When Do Dementia Symptoms Set In? Part 1

When do Dementia symptoms really set in? Overall, Dementia is a tricky thing. There will be some symptoms that turn out to be nothing, and others that are more clear-cut signals that it could be setting in earlier than expected. Here are some tips to identifying Dementia early, warning signs, and routes to reduce these symptoms.

Primary Warning Signs of Dementia Symptoms

Short-Term Memory Issues

Most believe there will be some major event or accident that illustrates that their loved one may have Dementia. However, in the majority of cases, this never happens. Sometimes that’ll be what it takes to go get help, but generally, you’ll usually see more small changes than significant ones.

Short-term memory is the primary area most visibly diminished in the early stages. This includes misplacing items, forgetting what they’re doing, their daily activity, and other seemingly common behaviors. Fortunately, reducing the effects of this problem has a variety of different routes to keep the brain active.

To improve short-term memory with your loved one, or at least reduce the symptoms of memory loss, you’re going to have to challenge them mentally. This can be through board games, mental exercises, and more. Overall, you just need to give them activities that require their memory to be active and challenge them. Chess is a fantastic example. Each piece has different moves, strategies are highly complex, and it can be very competitive.

Word Choice

In early stages of Dimentia, you won’t see this as much of a factor, but word choice gets far more limited. Additionally, you’ll start to hear the same phrases and stories repeated over and over again. Conversations become challenging, and you start to feel more lost when trying to engage in meaningful conversation with your loved one.

This whole process can be very difficult to take on completely on your own. Luckily, we’re here to help. Give us a call today to assess how we can best help you through your loved one’s early stages of Dementia. We’re looking forward to speaking with you!