Many people will forget things from time to time:
- Why did I come into this room again?
- Where are my keys? Wallet? Phone? Purse?
- Who was that person we met at the grocery store a few weeks ago?
All of the above can happen to anyone and do NOT necessarily mean you are developing dementia or any other neurocognitive condition. There are many factors that affect our daily retention of information – How has our sleep been recently? How much attention did we pay when the information was given? How important was that information to us? How distracted were we?
However when we have moments like these, some will worry that this may be the start of a more serious condition such as Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.
One of the key components to diagnosing Alzheimer’s (or any other dementia) is whether it impacts one’s daily life in a meaningful way. This isn’t always clear and often needs a deeper exploration by a qualified medical professional. There are other reasons people can have memory and thinking problems affecting their function including medications they are taking, lifestyle habits (alcohol in particular), sleep issues, and many more.
When it comes to early signs of dementia and a focus on early detection (and ideally prevention), here are a 7 things that we should keep an eye out for:
- Memory changes that affect one’s day to day activities:
Forgetting things often and having it start to affect your daily life. This is a common early symptom in Alzheimer’s (and some other related dementias as well). It often involves asking the same things often or repeating oneself very frequently.
- Trouble with executive function:
Executive function is our ability to plan and problem-solve. This may involve changes in being able to manage one’s banking, bills, or cooking as we did before. Occasional mistakes are common or the odd missed bill – but if this becomes frequent, it’s important to take it seriously and seek out medical assistance.
- Trouble with familiar things:
There may be tasks that you or your loved one used to do quite regularly but are now struggling with. It may involve driving, directions, or remembering the rules of a game or sport one enjoys.
- Disorientation:
Not realizing where you are or why you are there can occur for some people, particularly when out of their usual surroundings. Visiting someone’s home or going on vacation can lead to a sense of confusion and disorientation that can be concerning for loved ones if we aren’t aware of what’s going on.
- Language difficulty:
Having trouble finding the right word very often. Frequently people will speak in more vague terms and have trouble naming common objects or words. Some will even tend to get quieter due to some self-realization of this trouble. This often leads to people thinking they may be depressed when it may in fact be a neurocognitive problem rather than a psychological one.
- Trouble with work or social activities:
When someone starts to withdraw from work or social situations, it may be due to cognitive changes that they aren’t yet aware of fully. They may be having trouble maintaining conversations like before or recalling tasks as they did previously.
- Mood changes:
Changes in mood can happen for many reasons but one of these can be cognitive. If we notice someone getting more depressed, fearful, or anxious it may be coming from a decreased awareness of their surroundings as can happen with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. If certain parts of the brain are affected (frontal in particular), we may see significant personality changes and loss of some inhibition as well.
Above are just some early warning signs that you or your loved one should see a medical practitioner to discuss your concerns sooner than later. There are often treatable and reversible reasons for the above issues, particularly if caught early. Having appropriate bloodwork and neuroimaging (CT or MRI usually) as well as an exploration of your other medical conditions and medications can make a very big difference for many people, particularly when caught early.
