Dementia is a complex and often challenging condition that can affect the elderly, gradually eroding their cognitive abilities and altering their behaviour.
There are some symptoms that you might be able to spot in a loved one that could be an early sign of dementia. These signs may not always be obvious, but they serve as crucial markers for timely intervention and support.
Stewart Mcginn, Managing Director at Baycroft Care Homes, identifies the early symptoms of dementia to look out for in an elderly family member.
“One of the earlier symptoms an elderly family member may display when suffering from dementia is continuously misplacing things or placing items in strange places, such as the TV remote in the fridge or food items in with the cleaning products. They may also experience difficulty focusing on tasks that require organisation and planning due to Alzheimer’s disease, which causes dementia, affecting the hippocampus, which controls new learning and memories. With this being disrupted, it can be much harder to concentrate.”
The two biggest forms of the illness are Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular dementia. A report commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society from the London School of Economics and Political Science found there are currently around 900,000 people with dementia in the UK. This is projected to rise to 1.6 million people by 2040. There are over 42,000 people under 65 with dementia in the UK and 209,600 people will develop dementia this year, that’s one every three minutes. Around 180,000 people living in the UK have vascular dementia.
Alzheimer’s Society has produced a symptoms checklist, endorsed by the Royal College of GPs, to support people to get a vital diagnosis.
Stewart Mcginn:
“Some of the more common or obvious symptoms include problems with language. Whilst everyone can forget the odd word from time to time, regularly struggling to remember words or substituting them in sentences with random words can indicate someone is suffering. In addition to this, one of the most noticeable signs of dementia is recurring memory loss, particularly with less significant pieces of information. Examples of behaviour could include re-reading the newspaper, re-telling stories, or forgetting an acquaintance’s name.
It is estimated that 70 per cent of people in care homes have dementia or severe memory problems. It is estimated that 60 per cent of people who draw on support from homecare are people living with dementia.
The total cost of care for people with dementia in the UK is £36.7 billion. This is set to rise sharply over the next two decades, to £94.1 billion by 2040. The cost of social care for people with dementia is set to nearly treble by 2040, increasing from £16.9 billion to £45.4 billion. Dementia is one of the main causes of disability later in life, ahead of cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Stewart Mcginn:
“One of the lesser known symptoms of dementia is mood swings, which can occur as the person suffering can begin to get frustrated with themselves, sometimes without obvious cause or reason. This can be a person’s mood quickly changing from calm to angry or emotional without reason, or if they become generally more withdrawn or anxious. If your elderly family member is displaying signs of dementia, the recommended first step is to make a GP appointment. From then, the doctor will decide whether the patient needs to be referred to a specialist, including a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist or geriatrician.
“If your elderly family member struggles to come to terms with the diagnosis, or has any questions or worries that they want to be answered, there are a number of dementia charities and support lines that can comfort your loved one during this difficult time.”
