Watch out for these warning Signs of Dementia in Elderly

Forgetfulness is a trait common to both young and elderly. But as we age our memories also begin to get more impaired gradually. Memory loss is a common companion of old age and cannot be always labelled as Dementia.

What is Dementia?

Dementia is a memory denigrating illness which prevents a person from communicating, thinking and even carrying out daily chores. It can be caused due to several factors, and the treatments are influenced based on the cause.

Causes of Dementia

Dementia can be caused due to a brain injury or due to other diseases such as Huntington’s disease or Lewy body dementia. But in 60% of the cases, Dementia has been due to the Alzheimer’s disease. Others causes of Dementia include

•         Vitamin B12 deficiency
•          Dehydration
•          Depression
•          Thyroid problems
•          Side-effects of certain medications

Differentiating between age-related memory loss and Dementia

The main difference between age-related memory loss and Dementia is that the former does not make the person disabled. Dementia, on the other hand, can lead to multiple impairments such as persistent memory loss, difficulty in communicating, not being able to decipher a language, and poor judgment. A brain with dementia disrupts the person’s life, relationships, work and social activities.

Dementia Symptoms in Elderly

Elderly Dementia has become very common all over the world, and it does not have a cure. But if the person is in the early stages of dementia, treatments can be given to improve the symptoms and prevent further degeneration. Here are some of the common dementia symptoms in elderly people

•  Having difficulty in talking: People who have Dementia experience difficulty while communicating. It takes them longer than usual to find the right words to express themselves. Conversing can be very exhausting for them since it takes very long to conclude.
•   Persistent short-term memory loss: Constant forgetfulness is one of the common dementia symptoms in elderly. Not being able to recollect the events that happened early during the day or forgetting what they were supposed to do on a given day, not remembering names of new acquaintances, etc., are clear signs of dementia.
• Mood Swings: Mood Swing is an early sign of dementia. You will notice an abrupt shift in the person’s personality, and they may also suffer from depression. The person may become withdrawn and wouldn’t enjoy socialising. This happens because of the speech impairment and due to the effect on their judging capacity.
•  Losing the sense of direction: Space orientation and sense of direction gets deteriorated causing the person to lose their ways which they were once very familiar with. Not being able to identify familiar landmarks and difficulty in following step by step instructions.
• Getting confused with date and time:  A person affected by dementia eventually loses track of seasons, time and date. They will forget how it works and these will make them feel very confused.

Dementia Diagnosis

People who experience the symptoms mentioned above need to be taken to a physician for further diagnosis. Doctors use several techniques for dementia diagnosis. Patients are given questionnaires that help doctors analyse the person’s mental ability. Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) is a popular test conducted for dementia diagnosis. Blood tests and brain scans also help to diagnose dementia.