10 Signs of Dementia & Alzheimer's Disease
Dementia is a syndrome, not a disease. Dementia is an umbrella term that Alzheimer's disease can fall under, and can occur due to a variety of conditions, the most common of which is Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, and impacts memory, performance of daily activities and ability to communicate. The disease gets worse over time, and the risk of developing the disease increases with age. Here are some early warning signs.
1. Forgetting important dates or repeatedly asking for the same information.
2. Trouble planning and solving problems.
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks, such as driving to familiar places.
4. Poor judgement or decision-making skills.
5. Personality changes.
6. Withdrawal from social activities, moodiness and detachment.
7. Problems speaking or writing.
8. Frequently losing things or becoming confused about where they are, wandering and getting lost.
9. Trouble understanding visual images, resulting in problems reading or judging distance.
(Rule out vision problems first, however, since this is a common symptom in older people).
10. Problems with personal care (bathing, grooming, toileting).
Many other conditions may cause dementia, including degenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Huntington's, infections like HIV, vascular diseases, stroke, depression, and chronic drug use. Each type of dementia causes damage to a different set of brain cells.
If you feel you or your loved one may be displaying symptoms of dementia, discuss these fears with your doctor, who can recommend testing and subsequent treatments.
