Signs Of Dementia
More than 5.8 million Americans 65 and older have dementia, a number that researchers expect to increase to 14 million by 2060. Many factors can contribute to your risk for dementia, and it’s essential to understand those risks and the signs of dementia to catch the disease early and slow the progression.
What Is Dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term describing any condition that impairs an individual’s memory or cognitive skills and affects their ability to do everyday tasks. The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, and it is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
Researchers are still trying to figure out the exact cause of dementia, but they have found a few notable risk factors, such as age, race, and family history. Dementia typically shows signs after the age of 65 and is more common among people with a parent who had dementia and those of African descent. Other risk factors include high blood pressure, smoking, and traumatic brain injuries.
What Are The Signs Of Dementia?
While slight memory or cognition changes may occur with age, dementia is not a normal part of aging. It’s essential to understand symptoms of typical brain changes versus what may be a sign of dementia.
Typical Brain Changes
Like every other part of your body, your brain changes with age. Certain parts of the brain shrink as you get older, which can affect how you think, learn, and multitask. There can also be less blood flow to the brain and poor connection between neurons within the brain.
All of these changes are normal and may lead to small changes in memory or cognition, such as:
- Walking into a room and forgetting why you went in there, but then remembering as soon as you leave
- Forgetting a person's name or place from your past but remembering it later
- Occasionally, misplacing items like your keys, wallet, or phone
- Having a harder time concentrating on certain things.
- Taking more time to learn something new or memorize something
- Having trouble multitasking
Again, these are often not signs of dementia. However, sharing any cognitive or memory changes with your doctor and tracking any changes, such as forgetting things more often, is important.
Changes Related To Dementia
The biggest difference between typical brain changes and those that may signify dementia is how often they occur and how they affect your overall ability to care for yourself and lead a quality life.
Signs of dementia may include:
- Getting lost in your home or neighborhood
- Wandering without knowing where you are or where you are going
- Using the wrong word to refer to an object
- Not recognizing close family and friends
- An inability to perform daily living tasks, like cooking, walking, talking, or grooming
Dementia Care With Visiting Angels
Whether you or an aging loved one receives a dementia diagnosis, it’s essential to understand it’s not something you have to go through alone. Visiting Angels’ dementia care services are available to seniors at any stage of dementia to help them age in place safely while providing peace of mind to family members.
Dementia care with Visiting Angels is a personalized approach dedicated to helping clients enjoy their highest quality of life. Caregivers assist with nonmedical tasks like light housekeeping, medication reminders, cooking, mobility, personal grooming, transportation, and wandering prevention.
Before committing to dementia care with Visiting Angels, we offer a complimentary consultation to all potential clients so you can learn how our services will integrate into your life. You can schedule your consultation by contacting our Southwest Colorado office in Pagosa Springs.