Hello,
I'm wondering if people on the forum can share experiences particularly on early signs of dementia.
I have no experience of it other than, reading some internet medical articles. All information seems to point to short-term memory loss being a main factor.
How did you differentiate short-term memory loss from forgetfulness? Is it the same thing?
What did you start noticing before it got to a stage where you thought you needed to talk to a doctor?
How did you discuss the situation with your loved one? About going to a doctor, was is hard? Did it backfire?
Does waking up late in the day any indicator?
Some medical articles talk about hearing problems and their connection to dementia. Do people on the forum think they are related?
How do you differentiate certain things from just getting old? And when do they start calling it dementia?
I feel like my mom is sound of mind when I'm talking to her, when she's doing things around the house, she still does these things herself, sews, gets dressed, and cooks. However, there are times where I feel she has lost sense of time. For example, if she's calling me from downstairs, she expects me to appear the moment she's called my name, not even waiting 5 secs before calling for me again.
When out shopping in unfamiliar places or stores with lots of aisles, I kind of feel like she needs to see me close by her; otherwise she looks a little lost.
There's other things like not completing one task before starting another, sometimes where the gas stove is involved. I don't know if this is just forgetfulness or anything to be concerned about, I've done silly things like this myself, I'm sure we all have. I was more worried on this particular occasion, where my mom did not smell anything burning or see the smoke coming out of the stove grill.
There are occasions where things get put somewhere and she does not remember where. So the house is turned upside down until we find it. It doesn't happen often.
At the present time I am putting all these incidents down to just getting older and forgetfulness, because as I'm getting older I'm forgetting a lot more than before. I guess the frequency of certain happenings plays a factor too.
To be honest, I'm clueless about signs to look for and was wondering if other folks could share some of these experiences, what you saw with your loved ones, when diagnosed with early stages of dementia and decide to seek some help from a doctor.
I understand this is a hard & sensitive topic, thanks to all.
Love & Peace.
At first, I attributed Mom's behavior to the aging process. Mom and I had always had a rocky relationship. I went so far as thinking it was "me" and unfair bias on my part! But further on (a year or two before diagnosis), she began getting lost in places she formerly knew quite well. She had multiple traffic accidents and exhibited extreme paranoia. She stayed up half the night arranging and rearranging her kitchen, cabinets, drawers and closets. She was confused about what time of day it was and began "sundowning" in the late afternoon. Their formerly spotless and well-maintained home started looking neglected.
Dad claimed her doctor said it was "mild cognitive decline." I didn't challenge this diagnosis but inwardly questioned it. It had to be something more. Most of Mom's friends and acquaintance didn't seem to notice these changes, but those of us within the family circle certainly did. Either the others didn't notice or were too polite to say anything. I'm guessing the latter. By the time we got Mom in to a neurologist, dementia was a foregone conclusion. What a cruel, cruel disease.
Sleeping in later.
Irritability.