Dementia can cause everyday life to become a challenge as it affects a person’s memory, social capabilities, executive functioning and cognitive thinking. Symptoms tend to progress slowly over time for most people living with Alzheimer’s while others appear to experience symptoms at a much faster rate depending on their age and diagnosis.
Below, we discuss some common symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease so you can help your loved one who is living with Memory Loss find the support they need.
Challenges with Solving Problems
Problem-solving is often needed to complete tasks even in the simplest form. From paying bills and balancing a checkbook to following a recipe, dementia can create challenges.
Misplaced Items
While misplacing your car keys or smartphone is a common event for most people, those with Alzheimer’s disease seem to have this problem on a regular basis. Items are often misplaced or put in strange places, such as keys in the freezer, or hearing aids put in napkins in boxes.
Asking Questions Repetitively
A significant symptom of dementia conditions includes repeatedly asking the same questions over and over. It may be a situation where the question is repeated several times over the span of a day or may be repeated within minutes or even seconds.
Confusion with Time or Place
Confusion of time or place can mean disorientation or confusion of familiar surroundings as well as the calendar day, month, year, and season.
Changes in Mood and Personality
Alzheimer’s disease may affect a person’s ability to control their mood, especially if they are not in familiar surroundings or become easily confused. The personality of someone with dementia can change over time to one not recognized by close family members.
Forgetting Information
We rely on information to live each day and perform everyday activities such as how to cook food, how to prepare for weather conditions when travelling, and remembering medical appointments. Dementia can impair the ability to remember important information. It is when you forget you are forgetting that it becomes an issue.
Difficulty Handling Complex Tasks
With complex tasks, a person living with Alzheimer’s disease may face difficulty, even if the activity is a familiar one. Using technology, maintaining a relationship, banking, and solving problems are common tasks that require precise thought processing.
Poor Judgment, Leading to Bad Decisions
This same thought process, or lack of it, can create poor judgement when making decisions. Many people living with dementia or other Memory Loss conditions have also had a difficult time hygiene, money management, and exposure to physical harm. Rationalization and reasoning are seriously affected by people living with Memory Loss.
Taking Longer to Complete Normal Daily Tasks
For people living with Memory Loss, daily tasks such as cooking, cleaning, grooming, and washing dishes or clothes may take longer than deemed necessary by others. With the misconception of time, space, and familiarity, tasks may be done slower or at subpar levels than prior to their Memory Loss.
Problems with Words in Speaking or Writing
Following or holding a conversation or putting words to paper may become difficult for many people living with Memory Loss. From repeating words, to forgetting what word to use, the language becomes easily lost. Many people living with Memory Loss will also mistake items with other words or have difficulty with word finding.
Choose a Memory Care Home to Help Someone Living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia
If you are searching for long-term care or short-term respite care, talk to the compassionate team at Memory & Company. We specialize in Memory Care for people living with Memory Loss all while supporting their care partners. Contact us today to discuss how we can help you along this journey.
