Dementia is a disease that affects both the person who suffers from it and their entire family circle and friends who have to watch how the person they love becomes an unrecognizable shadow of their former self.
Unfortunately, it is a disease that affects many people and there is no cure today.
Countless research has been done on this and much more is still ongoing in the hopes of helping us unravel the complexity of this strange brain disorder in order to find a solution.
For now, the only thing we can do is be attentive to the symptoms in order to treat the disease at an early stage in order to treat it on time.
Although there is still no definitive cure, we do have at our disposal some tools that, although they do not put an end to dementia, do slow down its progression.
There are certain signs of dementia that are immediately apparent. These early clues are crucial for detecting the disease during its early stages.
Here we show you what are the signs that warn of the appearance of dementia.
What is dementia?
He dementia It is the loss or weakening of mental faculties, generally severe and progressive, due to age or disease, which is characterized by alterations in memory and reason and behavior disorders.
We use the word “dementia” to refer to a wide variety of degenerative and incurable disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease or Huntington’s disease. However, Alzheimer’s constitutes 50-70% of all cases of dementia.
Warning signs
1- Short-term memory losses
Anyone can forget where they put their keys, or what message they just got sent, however, when we often have these small memory lapses, it may be due to an early stage of dementia.
Remember that suffering from short-term memory loss does not mean that we do not remember anything at all. We can remember in great detail what happened several decades ago but be unable to remember what we did the day before.
2- Difficulty choosing words
Constantly having the word “on the tip of your tongue” is another symptom of dementia. We can see this problem when someone is speaking and suddenly stops trying to choose the right word to continue speaking. It doesn’t have to be an unusual or very specific word, it may just be words that they are used to using several times a day.
This can slow down conversations or even lead to frustration; This may be another indication that something is wrong in the area of ​​the brain in charge of language.
3- Sudden mood swings
Sudden mood swings are quite common during the early stages of dementia. These changes can give rise to any kind of emotions, but they will always be sudden and unexpected changes, perhaps not even related to what is happening at the moment.
4- Feeling of lethargy
The depression felt by people with dementia can also manifest as a certain feeling of lethargy. The person may lose interest in one of their favorite hobbies overnight, or suddenly no longer want to go outside and interact with others.
5- Concentration problems
With dementia, concentration is greatly affected, especially when trying to solve problems or make plans.
You may find it difficult to plan something or follow a plan you have already made. Other people, on the other hand, find it especially difficult to deal with numbers or solve mathematical problems.
6- Difficulty in performing daily tasks
Even if you have been doing it for years, a natural, everyday task can become a complete challenge for someone with dementia.
7- Consciousness of time
While everyone lives as a slave to time, it may be impossible for someone with dementia to become aware of the passing of time. Minutes, days or years may seem the same, time suddenly stops making sense.
8- Spatial disorientation
Just as it is impossible for them to be aware of the passage of time, comprehending or understanding the space in which they find themselves can be an impossible task for someone suffering from dementia.
People with this disorder may suddenly not recognize where they are, even if it is a familiar place. Sometimes it can also happen that they do not remember how they got to the place where they are.
9- Difficulty writing
Just as searching your mind for the right words to speak becomes a difficult task, your choice of words while typing is also affected by dementia.
They may also find it difficult to concentrate while trying to structure a complete sentence, making writing a short paragraph exhausting and frustrating.
10- Repeat constantly
One of the most obvious signs of dementia is seeing that some of your actions are repeated in an illogical way.
You may notice this if they say something to you twice, ask the same question multiple times, or repeat a task they’ve already completed.
11- Sudden fear of change
The worst part of dementia is that the person suffering from it is aware of changes in their mind, which is truly frightening. It is very hard to see that you are not able to function on your own because something is not right. It is very frustrating to see how from one day to the next you are unable to perform daily tasks without the help of another person.
For this reason, many people with dementia are afraid or resistant to making any changes to their daily routine, no matter how small. This is because they fear forgetting what to do or getting lost.
12- Problems to follow the thread of a story
Concentration is affected by dementia, therefore, following the logical order of the steps necessary to complete a task or develop a story can become almost impossible for this type of person.
What can you do if you detect any of these signs?
Unfortunately, dementia is currently incurable; however, an early diagnosis and starting treatment as soon as possible is the best you can do in order to delay the development of the disease. With the right advice and support, dementia can get better.
