Seven Signs of Dementia You Might Not Notice
Senior home care supports loved ones facing early dementia
As people age, once-healthy neurons in the brain begin to die, and some things that came naturally are a bit tougher. It might be harder to follow instructions, learn a new task, or remember small details. These changes are natural for many elderly, but because they are a normal part of aging, they can make it confusing for family members to know if their loved one is dealing with normal aging struggles or if it’s the beginning of dementia. Senior home care can help.
What Is Dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term that represents several diseases and illnesses that affect a person’s ability to accurately remember, reason, and problem-solve. It can also affect their personality, mood, and behaviors. The decline in cognitive ability continues to increase until it interferes with the person’s ability to manage their daily living habits on their own.
The longer a person is alive, the greater their risk is of developing dementia to some degree, with some studies saying that 50 percent of those over the age of 85 have dementia to some degree.
Seven Subtle Signs of Early Dementia
If you are concerned about your loved one developing dementia, there are signs you can watch for. But it’s important to keep in mind that many of the early signs of dementia can also just be a matter of your loved one making bad choices or struggling with normal memory loss.
The key to knowing if it’s just normal aging or if it’s dementia is to think about how often it occurs and if it is interfering with your loved one’s ability to manage their daily living tasks.
- Getting Time Confused. It’s easy to forget if it’s Saturday or Sunday, especially when you’re retired, but dementia can make it hard for your loved one to remember if it’s May or July. They might also wake up at 4 am, convinced it’s 8 am, and try to go out and grab the newspaper.
- Their Finances May Suffer. With memory loss and a struggle to follow normal routines, your loved one might find themselves unable to manage paying their bills on time or making wise purchases. They might be more easily tricked into buying things they shouldn’t.
- They’re having more accidents or falls. Dementia can affect a person’s ability to measure depth and space around them, as well as slow their reflexes to react to a sudden shift in balance.
- Regular activities take much longer than before. Your loved one might find it very mentally taxing to try to follow a recipe or remember how to use their laptop.
- Mood swings are common. Your loved one might be angrier more often, more irritable more frequently, or withdraw from others more.
- Their sleep patterns can be disrupted. Your loved one may find themselves wide awake at 3 am or ready for bed at 4 pm.
- They forget more than just names. When forgetfulness interferes with daily living, it can be dementia.
Getting Senior Home Care Help
If your loved one is in the beginning stages of dementia, they might still be able to live at home with some senior home care assistance. Senior home care providers can help them manage meals, self-care, and transportation when your loved one cannot.
Senior home care can also help support caregivers who are caring for loved ones with dementia by providing supervision so they can go out and socialize to keep their loved ones connected and engaged.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Senior Home Care in Mclean, VA, please contact the caring staff at Butters Home Health Care today. (703) 371-2113
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