What is dementia and how can you spot the early signs of it?

Dementia is an often misunderstood cognitive disorder. Many people know what it is, but not what it does. Dementia takes many different forms with the most common being Alzheimer's disease, it affects 50-60% of all dementia cases. There is also Vascular, Lewy body and frontotemporal dementia, but these are less prevalent.

It’s common knowledge that older people tend to suffer from dementia more, this is mostly true, but a study by Alzheimer's Society in 2014 showed that over 40,000 young people in the UK suffer from dementia. There is no cure available, but it is important to modify the surroundings and day to day life of anyone suffering with dementia. This is why we believe it is important to know some of the symptoms and signs.

Memory Loss

We all forget things, every single one of us. It could be where you last left your house keys, or simply an appointment or meeting you booked a few weeks ago. If you or someone you love starts making a regular habit of forgetting things, it might be a good idea to book them in for a GP visit. It might be nothing, but it’s always great just to make sure!

Confusion

People suffering from alzheimer's can often become very confused in unfamiliar circumstances. Some people might just attribute it to old age and think nothing more of it, but any case involving confusion like this should not go unchecked.

Personality and Mood Changes

Absolutley anyone can go through mood changes, everything from diet changes, day to day life and even giving up cigarettes can cause personality and mood changes. This is also a common symptom of Alzheimer’s though, if someone you know is acting a lot different than usual with no underlying reason to show for it, it might be time to go for a check up!

Visual Hallucinations

Hallucinations are often something we associate with drugs, people that have used gas and air often describe hallucinogenic effects afterwards. People suffering from Lewy body dementia can also suffer from hallucinations. This also links into delusions, another symptom of LBD.

There are so many more symptoms related to dementia, so don’t take these few as the only examples to watch out for. For more information feel free to read the Kare Plus information page on dementia.