Recognizing Dementia Symptoms

by admin | Oct 31, 2013 | Senior Assisted Homes, Signs of Dementia

Recognizing Dementia Symptoms Early

Dementia Symptoms are important to know.  The signs can get you or your loved-one treatment a lot earlier.  There are many articles regarding symptoms of dementia.  We are presenting some of the key notes we feel are important to know.

Some seniors have a difficult time remembering where they left their keys or maybe they forget the regular time of their favor TV Show. The hard part is determining if these are signs of dementia or maybe just a normal part of aging.  We hope some of these items listed will give you an idea of how to determine if your senior is showing signs of Dementia.

It’s important to catch symptoms of dementia as soon as possible. These symptoms can be caused by underlying medical conditions. Early treatment can slow the progression of even certain un-treatable types of dementia, like Alzheimer’s.

Dementia symptoms are often misunderstood and create frustration for the family and professional caregivers.  There are many seminars on living with the challenging symptoms of dementia.  We hope to give you a few bullet points to help recognize the symptoms.

• Senior may experience problems with walking and balance.  Studies have been conducted presenting that some of the earliest signs of dementia may be physical, rather than mental.  Watch out for problems walking and balancing, as well as a weak hand grip.

• Slips and fall.  The symptoms outlined above can lead to frequent stumbling and falling.  In one 2011 study of 125 older adults, people who fell most often during an eight- month period were found to also show other early signs of Alzheimer’s.

• Inability to detect sarcasm or lies.  If you have noticed that your loved one has become usually gullible lately, she or he may be exhibiting the early signs of dementia. A 2011 study found that patients with certain degenerative brain diseases could not tell when someone was using sarcasm or speaking untruthfully.

• Staring.  When we converse, we naturally move our eyes around.  But someone with dementia might no-instead, you might notice them staring frequently.  You might also notice this eye movement problem if your loved one skips lines when reading aloud.

• Strange eating habits.  Research if finding that different dementia s often cause people to exhibit odd eating habits, such as a sudden strong taste for sweet foods, cramming food into their mouths, or even eating spoiled food or things that aren’t food.

• Being hurtful.  Your usually sweet, kind mother is saying insulting or inappropriate things, and seeming to show no concern for how they might be hurting or embarrassing others.  This behavior is not a usual part of aging – it’s a common early sign of dementia.

• Compulsive behavior.  Many people like things done a certain way.  But people in the early stages of dementia may exhibit strange obsessive compulsive behaviors such as locking doors over and over, or buying a can of corn every time they visit the store, even though they have a cupboard full at home.

This article was created based on information provided by Diane Walker, RN,MS,CSA.  We thank her for the key notes given.

If you have a loved one who shows early stages of dementia.  It may be time to consider an Assisted Living Home.    For those cases with severe Dementia, be sure to consult your family physical about the home environment your senior needs.

If you are opening a Assisted Living Facility,  Contact Cory George of Advance Your Listing for a Website Quote.