Modern medicine has progressed so rapidly that people are living to much older ages than ever before. Although this is a blessing, allowing people to have more time with their loved ones – it also leads to issues which were not as prevalent years ago. One of these is dementia, which increases in incidence with older age. Unfortunately at this time, there isn’t much that can be done to treat it – but still, identifying it early can help maintain a good quality of life for your loved ones, while also reducing family stress.
Even when people are experiencing the memory loss associated with dementia, they still retain older memories which have become habitual – such as driving to work, or something else they have done repeatedly over the years. But other simple tasks which require some computational skills may become difficult, even if they have been doing them for many years. Some of these may be balancing a checkbook and paying bills, or even something as simple as knowing how long to cook some food in a microwave or how to record their favorite show.
You may notice your loved ones becoming disoriented from time to time. There may be some weekly meeting they have had for years, but now they aren’t quite able to remember what day or time it is. They do know that they have it, but the details become difficult, or they have difficulty figuring out if a week has passed since the last meeting.
Of course when someone begins having memory loss, they will start forgetting things. This may seem like an obvious sign, but can be hard to detect in the early stages. You may notice them saying they misplaced their keys, or something else. We all misplace things, so this may not seem like much – but if it is happening repeatedly, you may want to take notice. Sometimes in conversations, they may not remember details of people or events, so they are unable to participate in the conversation in a way they used to. Often people mask this through humor or anger, and they become very adept at masking their shortcomings. If you are noticing this, you may want to probe a little deeper to get a better understanding of what they actually are remembering.
In the early stages of dementia, people are aware that they can’t remember things. This can lead to mood changes, which may be subtle, but also may be profound. Some people become angry, while some become depressed and socially withdrawn.
It is a difficult thing to come to terms with, when your loved one is showing signs of dementia. But the sooner you know, the sooner you can get them the help they need. You can plan better by getting documents in place while they are still competent so you can act on their behalf when they can no longer to act for themselves. Starting medical treatment may allow them to remain independent longer. You can work out living arrangements, make financial and legal decisions, and build up your support network – and allow your loved one to lead the best quality of life possible!
