It’s not just about the score – it’s about what changes you or family have noticed in your day-to-day life. When doctors do a memory test with you, your score is, again, lower than it should be. Pre-dementia, known to doctors as “Mild Cognitive Impairment”, or MCI, is when forgetfulness is happening a lot more often. Finding out that someone close to you has dementia is difficult. Children and young people, who may not fully understand what dementia is or how to cope with their emotions, may need extra support. The memory handbook is for people with mild memory problems.
Do You Have Early Signs of Dementia?
However, a person living with dementia may put things in inappropriate places. Have you ever forgotten what day of the week it is or can’t remember why you went into your bedroom? However, people living with dementia can become lost on their own street, not knowing how they got there or how to get home. Anyone can have trouble finding the right word to express what they want to say.
- Needing help in your daily life is what tells pre-dementia (MCI) and dementia apart.
- According to the National Institute on Aging, about one-third of all people above the age of 85 have some form of dementia.
- Someone living with dementia may experience subtle or severe changes in their behavioral patterns or sense of judgment.
- Apathy, or listlessness, is a common symptom of early dementia.
Changes in behaviour are not common first signs of dementia, other than in FTD. A person with behavioural variant FTD may lose their inhibitions and behave in socially inappropriate ways. The early stage of dementia is when many people choose to make plans for the future, while they still have the ability (‘mental capacity’) to do so.
However, the structure and functioning of their brain may have started to deteriorate as the neurons (nerve cells) in their brain start to lose connection with other brain cells and die. Dementia is marked by a severe decline in cognitive functions, such as thinking, reasoning, and remembering, to the extent that it interferes with the person’s daily life. Because of this, they might crave routine and be afraid to try new experiences.
What is typically the most obvious early symptom of dementia?
“Some people feel a little more slowed down, like they’re thinking has slowed down and they may walk more slowly.” “We also often see changes in someone’s mood or behavior early in dementia,” adds Dr. Bonner-Jackson. “Someone may become less interested in things they previously enjoyed. They may be more socially withdrawn and not wanting to be around people as much. They may not find pleasure in things as much as they used to. And they could become more irritable, easily frustrated or more anxious than they were before.”
Difficulty completing tasks
How often do you need to see your doctor if you have concerns about your memory? Even in those with MCI, 25-40% of people can reverse their symptoms with steps outlined in this article. Your doctor should order tests for reversible medical conditions that can cause memory problems. Your doctor should do what’s called a “neurologic physical exam” – testing your strength, your nerves, your balance, coordination, and stiffness. Any changes they see should prompt them to order a CT scan of the brain to see if something else is going on, and possibly send you to see a neurologist or geriatrician. Needing help in your daily life is what tells pre-dementia (MCI) and dementia apart.
Sign 8: Changes in mood, personality and behaviour
Memory loss that disrupts daily life may be a symptom of Alzheimer’s or other dementia. Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that causes a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. In the early stages of dementia, a person’s symptoms are often relatively mild and not always easy to notice. Common early-stage symptoms include problems with memory, speed of thought, language or perception. The second most common type of dementia results from damage to the vessels that supply blood to the brain.
Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Dementia
But if you or other people are noticing that memory problems are getting worse, or affecting everyday life, it could be a sign of dementia. Significant physical changes at this stage tend to be limited to DLB, where problems with movement are similar to Parkinson’s disease. If someone with vascular or mixed dementia has a stroke, this can lead to weak limbs on one side.
Are you, or the person you know, forgetting things often or struggling to retain new information?
Dementia treatments can be prescribed for some diseases to help alleviate symptoms too. While the condition is mild, the person can make decisions for themselves and be supported by loved ones who understand what’s happening. Before being diagnosed with a disease that causes dementia, someone may be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. People may become anxious about going to new places or meeting others. And if nothing changes, the condition will affect 1 in 2 of us – either by receiving a diagnosis ourselves, caring for a loved one with dementia, or both. These findings are surprising, given how nearly one million people are living with dementia right now in the UK.
- 22 science-backed ways to growing a healthier, happier brain, now and in the future
- Changes in sense of direction can also occur with dementia, Dickson says, and this can manifest in things like difficulty driving and getting lost in familiar environments.
- The memory handbook is for people with mild memory problems.
Busy people can be so distracted from time to time that they may forget to serve part of a meal, only to remember about it later. However, a person living with dementia may have trouble completing tasks that have been familiar to them all their lives, such as preparing a meal or playing a game. A person living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia may experience changes in the ability to hold or follow a conversation. As a result, they may withdraw from hobbies, social activities or other engagements.
These symptoms can be caused by Alzheimer’s disease, but problems with communication can also be caused by a rarer type of dementia called frontotemporal dementia. In its early stages, dementia can be difficult to tell apart from other conditions. Check in with your doctor once a year to monitor your memory and ensure you’ve managed all preventable and reversible causes of your symptoms. However, if any of these tests are just slightly abnormal, they probably aren’t the cause of your changes to memory. You can still work with your doctor to bring them back into a normal range for good health, but they aren’t enough to explain your symptoms. Again, this should be due to cognitively not being able to figure out the tasks, not because physically you’re too weak, off-balance, or in pain to do them.
They may also stop in the middle of a sentence and not know how to continue. Having trouble with memory can be an early symptom of dementia. The changes are often subtle and tend to involve short-term memory. A person with dementia may be able chicken road game google play store to remember events that took place years ago but not what they had for breakfast.
People living with memory changes from Alzheimer’s or other dementia often find it hard to complete daily tasks. Sometimes they may have trouble driving to a familiar location, organizing a grocery list or remembering the rules of a favorite game. This is the stage at which cognitive impairment starts to become more noticeable to the patient, their friends, family members, and colleagues. In fact, the symptoms may even be too mild to detect in a clinical interview with a healthcare provider, as the person may be able to adequately perform memory tests during the interview. At this stage, the symptoms are unlikely to affect the person’s work or social interactions.
Damage initially appears in the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in memory formation, and gradually spreads. An estimated 7.2 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a 2025 report from the Alzheimer’s Association. By 2050, this number is expected to rise to 13 million, the same report states. Acting increasingly anxious, confused, fearful or suspicious may also be a sign of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Find in-depth journalism and explainers on diseases of the brain — dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, mental-health topics.
It should give you some ideas and practical strategies to help with living well. People with dementia can live meaningful and productive lives for many years after an early diagnosis. An early diagnosis helps both the person and caregivers learn about dementia, set realistic expectations and plan for their future together. Getting an official diagnosis begins with your family doctor. Your doctor can also help answer questions you may have about dementia. In preparation for your doctor’s appointment, here are some helpful things to know and expect.