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It is quite frustrating when you try recalling the name of a movie or a person, and you just can’t get what it is, right? Every individual experiences forgetfulness in some situations at times. But what if this happens regularly and more often? You may feel worried if it is linked to memory disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Check how far your problem is linked to the disease.
Dementia is not a specific disease. It is a group of signs and symptoms that affect brain functions, thinking processes, and social abilities. Memory loss is one of the many early symptoms and could be caused by many reasons. As it is common for people to forget things at some point in life, concluding this single symptom is not right to know if you have dementia or not. There are many other early symptoms which are not linked to memory problems; you may be surprised to know. Spotting the symptoms can be a bit tricky, especially in the early stages. Let’s take a look at these early symptoms in this blog.
Memory loss
Forgetfulness is an early sign of dementia. Forgetting things is more common as we age. So, it becomes more difficult to recognize whether it is dementia or a part of the normal ageing process. It becomes a concern when you start losing items very often or if you get lost in a familiar place. Misplacing things is common, but being unable to trace them back or to put them in unusual places is seen in such patients, for example putting jewellery items in a refrigerator. You may forget very routine processes such as cooking, dressing up cleaning, etc. You become increasingly dependent on making notes to remember your daily activities etc.
Struggle with vocabulary
It becomes difficult to frame proper sentences while speaking, or you may forget the very common terms during your communication. During the discussion, you suddenly stop because you do not know what to say. The other extremity is to repeatedly speak the same sentences. You may have problems getting the right words and end up using the wrong names, for example calling a watch a hand-clock.
Difficulty with tasks
You suddenly start finding it difficult to carry out the daily activities; the tasks which were easy to do earlier seem to be tough to do now. You may repeat the task which you have just now finished. Things become more challenging! Working with numbers, developing a plan and following the plan becomes very difficult for such patients.
Behavioural changes
Personality changes such as uncontrolled anger, irritation, and changes in mood shifting between low and high. These ups and downs can make it difficult for you to follow conversations. You suddenly start feeling bored of something which you were fascinated about earlier. Due to certain experiences, people with dementia may have social withdrawal and do not participate in social activities, projects, sports, etc. They lack motivation and feel sleepy more than usual.
Unusual facial expressions such as laughing inappropriately in a situation where empathy is expected are shown by such patients. The brain does not process the information like in normal people. It can get attacked, and the patient keeps constantly staring at the things or space.
Disrupted sleeping pattern
Due to disorientation with the time and space, such persons may wake up at night times thinking it to be daytime and insist people around to get going with the day activities.
Poor judgment
The decision-making skills of the patient with dementia will be diminished or poor. They start spending on things they may not need. Beware of this! An inability to make sound decisions especially while dealing with money can make you the target for scammers.
Frequent falls
Brain scans of people who had frequent falls found a link between falls Alzheimer’s disease and falls. Systemic changes unrelated to the brain occur in the body of such patients leading to frequent falls.
Loss of smell
In Alzheimer’s disease, the olfactory nerve which governs the smell is the one which gets affected at first. It leads to the loss of perceiving the smell.
Changes in vision
This becomes more dangerous for people who need to drive to their destiny every day.
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