Anyone who gets older can agree that not everything goes as smoothly as at the age of eighteen. Physical activities slow down a bit or you get tired a bit faster, but there is also ‘wear and tear’ mentally. This is normal and part of getting older, according to various international Alzheimer’s and dementia organizations. So what is the difference with dementia? In other words, when is being forgetful no longer innocent?
Since one in five people will develop dementia sooner or later, many people wonder whether they are part of it, or they are worried about their parents or their partner. That’s why we asked biomedical scientist Liesbeth Aerts when omissions are innocent and when it’s writing on the wall.
Problems in daily life
Dementia is not a normal aging phenomenon, but the expression of a disease. The diagnosis is made when a doctor or specialist identifies a decline in mental abilities. The deterioration is such that the person in question has difficulty with daily activities, such as dressing or grooming independently, cooking food, going to the store, and so on. You cannot prevent dementia, but you can partially reduce the risk by living a healthy life.
Researchers have known for years that long before the first symptoms of dementia appear, damage can already be found in the brain tissue of (future) patients. The underlying disease is therefore often already present before there is a problem. In addition, the first symptoms are often so subtle that it takes a long time to realize that there could be more to it. Often even years pass before someone is finally diagnosed with dementia.
Sometimes memory and cognitive tests show that there is indeed a decline in mental capacity that cannot be fully attributed to the normal aging process. But these problems are so mild that the person in question suffers little from them in practice. Doctors then speak of a mild cognitive impairment (better known as ‘mild cognitive impairment’). Although this is often mistaken for the pre-stage of dementia, it is certainly not the case that everyone with a mild cognitive impairment will actually develop dementia.
10 signs there’s more to it
There are various forms of dementia, each with typical and atypical symptoms. In addition, each individual has his or her unique experience. So there is no general definition of what the first stage of dementia looks like, but these ten symptoms are the most common:
Completely normal
Occasionally being unable to remember a name or forgetting when you have an appointment somewhere is quite normal. Especially if you can remember it a few hours later.
suspicion
One of the typical early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, for example, is forgetting new information. Anyone with dementia can no longer do without a calendar or other aid to remember appointments or dates, because he or she simply can no longer store that new information in his or her memory. Other writing on the wall is forgetting important dates or events, and asking the same question over and over again.
Completely normal
If you occasionally make a calculation error or miss a payment, you don’t have to worry immediately. It is also not abnormal that you find it more difficult to do everything at the same time as you get older.
suspicion
Executing complex plans, for example with many figures, is difficult and requires much more concentration than before. Typical examples are getting stuck or making mistakes when cooking or baking a recipe that you have successfully completed many times in the past. It is also suspicious if you can no longer keep track of your finances and bills when you used to be able to do so without any problems.
Completely normal
Needing help with complicated settings of, for example, a GPS or another household appliance, is no reason to panic.
suspicion
If someone is having trouble compiling a shopping list or forgetting the rules of their favorite board game, this could be an indication of emerging problems. Forgetting the way to a place where you have been for years is also not normal.
Completely normal
Forgetting what day of the week it is, only to find out later, happens to everyone.
suspicion
People with dementia can sometimes become disoriented in time and space. For example, he or she no longer knows what season it is, or whether something happened yesterday or last week. Forgetting where one is and/or how one got there can also be an early sign of dementia.
Completely normal
Cataracts can be the cause of blurred vision in older people, but have nothing to do with dementia.
suspicion
Sometimes early dementia can manifest itself in problems with vision. This concerns the difficulty in estimating distance, color or contrast. This can make it difficult to read and especially to drive.
Completely normal
Don’t worry if you can’t find the right word for a while, but find it later.
suspicion
Those who are or become demented may experience problems following a (one-on-one) conversation or starting a conversation. He or she falls into repetition within the same conversation or abruptly stops speaking. It is also possible that someone with (early) dementia cannot find the right word for very ordinary things. Instead, he or she will use a wrong word or description, for example “hand clock” instead of watch.
Completely normal
Losing your key or wallet but being able to go back in your mind to where the lost item might be is completely normal.
suspicion
People with dementia sometimes put objects in an unusual place, such as keys in the refrigerator. Moreover, when they have lost something, they are no longer able to trace where they have been or where they last saw something in order to find the lost object. That is why it sometimes happens that people with dementia (often in a more advanced stage) start accusing others of stealing.
Completely normal
We all make bad decisions from time to time, such as delaying a doctor’s visit when we’re not feeling well or not changing the oil in our car on time. In this case, it’s more about procrastination than a misjudgment of the situation.
suspicion
A sign of dementia may be that a person is less able to assess the risks or consequences of his or her actions. This manifests itself, for example, in the handling of money, in spending excessively. In the field of body care, people with dementia wear too warm clothes on a hot day, no longer comb their hair, etc.
Completely normal
It is not unusual that those who get older also get tired faster and sometimes just don’t feel like social obligations.
suspicion
Difficulty remembering or following a conversation can make someone with early dementia more withdrawn. They may lose interest in their previous hobbies or passions. For example, it becomes too difficult to keep following the score in their favorite football league.
Completely normal
Being in a bad mood from time to time when something goes wrong or sticking to your own routine and way of doing things is nothing to worry about.
suspicion
When someone feels confused, depressed, anxious or restless for no apparent reason, this can be a sign of an underlying problem.
Do you suspect early dementia?
When you notice one or more signs of dementia in yourself or someone close to you, it can be very confronting. The people at various local and international dementia organizations also realize this. It sometimes seems easier to dismiss concerns than to talk about them, especially if you’re worried about someone else. You may be afraid to worry or antagonize him or her. Nevertheless, it is important to discuss your concerns with your doctor, so that he can investigate the cause of the problems and possibly suggest appropriate help.
This article originally appeared on HLN.be.
2 september 2023
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2023-09-02 07:00:38
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