We all become more forgetful as we get older. But can you differentiate what is a normal part of the ageing process and what are the early signs of dementia?
Although there is no current cure for dementia, recognising the early symptoms so you can get a diagnosis as soon as possible is still very important.
A dementia or Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis can open the door to emotional, practical, legal, and financial advice and support for you and your loved ones to help you through the difficult time.
Plus, as we begin to understand more about the disease, there are more and more treatments and clinical trials becoming available to help slow its progression and ease some of the symptoms, which you might only be eligible for.
Read on to discover seven early signs of dementia that could be important to know.
1. You’re always misplacing things
We all occasionally leave the house without our keys or spend hours trying to track down an item buried somewhere deep in our house, so losing something shouldn’t be an immediate red flag.
If you misplace items regularly or begin to forget things that could put you at risk, like leaving the stove on or a tap running overnight, that’s when it starts to be a cause for concern.
2. You forget important information you were recently told
Forgetfulness is one of the most well-known signs of dementia, but can also happen due to several other factors, such as tiredness or “brain fog” from conditions like menopause or long Covid.
However, information that has both valence (subjectively, emotionally important) and salience, which means that you pay a lot of attention to it, is very hard to forget and could be a sign that something is wrong with your memory.
As dementia usually affects older people, this may manifest as someone forgetting that a loved one has died, whether it was a recent death or decades ago.
3. You walk into a room and forget why you were there
Have you ever walked into a room on a mission, only to forget why you walked in there the moment you passed through the doorway?
This happens when you’re not focusing on what you are doing as you start a new task, so your brain sometimes switches to the next task pre-emptively.
There are plenty of distractions in our busy lives to cause this to happen every now and then. But if this kind of confusion is happening to you frequently, then it could be worth speaking to your doctor.
4. Your mood changes
It is common for people with dementia to experience a shift in personality.
For example, depression is a common symptom during the early stages of dementia, and so is apathy, where a person might lose interest in hobbies or activities they used to love.
Many people also become more fearful or anxious than they were before, especially if their routine changes or they find themselves in an unfamiliar situation.
While this can be hard to recognise in yourself, it can be helpful to look out for your loved ones to ensure they aren’t isolating themselves and continue to take part in the activities they enjoy.
5. Words are always stuck on the “tip of your tongue”
Problems with language are one of the most common early warning signs of dementia.
Mixing up the names of your children or grandchildren, forgetting the name of an acquaintance, or struggling to recall a word when it feels like it’s on the “tip of your tongue” are all normal parts of ageing as our memory declines.
Yet, if you frequently find that you are forgetting the names of people important to you, find it hard to finish a sentence, or you struggle to comprehend what people are saying to you, it could be a cause for concern.
6. You repeat the same story to the same person
While we’re all guilty of telling our favourite tales one too many times to our loved ones, if one of your friends or family members tells you the same story twice or more in the same conversation, it could be an early sign of dementia.
Again, this symptom is very hard to recognise in yourself, so it’s important to look out for it in your loved ones.
7. You get lost going to familiar destinations
Getting lost while trying to find a new destination is a completely normal experience that happens to people regardless of age. But if you notice yourself or a loved one repeatedly struggling to get to a familiar location, it could be a sign of dementia.
This kind of confusion is known as “topographic disorientation” and is a sign that you are struggling to orient yourself in your surroundings. It could also manifest as struggling to recognise familiar landmarks or an inability to plan a route to a place in an area you know well.