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Dementia is talked about a lot and can become an unwanted resident in a number of households. However, not many of us truly know what dementia is, the symptoms that go hand in hand with the disease, and when you should seek medical attention or look for assisted living.
Put simply, dementia is the most common type of Alzheimer’s disease. It involves the inability to remember things and can impact a person’s long or short-term memory. It can also cause issues to a person’s thinking and stop them from performing everyday tasks, impacting their quality of life and ability to look after themselves.
It is important to note that although dementia is more common in older adults, it can also impact younger individuals. Dementia does not discriminate and can affect anyone at any given time.
Do you worry that a friend or family member is being impacted by dementia? If so, read on for the signs and symptoms as well as how you can help them.
Symptoms Of Dementia
There are some very common signs when it comes to dementia, which can be easy to spot. These involve:
- Memory loss: inability to retain information such as important dates or times; asking the same questions again and again; needing to rely on others for support in remembering key parts of their life.
- Difficulty in performing tasks: if your loved one is failing to complete tasks that they used to do time and time again, then this could be a sign of dementia. For example, do they struggle to organize their groceries or remembering how to drive to a frequently visited location?
- Inability to solve simple tasks: this can be more apparent if your loved one was able to problem-solve quite a bit.
- Unable to remember the time or date: do they have problems with remembering what day it is as well as the time? They may also be unable to remember if it is spring, summer, fall or winter.
When Should You Seek Medical Attention?
If your loved one is exhibiting a few of the above symptoms of dementia, you may be wondering what your next steps should be. It could be that they are unable to live alone due to their inability to remember how to look after themselves or perform simple tasks. If this is the case, they may require assisted living care and services from a facility such as npseniorliving.com.
What Causes Dementia?
Experts have some sort of idea of what causes dementia, but they are not completely sure. However, the most common causes of dementia are:
- Frontotemporal dementia
- Lewy body dementia
- Huntington’s disease
- Damage to the brain
- A stroke
- Alzheimer’s disease
As it stands, Alzheimer’s disease is the number one cause of dementia.
Conclusion
It can be devastating when a loved one starts exhibiting signs of dementia but remember that there is help out there. At the end of the day, you need to ensure that your loved one is comfortable and safe.
