8 Signs Of Dementia That Everyone Should Know

Knowing what some of the most important signs of dementia are allows you to pay more attention to your overall health and go to the doctor for a checkup faster. This can help detect the cause of the problem and improve the prognosis.

Dementia is a syndrome that is typically progressive. It is characterized by loss of cognitive functions. These give you the ability to remember things, your intellect and your ability to perform your daily activities.

Let’s take a closer look at this health problem that is so common in the population of the world.

Dementia

Dementia is a deterioration that covers more than what is considered the normal consequences of aging, and is usually a response to other primary or secondary diseases affecting the brain.

Today, it is one of the pathologies that causes disability and dependence among the elderly. Although various methods have been developed to deal with it, it remains overwhelming, both for the affected patients and for their carers and families.

According to data from the World Health Organization, there are about 47.5 million people around the world with dementia. Every year, doctors diagnose 7.7 million more.

Signs of dementia

For all of the above reasons, it is necessary to know what signs of dementia may be. Identifying them in time can greatly help improve the prognosis.

Signs of dementia: Difficulty finding words

First of all, one of the earliest signs of dementia is difficulty finding the right words to express your thoughts.

Patients who begin to develop this condition may spend several minutes trying to remember a particular word. It may even be a word they use all the time, but they just can’t remember it.

Problems understanding time

People who are at high risk of developing this disorder have severe difficulty understanding what is happening in the past, present and future.

When talking about time, they often do not understand what it means or tend to confuse the order of things.

Short-term memory loss

Short-term memory problems may seem common. However, this is actually an early sign of wear and tear on the brain due to dementia.

Being unable to remember important events or things that happened just hours or days before typically indicates that something is wrong with your brain function.

When they enter a room, a person with dementia may not even remember what they were supposed to be there.

4. Mood swings are also among signs of dementia

Due to the changes in brain chemistry that accompany dementia, people with the disease often suffer from a depressed or irritable mood.

Sudden changes in personality or behavior can be a sign that your cognitive functions are deteriorating.

Difficulty performing daily tasks

Another important symptom is difficulty in performing many of their common or daily tasks.

A person with a cognitive impairment may be unable to perform tasks in the workplace. This leads to very simple mistakes or even mistakes in housework.

6. Inability to recognize places

As dementia progresses, patients begin to have more difficulty recognizing the places where they normally spend time. In fact, they may even feel confused or lost in their own home.

Not remembering how or why you came to a particular place, or not knowing where you are, are strong signs of dementia. We should also know this if we find anyone disoriented on the street.

7. Difficulty writing

Just as problems can develop in finding the right words to say, those affected by dementia often have difficulty writing as they used to. Changes in needlework and difficulties in expressing themselves in writing are a red flag, which means that they must seek help.

8. Drowsiness

In addition, the loss of cognitive function causes a number of chemical reactions. These occur both in the patient’s state of mind and in their ability to maintain physical abilities.

As a consequence, the person begins to feel more tired by performing normal activities. They also lose the motivation they have had in the past.

What to do about these signs of dementia?

Although in many cases dementia cannot be prevented or stopped, it is important to pay attention to the signs and find a treatment that will help you cope with it.

The sooner you detect cognitive impairment, the more likely you are to maintain your quality of life.