfort of their own home whilst receiving the highest quality care.
• At Right at Home North Somerset we are proud Dementia Friends. You can find out more information about the Dementia Friends initiative here.
• For more information about our homecare services, please contact a member of our friendly office team on 01934 235410.