When a partner, close friend or member of your family gets older, it is both your moral and ethical responsibility to ensure that they are as happy, content and fulfilled in their life as they always have been.
In particular, especially if your loved one lives at home and on their own, you will undoubtedly be one the proverbial alert as to any changes in either their behavior, their attitude or their personality that could mean they are no longer able to cope in their current situation.
Obviously, thousands upon thousands of elderly people across the length and breadth of the country and beyond are never going to become diagnosed with memory-based disorders, but if you are concerned, then continue reading to learn some key signs that they may be showing symptoms.
Changes In Behavior & Personality
One of the major changes you will start to see in a loved one who is beginning to show signs of Alzheimer’s disease, or another form of dementia is regarding their behavior and personality. Obviously, you need to know a person intimately to be able to determine and detect any changes and it would be pertinent to point out that such changes begin subtly and only advance over time.
Having said that, remember that naturally every individual, regardless of age, lifestyle or living situation does change over time as they grow, learn and are exposed to different life experiences. If your loved one has begun to become notably lost or disorientated in locations where previously they have always been particularly comfortable and at ease, or if a route they always take to the local store or a friend or family member’s house is now unfamiliar to them, this may also be a good reason to take them for an early signs of dementia test.
Problems Speaking & Articulating
If your loved one has always been an active and eloquent communicator and recently their conversations appear to be becoming fragmented and jump from topic to topic with no tangible link, this could also be an early warning sign of a memory-based disorder such as dementia.
Additionally, if they tend to be lost for words on an increasingly regular basis, this could also mean something is not quite right with their cognitive recall. However, as in the case of natural personality changes and mood shifts, this could just be because they currently have more than the usual number of things on their proverbial plate.
Substantially Impaired Reasoning & Judgement
Another warning sign of the possible onset of a dementia related illness in your loved one is when you witness them making, or about to make, a decision, however large or small, that they both would never normally make and that will result in risk or harm to them or others.
For example, crossing a road right in the middle of oncoming traffic, when they have spent years living and working in busy cities and have therefore become an expert pedestrian, may well be cause for concern.